‘Despicable Me 4’ Review: Illumination’s Latest Animated Comedy Draws Mixed Reactions From Critics Despite Its Fun Action and Promising New Characters

Despicable Me 4 is produced by Illumination and distributed by Universal Pictures. It continues the story from Despicable Me 3 (2017) and stands as the fourth main film and the sixth overall in the Despicable Me franchise. The film features the voices of Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Pierre Coffin, Joey King, Sofía Vergara, Will Ferrell and others. This latest animated comedy, which has released in theatres on July 3, has opened to mixed reactions from critics despite its fun action and promising new characters. Despicable Me 4 Trailer: Minion Gang Develop Super Powers and Turn Mega Minions To Help Gru and His Family; Film To Hit Theatres on July 3 (Watch Video).

As per critics, Despicable Me 4 introduces a new setting, villain and characters, including Gru and Lucy’s newborn, Gru Jr, which could offer plenty of fun for fans. Some even mentioned how the plot can sometimes feel a bit stretched, but also includes several heartwarming moments as well. Let’s take a look at the reviews shared by critics on Despicable Me 4.

Watch The Trailer Of ‘Despicable Me 4’ Below:

The Guardian – But it has to be said that the Despicable Me franchise has marathon stamina; it relaxes into its long-established characterisation and storytelling and only a snob would deny this film’s unassuming consistency in delivering family entertainment. But this isn’t this film’s style. It isn’t a masterpiece, and no one needs Despicable Me 5, but being unassumingly enjoyable isn’t easy.

IGN – It’s arguable that the target audience for Despicable Me 4 is younger than it was for its predecessors, given the low-attention-span way it zips between random topics. All the while, the actual jokes are aimed at adults who might be able to recognize something familiar in them – the price of gas sure has shot up in recent years! – but none of the humor stems from the characters themselves.

The Hollywood Reporter – The new identities are a tough sell and some of the most winning moments in Despicable Me 4 detail the family’s attempts to fit into Mayflower. The cast delivers engaging voice performances, with Carell and King leading the pack.

Screen Rant – Despicable Me 4 is far from a failure, providing solid laughs and several heartwarming moments. The movie’s brisk pace keeps the cracks between the various plot threads from showing initially, but upon further inspection, it’s clear Despicable Me 4 has so much on its mind, it’s forgotten some of what makes the series so delightful.

IndieWire – While cinema these days might be choked with movies-that-really-should-just-be-TV (hello, “Horizon”), here is a film that would genuinely benefit from being sliced into diced into a different medium better suited for the dueling stories it’s telling. It’s not despicable, it’s just a little disappointing.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 03, 2024 01:17 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).