Despicable Me 3 is a 2017 American 3D computer-animated action comedy film, which follow the long awaited reunion between Gru and Dru in a ploy to carry out one last criminal heist.
"Despicable Me 3" is unwieldy, but it mostly works, as co-directors Pierre Coffin (who also voices the Minions) and Kyle Balda never lose sight of the film's emotional center, packing the rest with as much humor as they can manage.
This rather clever, breakneck-paced cartoon gives fans exactly what they want: Like the new nemesis voiced by Trey Parker, it shoots mulitple machine-gun bursts of bubblegum at the audience, asking them to chew and enjoy.
It's fine. But it's fine the way another so-so episode of a beloved TV show you watch religiously is fine. It's depressing that it's only fine, because it shows a once-inspired series is finally low on gas.
The third Despicable Me film chronologically is also the third-best in terms of quality. But it has just enough energy and flashes of inspiration to suggest it's a franchise that could run and run.
Despicable Me 3 will certainly keep the younger elements of its audience happy, with its dose of aspartame-rush hyperactivity. But for everyone else it may prove decent rather than captivating.
"Despicable Me 3" feels a bit like a rebuilding episode, introducing new characters and clearly setting us up for the inevitable "Despicable Me 4." But it's still low-pressure fun.