Aspen Leaf

Based on the reputation of the first two Despicable Me movies, we decided to purchase Despicable Me 4. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a disappointment. The movie lacked the charm and wit that made the earlier films so enjoyable. It was a waste of both time and money. With the old movies, we watched them over and over again, but this movie we couldn’t even finish. With the old movies, we smiled throughout, but with this movie, we couldn’t smile at all. Even though the team behind the movie tried very hard to make people laugh, their effort ended up being just a series of noise and a ridiculous sequence of actions. The characters seem to have lost their essence. Gru is no longer Gru; instead, he comes across as weak, rowdy, and easily manipulated by a little girl. He also engages in unnecessary, conflicting and unintelligent behaviors. Lucy, once charming, elegant, and funny, is now reduced to an average character. The minions, who were previously adorable and amusing, are now overly noisy, rowdy, and violent, losing much of their original appeal. The villains also fall flat. Unlike Vector and El Macho, who were entertaining and even endearing in their own way, the new villain lacks charisma and humor. The introduction of a truly evil villain makes the movie unnecessarily heavy and robs it of the lightheartedness that defined the earlier films. One of the issues is the pacing. In the previous movies, there were breaks between actions, with quick and slow scenes giving audiences moments to breathe between the highs and lows. Despicable Me 4, however, is an overwhelming sequence of nonstop noise and chaotic action, with no meaningful breaks. Even the background music feels flat. This constant noise makes the film exhausting rather than engaging. It’s evident that this version was created by a completely different team from the original two films. This disconnect is likely why the characters feel so changed and why the movie feels out of touch with its roots. It seems like the new team relied on the reputation of the earlier movies to attract audiences, drawing them to theaters or convincing them to purchase the movie—only to leave them disappointed. In summary, Despicable Me 4 is not worth watching.