Since the brand new movie “Despicable Me 3” hit theatres, people have kept asking themselves whether the third part of this film franchise is worth watching. It’s quite difficult for someone to create a sequel better than their previous movies. If anyone has managed to do so, then kudos to them. The same cannot be said for Kyle Balda and Pierre Coffin, the directors of "Despicable Me 3". Two times Gru clearly doesn’t make third time a charm.
The plot of the film contains a great deal of subplots and as a result, each character faces a (more or less) serious problem. Gru (Steve Carell) and Lucy (Kristen Wiig), both agents for the Anti-Villain League (AVL), chase a new villain named Balthazar Bratt (Trey Parker) and try to stop him from stealing a precious diamond. The diamond is saved, but Bratt is still on the loose. The constant failing of capturing Bratt leads to Gru and Lucy’s sudden sack from AVL. Soon after that, Gru has the opportunity to go to Freedonia and meet his twin brother, Dru (also Steve Carell), for the first time. Meanwhile, Lucy struggles with the idea of being a mother and has a hard time saying “no” to her three (adopted) daughters and being tough when necessary. The girls also have minimal issues. Margo (Miranda Cosgrove), despite being 12, wants to be seen as a full-grown teenager, but as soon as she gets into some “engagement trouble” with a random boy in Freedonia, she immediately wants Lucy by her side. Edith (Dana Gaier) spends most of her time looking after her younger sister, Agnes (Nev Scharrel), and tries to make the most of it by filming their little trips and narrating made-up stories with an exaggerated tone. Agnes, just like any other careless girl, is only interested in finding the perfect unicorn pet. Her lifetime wish partially comes true. She ends up with a one-horned pet. A baby goat, to be precise. As long as it has a horn, it should be perfect, am I right? Of course, we also have to mention our favorite minion clan. Learning about Gru’s sack and refusal to return to his villainy life, the cheeky yellow creatures leave their bald master behind and set off to create an exciting adventure time by themselves.
These are the main ideas of the movie. They may sound alright, but as we get deeper into the plot, we are to notice some disappointing features. First of all, let’s take a look at Balthazar Bratt’s background story. What made him become a villain? Is there a tragic childhood story behind all his actions? The answer is “yeah, sure”… accompanied by a sarcastic laugh. Bratt is a former child actor who portrayed a young villain in a famous TV show. But one day, puberty struck in, therefore the show was cancelled. Nobody would have thought that the end of the TV series would also mean a tearful wreck in Bratt’s life. What’s left for him to do is to prepare “the best” revenge and show the Hollywood business that he’s still a big-time, talented actor. The situation is quite silly, if you ask me. Bratt is nothing but a joke, he represents that type of brainwashed actor who has one role, gets quickly obsessed with it and can’t live without it anymore. He could have just moved on and build up a successful acting career with further roles. I’m sure the directors of “Despicable Me 3” could have created a more interesting villain. I don’t know what made them limit themselves to an evil character which is wearing a purple jumpsuit and has pink bubble gum, a Rubik’s Cube and a Sonic Keytar as weapons. It couldn’t get scarier than that. The only thing I appreciate about Bratt is that he has an 80’s vibe, so whenever he is in action, he either busts a move on Bad from Michael Jackson or dances his way to success on Take On Me from a-ha.
Moving on to Gru and Dru, their first meeting doesn’t develop naturally. They have never seen each other before and still, they act casually and ask simple questions. It seems as if the whole situation is no big deal. Moreover, the movie trailer presents Dru as a cooler version of Gru. Sure, he has blonde hair and a huge mansion... but that’s pretty much about it. He even asks Gru to teach him how to be a villain, in order to follow in their father’s footsteps. Honestly, I can’t see the reason why Dru was introduced to the whole franchise. If it was for revealing Gru’s soft and lovable side, then we’ve already seen that in the first two movies, when the three sisters and Lucy came into his life.
If I were to talk about the minions, there wouldn’t be too much to say. Since they leave Gru and set off on an adventure-packed journey, they are quite disconnected from the entire plot. They accidentally appear on TV, in a talent show (where their performance catches everybody’s attention), and then they find themselves behind bars. Surprisingly, the minions could have easily been removed from the story. As for their quirkiness, childish attitude and weirdly twisted language, everything seemed to be a bit overdone. They didn’t make me genuinely laugh anymore. Most of the time there was just a slightly satisfied smile on my face. No more, no less.
The use of so many subplots is kind of pointless. At times it felt like the movie directors struggled with keeping the characters busy with all sorts of activities. They didn’t seem to have fully concentrated on them and create actual gripping events. Perhaps it might have been better if the subplots were turned into separate short movies. Gru and Dru’s heist, Lucy’s excursion in Freedonia with her three daughters, Agnes’ unicorn search, the minions’ escape from prison... Each incident can provide a jolly 7-10 minute film, but when they are altogether, they just form a messed-up 90-minute movie.
However, I don’t want to end this post on a negative note. I should take into account that the movie is mostly addressed to children. They will never complain about Bratt’s wacky weapons or Dru’s lack of uniqueness. They will still laugh out loud at all the silly situations. I know this for sure, because my 10-year-old sister enjoyed the plot. The first two films of “Despicable Me” and the “Minions” one might have been perfect for family movie nights. But this time, “Despicable Me 3” might come in handy for busy parents who want to keep their children entertained for one hour and a half.
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