It’s been seven years since the last Despicable Me movie and during that time we had one Minion movie: Minions: The Rise of Gru in 2022. While this gap between the Despicable Me movies Despicable Me 4 feels like no time has been lost, Gru, voiced by Steve Carell, and the minions are back to their usual antics. The one difference between the last movie is that now Gru and Lucy (voiced by Kristen Wiig) have a baby boy who seems to like Lucy more than Gru. This is one of the few subplots in this movie while others include Agnus and her pet goat, Lucky, the interaction between the neighbor’s daughter, the formation of The Mega Minions, and trying to stay safe from Maxime Le Mai (voiced by Will Ferrell).
As shown in the trailers Gru and his family are in hiding and have to take new identities. Due to this, the minions have to be taken to the Anti-Villain League along with Gru’s dog, Kyle, and Agnus’ goat, Lucky. Agnus is sad about being separated from her pet and is also conflicted because she feels telling her people her new name is lying. This hesitation to say her new name is brought to a hilarious moment with her sister Edith at their new Karate class. Speaking of fighting, in the custody of the AVL, Silas Ramsbottom asks for volunteers to test a new super serum to make the minions more powerful. 5 minions reluctantly volunteer and become the Mega Minions. They are created to help the AVL capture notorious villains that the AVL can not do on their own.
Gru’s new identity is Chet Cunningham, a solar panel salesman, and he is trying to fit in and be friendly with his neighbor, Perry Prescot, voiced by Stephen Colbert. We all know that Gru is an awkward person and we see this awkwardness in the scenes where Perry and Gru are together. The scenes where the family is placed in their new professions are fun to watch but the definite scene-stealers in this movie are the minions. Every scene the minions are in is hilarious and will have you laughing every time. While the minion movies are a lot of fun, it feels like having the minions in little doses throughout the movie dulls the overkill of seeing them onscreen all the time.
The Mega Minions moments are also pretty funny. Seeing how they are trying to get used to their powers and how they use their powers is hilarious. This could be a snippet of what is to come in the future but again with all of the subplots, not much is done with them until the final act. Another look into the future is the subplot between Gru and Perry Prescot’s daughter Poppy, voiced by Joey King. Poppy has dreams of being a villain and feels Gru can be her mentor. Poppy’s character is a BTS fan and you see her Army (The name for BTS fans) flag fly in the posters in her room and on her phone case. Poppy might be a spin-off character like the minions but only time will tell.
The main plot of the movie is Gru staying in hiding from Maxime. Whereas Gru has his minions, Maxime has an army of roaches that he uses to do his bidding. The design for the roaches is adorable but don’t think I will start collecting roaches for pets. Maxime and his girlfriend, Valentina, voiced by Sofía Vergara, are an interesting duo that shows some great chemistry on the screen. Although Valentina does not say much in the movie, when she does speak it’s mainly reactions to Maxime’s actions. I do wish more was done with her character but that would be another subplot that would get in the way of all the other ones already in the movie.
Despicable Me 4 does have a great third act where we see everyone in action as they join up to take on Maxime and his crew. Not only do we see the Mega Minions in action but also Poppy and Gru working together. The theme of family is neatly wrapped up in the third act and like the other Despicable Me movies we see how important family is to Gru. Despicable Me 4 is a fun time at the theaters for the family and the easter eggs in the final moments is the chef’s kiss!
Final Thoughts: Despicable Me 4 takes us on a new adventure with Gru and his family as they are hiding from the villain Maxime Le Mai. While in hiding the group has to deal with new identities, fitting into their new environment, a nosey neighbor, and staying hidden from Maxime. The minions are up to their usual selves and bring the laughs for this installment. Despicable Me 4 is a hilariously great time at the movie!
Kid-Friendly: This is a Despicable Me movie so it is made for kids. There is a lot of potty humor thanks to the minions. A few stories are going on that might confuse the young ones. The familiar theme of family continues in this installment of the movie which is the strength of the series.
Violence: There is animated violence involving Maxime Le Mal fighting several members of the Anti-Villain League, a hilarious fight with a Honey Badger and another fight between Maxime and Gru.
In the first Despicable Me movie in seven years, Gru, the world’s favorite supervillain-turned-Anti-Villain League-agent, returns for an exciting, bold new era of Minions mayhem in Illumination’s Despicable Me 4.
Following the 2022 summer blockbuster phenomenon of Illumination’s Minions: The Rise of Gru, which earned almost $1 billion worldwide, the biggest global animated franchise in history now begins a new chapter as Gru (Oscar® nominee Steve Carrell) and Lucy (Oscar® nominee Kristen Wiig) and their girls —Margo (Miranda Cosgrove), Edith (Dana Gaier) and Agnes (Madison Polan)—welcome a new member to the Gru family, Gru Jr., who is intent on tormenting his dad.
Gru faces a new nemesis in Maxime Le Mal (Emmy winner Will Ferrell) and his femme fatale girlfriend Valentina (Emmy nominee Sofia Vergara), and the family is forced to go on the run.
The film features fresh new characters voiced by Joey King (Bullet Train), Emmy winner Stephen Colbert (The Late Show with Stephen Colbert) and Chloe Fineman (Saturday Night Live). Pierre Coffin returns as the iconic voice of the Minions and Oscar® nominee Steve Coogan returns as Silas Ramsbottom.