Despicable Me 3
⭐️⭐️ (2 out of 5)
Directed by: Pierre Coffin & Kyle Balda
Written by: Cinco Paul & Ken Daurio
Starring: Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Trey Parker, Julie Andrews
June 30th, 2017
Despicable Me 3 is proof that even global animation hits can run out of steam. Steve Carell returns as Gru in a sequel that’s bright, loud, and utterly mediocre — a film that coasts on nostalgia and Minion merchandising more than storytelling.
The Latest from Illumination Is Awesomely Mediocre
Despicable Me 3 is so wildly mediocre, so achingly adequate, and so puzzlingly prosaic that I can barely bring myself to write about it. Honestly, I spent more time researching synonyms for “mediocre” than thinking about the movie itself.
The film represents the perfect middle ground between competence and boredom — a brightly colored void where jokes exist, animation happens, and absolutely nothing resonates. It’s the cinematic equivalent of eating plain oatmeal while watching a fireworks display through a fogged window. There’s noise and movement, but nothing of substance.
Illumination has always aimed to make movies that feel familiar enough to comfort kids and disposable enough to keep parents from complaining. With Despicable Me 3, they’ve refined that formula to a glossy art form. The result is a film that is perfectly fine — and utterly lifeless.
Gru vs. Bratt: When Nostalgia Becomes a Gimmick
The story begins with reformed super-villain Gru (Steve Carell) continuing his new career as a hero, this time alongside his equally well-meaning wife Lucy (Kristen Wiig). Their target: Balthazar Bratt (Trey Parker), a villain obsessed with the 1980s, complete with purple shoulder pads, bubble gum weapons, and a synth-heavy soundtrack.
The idea is mildly clever at first. The visual jokes — Rubik’s Cubes, keytars, moonwalks — hit a nostalgic sweet spot. But the novelty burns out fast. Bratt becomes a one-note character, and his endless dance battles start to feel like rejected sketches from a forgotten SNL episode.
The 1980s aesthetic should have offered room for satire or irony, but instead, it’s just a surface-level gimmick. There’s no commentary, no depth — just a parade of neon references that hope to distract you from realizing how little story there actually is.
Double Trouble: The Twin Brother Nobody Asked For
Because one thin plotline isn’t enough, the movie introduces Gru’s long-lost twin brother, Dru. He’s got a head of golden hair, a sunny personality, and absolutely no reason to exist beyond giving Steve Carell another voice to perform.
The central joke is that Dru is handsome and terrible at being a villain. That’s it. The entire subplot rests on this one-note contrast. Even worse, the film tries to wring humor out of Gru’s cruel mother (voiced by Julie Andrews), who reveals she deliberately hid Dru’s existence from Gru. It’s a weirdly mean-spirited twist played for laughs — as if emotional neglect were the setup for a punchline.
Adding insult to injury, Gru’s mother also gets a recycled gag involving her ogling her swim coaches. It’s creepy, lazy, and completely unnecessary. This is supposed to be family entertainment, but much of the humor lands somewhere between tone-deaf and uncomfortable.
Meanwhile, the Minions Are Still Here
Of course, no Despicable Me film would dare skip its real stars — the Minions. This time, they rebel against Gru and head off on their own misadventure, eventually winding up in jail.
Their subplot exists for one clear reason: to justify another round of Minion toys. The prison sequence includes two elaborate musical numbers, both of which feel like filler created to extend the runtime and give the marketing team something to work with. The Minions remain marketable chaos engines, but without the emotional anchor of Gru and the girls, they’re just noise.
When Despicable Me premiered in 2010, the Minions were fresh and funny — supporting characters with visual wit. Seven years later, they’ve become corporate mascots for prepackaged chaos, speaking in gibberish while executives calculate how many lunchboxes they can move.
From Heartfelt to Hollow
The original Despicable Me had heart. Its central story — a villain softened by his love for three orphans — was simple but touching. You rooted for Gru because there was something human beneath the cartoon.
By the sequel, that emotional foundation had eroded, replaced by noisy spectacle and toy-friendly antics. Now, in Despicable Me 3, the series has reached its final stage of evolution: total emotional vacancy.
The movie isn’t hateful or incompetent, but it is aggressively safe. Every design choice, every joke, every musical cue feels pre-approved by a focus group. It’s a film made by talented people working within the most soul-crushing boundaries imaginable.
When Mercenary Filmmaking Becomes the Point
At least when Pixar goes mercenary, there’s still a trace of artistry. Cars 3, for all its faults, had craftsmanship and genuine affection for its characters. Illumination, by contrast, seems content to coast on brand recognition.
Their philosophy appears to be: make it cute, make it fast, make it bright, and make it sell. The animators do fine work, the voice cast gives professional performances, and yet the movie still feels hollow — a product disguised as a story.
Millions of dollars and countless hours of labor have gone into creating something aggressively average. It’s not a failure, but it’s not a success either. It simply exists — an echo of better movies made by studios that still care about storytelling.
Final Thoughts
Despicable Me 3 is competent, colorful, and completely uninspired. It never offends, but it never delights. It’s a film designed to be consumed, not remembered — the cinematic equivalent of a fast-food meal you forget five minutes after eating.
There’s no passion here, no spark of creativity. Just another round of Minions, another paper-thin plot, and another reminder that Illumination has mastered the art of making movies that are “good enough.”
Final Rating: ⭐️⭐️ (2 out of 5)
Technically fine, emotionally vacant — Despicable Me 3 is a monument to mediocrity in high definition.
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#DespicableMe3 #IlluminationEntertainment #AnimatedMovies #SteveCarell #FamilyMovies #MovieReview#AnimationCriticism #DespicableMeFranchise #FilmReview #Reelscope
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