A Despicably Good Movie
The kind-hearted supervillain is back and badder than ever. In the fourth movie of the Despicable Me series, Gru returns to the screen with the newest member of the family: his son, Gru Jr. Gru’s peaceful family life is interrupted when an old classmate, Maxime Le Mal, breaks out of prison, plots revenge against Gru, and creates the plot of Despicable Me 4, released on July 3, 2024.
Fearing Maxime Le Mal’s vengeance, Gru and his family leave town to assume new identities. Now relocated, Gru thinks his past is behind him. Little does he know, aspiring villain Poppy Prescott knows his true identity. Poppy blackmails Gru to take her on a secret mission to steal Lycée Pas Bon’s school mascot, Lenny the Honey Badger. Although they successfully complete the heist, they cause a scene that alerts Maxime of Gru’s whereabouts. Now on the radar, Gru’s family is once again in danger.
Views on the characters in the franchise vary, but sophomore Taylor Petillo mentioned that Gru’s daughter Agnes was her favorite character. While Agnes didn’t receive as much screen time as in previous installments, she stood out because Agnes reminds Taylor of herself when she was younger with her bubbly personality.
While Taylor claimed the movie was not as good as previous ones, sophomore Ella Driscoll says that she was impressed by the “wow factor” and it exceeded her expectations, especially since it's the fourth movie of the series. Ella enjoys the contradictory features of Poppy and “liked how the rich little girl was supposed to appear innocent when she really desired to be evil.
”Though there are differing opinions about various aspects of the movie, both Taylor and Ella agreed that the soundtrack was incredible, especially Pharrell Williams' newly released song, Double Life. This was Taylor’s favorite song yet from a Despicable Me movie. She believes the producers “really succeeded with that song.”
This review will not reveal the ending of Despicable Me 4; viewers must watch it and form their own opinion about the best character, the best song, and overall success of the film. This movie sets the scene for Despicable Me 5, scheduled to premiere in June 2028.
