(reviewed by our guest critic: The Movie Knight) Newlyweds Gru (Steve Carell) and Lucy (Kristen Wiig) continue their work for the Anti-Villain League until they fail to capture the newest supervillain, Balthazar Bratt (Trey Parker). Out of work and suddenly finding themselves purposeless, things look pretty bleak, until they find out Gru has a twin brother, Dru (also voiced by Carell) who owns a very successful pig farming business. Dru is very excited to meet his twin brother. After all, a twin brother means putting his villainous skills to the test.
You can always count on plenty of laughs from this film franchise. Even before the movie officially starts, the Illumination logo appearing on screen should get a good laugh from the audience. Trey Parker, one half of the creator of South Park,steals every scene he’s in and is now the best adversary they created for Gru yet.
But what really matters….The Minions are hysterical!
This new adventure surpasses the last entry and the Minions spin-off movie: but, the original still remains the best. (This is usually the case.) With many subplots going on while Dru and Gru are on their mission. Lucy is still acclimating to, not only becoming a wife, but also suddenly being a mother to three girls. She and oldest daughter Margo have to deal with some local villagers and their customs, while the other two girls, Edith and Agnes head to some nearby woods to look for a mystical animal.
Most of the Minions go off on their own and wind up in jail, where they quickly take over the joint. Despite these additional storylines and the mere 90-minute running time, there are still spots where the movie does not feel as if it is moving along.
Some new characters are introduced, and you may think they should get further developed, but this ends up being a missed opportunity. Balthazar Bratt also seems to have his own set of minions, but the opportunity of having the two kinds clash could have been used to the filmmakers advantage.
Lately, 3D fare is more of an afterthought and/or marketing tool for studios to earn their products extra dollars than to help enhance the moviegoing experience for audiences. More often than not, 3D movies are not even shot with 3D cameras, but are converted to the format during post-production. That has never been the case with Despicable Me. Not only have they fully taken advantage of the art, they have pushed the boundaries of it over the years. This new film is no exception.
No matter where you live, all the kids are out of school now and family entertainment is at a premium. On this long 4th of July weekend you might consider a day at the movies. You can’t go wrong with this one.
2.5 Tiaras