Despicable Me 3

Review Written by Michael J. Ruhland


















Michael's Movie Grade: C+

Review: Maybe not a great movie but still quite fun.

One of the best things about this movie is the animation. The film looks and moves in a very cartoony fashion and is expertly handled here. The animation may be quite exaggerated but all the exaggeration and cartoony-ness comes straight out of the characters and out of the story line. Because of this the exaggeration really makes the characters come to life for us and believe them all the more. Most of all though this animation is filled with an energy that is just fun to watch. 

There are definitely though too many side stories in this movie. Lucy has one, the minions have one and Agnes has one. Thanks to this they all feel very rushed and not given nearly enough time to be fleshed out. Lucy's side story is the weakest and honestly is just cliché and dull. The minions side story has a couple of good laughs but nothing too memorable. Agnes' side story on the other hand offers the most entertaining part of the movie. It has the biggest laughs, a great premise and above everything Agnes is just so enjoyable to watch here. It is sad this wasn't given more time because even with how rushed it feels it is probably the best part of the movie. The main story belongs to Gru and it is quite enjoyable. Gru is quite relatable and fun here, and the story while it has been done before still has quite a bit of charm. This story is given the most fleshing out and while it isn't anything incredible or original it is still quite a bit of fun. Probably the biggest problem with this main story is that while it had a few good jokes, it also has some that fall a bit flat. They aren't terrible or even necessarily that bad, but they just are a bit unmemorable.

This is exactly what you expect from the Despicable Me movies, meaning it may not be a great movie but it is still fun.

By the way there is a very nice reference to the Marx Brothers' movie Duck Soup, and if they make a Despicable Me 4 Agnes needs a bigger part, she is my favorite part of this series.

-Michael J. Ruhland.