Gru (Steve Carell) and his family go into protective custody to avoid the wrath of Maxime Le Mal (Will Farrell), Gru’s maximum enemy and a blowhard of the first order who is also part cockroach. Besides the sheer imagination with the filmmakers responsible for Despicable Me 4 and the sixth installment in the franchise, actual philosophical underpinnings lie behind innumerable gags in both sight and sound.
Like rival Pixar productions, Despicable’s Illumination Entertainment puts as much into the script as the blindingly beautiful colors and distinctive character shapes. Who can deny the wit inherent in Gru’s long pointy nose evocative of Pinocchio and amusing with a banana stuck on it? Or the fusion of silly with sightly sarcasm in the Minions’ helmets? Or Poppy’s (Joey King) just right braces? Or monster-truck-sized tires on a wheel chair? And on and on—sight and sound create “I must come back to appreciate it all.”
As for the thin plot, the struggle against Maxime is a throwback to ancient story telling where evil is easy to spot and the struggle easy to follow. However, when the animation breaks out into a cover of Tears for Fears’ “Everybody Wants to Rule the World,” the filmmakers subtly show the films thematic application to world politics right now.
Some critics criticize the franchise for tossing off gags, ‘throwaway” if you will. Yet, if you go back to listen carefully, those loose gags are often germane to the plot and the world. Despicable Me 4 is filled with humor and philosophy if it’s given a chance.
In this intensely hot summer, cool off with this witty animation in your local cinema, still the coolest bargain any summer.