Cattivissimo me 3

24 July 2017 Film of Choice at The Plaza Dorchester this evening - Despicable Me 3. So this is the third outing for Gru and his girls, and his weird dog, and his many many minions. I for one am happy to get back to the old team, I found the Minions film a little too much Minion. This outing gives us another outrageous villain, a guy called Balthazar Bratt, a character completely stuck in the 80s with his music and his dance moves and armed with expanding bubble gum as his weapon of choice. Throw into the mix the discovery that Gru has in fact got a twin brother called Dru and you've got a pretty watchable film. I can't say it was outrageously funny but I did giggle throughout. The humour is very Benny Hill in its slapstick delivery and throw in the sheer determination of Agnes that the existence of unicorns is true, you have quite an endearing film to keep you entertained for a while.

Despicable Me 3 is another obligatory sequel to an animated box-office smash, and it plays out as such: the story's essentially the same as before but the big twist is that South Park co-creator Trey Parker stars in this movie as the lead villain. He does a good job with what he's given, but you wonder WHY he took up the part in the first place!? Was there any real motivation for him doing this besides the money? I think not.

What can I say? It's perfectly harmless family entertainment that makes up for a very... 'because-movie' type of film. This pic gets 3/5 stars.

The first two 'Despicable Me' films were fantastic family fun, but, despite absolutely loving the scene-stealing minions 'Minions' was underwhelming (giving the sense, though in all fairness they were not well utilised in their own film, that the minions are better as supporting characters rather than leading).

'Despicable Me 3' is a disappointment after the first two films but is better than 'Minions'. There is a lot to like about it, but it does feel very uneven and gives the sense that the 'Despicable Me' franchise has somewhat run its course. None of it reaches terrible depths though, just that the film could have been much better considering what came before it.

Once again, the animation is wonderful. There are rich bright colours, lovingly and appealingly designed characters (nothing looks awkward like some of the human character designs in 'Minions'), meticulously detailed backgrounds and some real visual invention. 'Despicable Me 3' boasts a killer soundtrack that makes one nostalgic for the 80s (with Michael Jackson and Madonna), Heitor Pereira's score is suitably funky and Pharrell Williams' own contribution (especially the heartfelt and cute "There's Something Special") is note-worthy too.

Some of the writing is witty, sharp and smart and there are some wildly funny and beautifully timed sight gags. One cannot say that 'Despicable Me 3' doesn't have any heart either, there are some sweet and touching moments here. The characters are likable, especially Gru and the minions (who once again steal scenes despite being underused somewhat), and the voice acting is excellent, Steve Carrell has still got it and proves that with good material and with a good character (like with Gru) he is a very talented comic actor (though he has shown a wider range than that too).

However, other parts of the humour comes over in a scatter-shot way and suffer from a flabbiness and predictability. To me the villain was also a little bland, didn't find him particularly memorable or that much of a threat, and some of the soundtrack is compromised by the humour coming by so thick and fast that a few of the songs don't register or don't feel necessary.

The most problematic aspects are the story and the pacing. The pacing occasionally is perfect but at some points it feels tired and at many other points it's almost too hyper-active and jumpy so a lot of the film feels rushed. The story suffers from being over-stuffed and bloated, it's basically three or four plots stuffed into one and not enough time is spent with either. The focus jumps around a lot with some of the transitions on the choppy side so the film and the story-line can feel disjointed.

Overall, not a bad film at all but was expecting better considering how good the first two 'Despicable Me' films are. 6/10 Bethany Cox

While there are several interesting things going on at a rapid fire rate, there seems to be no real center to this thing. Even in an animated film, we want a story and characters that we recognize. The animation is awesome and I enjoyed the Mean Kid actor and his adult incarnation. I quickly became bored with the minions. They have no soul or interest to me.

Despicable Me 3 is my personal 2nd favorite in the series. There are parts of what made the first so amazing and each part shot into one of the sequels and I think Despicable Me 3 did its part better. The movie has only two major weaknesses that are easy to get past being that there is too many plots and that it relies on juvenile humor and toilet humor more than the last two. However, these are just small flaws and are easy to look past once you see the plots mesh together in a really satisfying way. This movie had some pretty good highlights, like when Gru said his mother told him that his father died of disappointment when he was born as well. Overall, Despicable Me 3 is an extremely enjoyable ride I'd recommend to anyone who can get past its flaws.