‘Despicable Me 3’ good enough for kids
Despicable Me 3, with the voices of Steve Carell, Kirsten Wiig and Trey Parker, directed by Kyle Balda and Pierre Coffin. 3.5/5 THE third movie in the
franchise centres around family, loyalty and whether it is better to be good or bad.
Gru (voice of Steve Carell) and his wife Lucy (Kristen Wiig) are thrown out of the AVL (Anti-Villain League) when they fail to capture new super-villain Balthazar Bratt (Trey Parker), a 1980s child star turned real-life criminal. With nothing to do, Gru’s minions grow restless and leave their former boss to pursue their own criminal activities.
Then a strange man, Fritz (Steve Coogan), arrives at Gru’s house to tell him his long-lost twin brother, Dru, would like to see him. Unaware he even had a brother, Gru, Lucy and the girls set off to Dru’s home. Dru has long blonde hair and a very pleasant demeanour, thus he is the antithesis of his twin. From the moment Gru’s family see the mansion, it is clear that Dru has been immeasurably more successful than his brother, but Dru admits there is something he has yet to achieve.
What Dru wants most is to carry on the family business. It turns out that Dru and Gru were separated as babies when their mom and dad split. Gru went with his mother (Julie Andrews) and Dru with his father. And it seems that, while Gru’s mom was always critical of him, Dru’s father was just as critical of Dru. Thus, Dru wants to be a super-villain, just like his long-lost brother, and prove his father wrong.
He therefore asks Gru to show him how.
Gru, on the other hand, has sworn to his wife Lucy he will give up his evil ways. But now, no longer in the AVL, perhaps he and his brother could attempt to capture Balthazar Bratt and use this to get his and Lucy’s jobs back? And so, the latest
adventure begins. The most endearing character in the entire franchise is Gru’s youngest child, Agnes (this time voiced by Nev Scharrel, where she was previously voiced by Elsie Fisher), who is the most tender and loving child, but with slightly manic overtones. For example, she sells her unicornstuffed toy to help Gru while he is unemployed.
But then she finds a baby goat with one horn missing, and adopts it as her new unicorn. All very touching and endearing when you see it on the big screen. Being a 3D movie probably does little to enhance the experience and, as always, it appears as though you are looking into a box where the 3D action is taking place. There are very few “coming at you” moments, and perhaps the 3D is more a gimmick at the moment than an experience enhancer.
Be that as it may, if the children’s laughter was anything to go by, will definitely be a hit, even if the writers need to come out with a richer plotline for