Despicable Me 3: Review

Despicable Me 3 is the third outing for the loveable anti-villan Gru who this time around must face the over bearing Balthazar Bratt whilst balancing family life after the discovery of his twin brother Dru. 

There's a lot going on, sometimes too much, however the series is once again kept consistent in this bubblegum family romp. Disney have taken the crowd pleasing route in which their storylines are evolving to suit older audiences. Much like its antagonist, Despicable Me 3 has gone old school delivering a classic, Saturday morning cartoon adventure. 

Rather than taking two steps back with Minions, DM3 breathes new and exciting life into the franchise. From its incredible character design to its stunning set pieces, we are taken on extravaganza that doesn't require too much thought. Crayon crammed full of colour and hilarious pop culture references, Despicable Me 3 flows just as well as you'd expect a kids film to. 

The latest villain on the block is by far the most creative of the three we have received. Helped by some fabulous voice acting from South Park's Trey Parker, Bratt plays as a wonderfully flamboyant - typically one dimensional villain . And there is certainly enough 80's gags to service the parent's needs. 

Brought to you by three french directors who's names I can neither spell nor pronounce. Despicable Me 3 rarely falls short, it intelligently picks up on what audiences enjoy and didn't enjoy about previous instalments. The minions are thankfully sidelined in this adventure and allow the film room to be entertaining on its own without relying on fart jokes or bare bottoms. Proving to us what truly makes the series its own isn't the plump yellow creatures but the warmth and humour of its protagonist Gru. Precisely the reason why Minions didn't work. 

The film is more like a sequence of shorts that feed into one main plot rather than a structured story. Of course the slight disjointedness may bother the odd cinema goer, but all in all each of the three stories are perfectly enjoyable. 

In the end Despicable Me 3 is an energetic, sugar rush of family fun. It smoothly transitions between cute moments of warmth and colourfully fun action. Though it's uncertain how many times Illumination are able to deliver, its animation, creativity and swift humour makes it the best of the series.

I am going to give Despicable Me 3:

​8.4/10