Movie Review
'Despicable Me 3' is awfully good fun
Gru's long-lost twin brother tries to lure him back into a life of villainy in the latest installment of this delightful animated film franchise
The rich vein that Illumination Entertainment hit in 2010 with Despicable Me just keeps on delivering glowing film nuggets.
There has been a franchise follow-up in Despicable Me 2 and a spin-off in the Minions film - both successful, although not flawless. But the company's latest, Despicable Me 3, shows what perfect measures of humour and heart look like when mixed into animated storytelling.
Ex-villain Gru (Steve Carrell) and his wife Lucy (Kristen Wiig) now work for a covert agency, the Anti-Villain League, and are settling into a comfortable groove between home and professional life. Gru and Lucy's family of three adopted daughters, a mutant dog and hundreds of clownish yellow minions create an odd but happy family unit.
Circumstances take a dive for Gru, however, when Balthazar Bratt, an '80s child star who has turned super-villain because of the cancellation of his TV show, steals the world's largest diamond. During the heist, Gru fails to apprehend Bratt, which results in his dismissal from the agency by its new director. While she is attempting to defend her husband, Lucy is also ordered out.
Suddenly, the family has lost its two breadwinners, a situation that produces one of the most heart-warming scenes in the film. With few options, the lure of returning to a life of villainy grows more attractive.
WATCH the trailer for Despicable Me 3..
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