“You either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become the villain.” That’s arguably one of the most famous quotes from one of the best movie sequels of all time, The Dark Knight. But in a sad twist of irony, it’s also probably the best way to describe one of the most lackluster movie sequels of the year, Despicable Me 4. Not because the film sees the series’ protagonist, Gru, technically return to the life of crime he abandoned so many years ago. Instead, it’s because this latest entry forgets why the franchise worked so well in the first place.

 

The film takes place not too long after the events of part three. Gru is still working for the Anti-Villain League (AVL) and is tasked with attending his high school reunion to arrest a former classmate named Maxime Le Mal (voiced by Will Ferrell). As we come to find out, however, the two also used to be rivals in their youth. Gru successfully arrests Maxime and, as he is carried away to a maximum security prison for his crimes, he believes he has finally bested him. A few days later, however, the AVL informs Gru that Maxime has escaped, and that he wants revenge. With Gru, his wife Lucy, their 3 adopted daughters and their newest addition, Gru Jr., in danger, they are ushered into the League’s version of a witness protection program and have to lay low until Maxime is recaptured. 

 

Now, seeing the family forced to adjust to a life of normalcy is entertaining enough. Gru struggles to fit his unusual physique into both a polo and his new gated community. Lucy has to get a real job. And Margo, Edith and Agnes not only have to make new friends, but they have to get used to their new names. Through a series of vignettes, we watch as they all try and fail to fit into their assigned lives. While it would have been easy to spend the rest of the film exploring and resolving those situations, there are not one, but two additional arcs introduced that feel more like gimmicks than genuine attempts to move the plot forward.

 

The first, as you might expect, revolves around the Minions. When Gru and his family are whisked away, there’s really only room for three at his new house. Rather than leave the rest all alone at Gru’s main residence and lair, the AVL transports them all to their main headquarters. Most serve as suited-up employees, while five are selected to be a part of a top secret experiment. Those same five later become transformed into “Mega Minions,” with super powers reminiscent of Marvel’s finest. Other than an admittedly hilarious sequence where they are unleashed to use their powers, they serve little to no purpose to the overall plot. For a franchise where the adorable idiots have become a foundation, for the first time it’s almost too obvious that the writers could not come up with any way to make them relevant - at least without ripping off another aging trend.

 

The second added arc revolves around Gru being blackmailed by his neighbor’s daughter, Poppy (voiced by Joey King). Poppy just so happens to want to be a villain herself. For that reason, she forces Gru to help her pull off a heist that will almost certainly earn her a spot in his former high school. Providing quite the laughable lisp to Poppy, King is a welcome addition to the cast. Still, her character’s arc is quite distracting. Similar to the Minions’ arc, it could either be removed from the film entirely or used as a basis for another entry. Despite establishing yet another connection to Gru’s past, more than anything, it feels like a flimsy attempt to fill the film’s runtime. 

 

That’s not to say that the film is devoid of delight. Like all of Illumination’s films, the devil is in the details. There are several funny “blink-and-you’ll-it-miss-it” messages on books and posters that both kids and adults will enjoy. There’s one particular flashback scene that is sure to have parents - and ‘80s kids - in tears. That’s partly due to Will Ferrell and his comedic commitment to the film’s over-the-top French antagonist. While Kristen Wiig takes a bit of a backseat as Lucy again, her character delivers one of the film’s funniest sequences on the first day of her new job. Like nearly every other entry, this one ends on a pretty funny musical number too. Even with all that considered, this still feels like a departure from the rest of the franchise.

To call the film incoherent would be an understatement. There are so many ideas at play that, at times, it feels like you’re watching one of those mini-movies thrown in with the original Despicable Me DVDs rather than an actual sequel. While that might not bode well for the overall series, it honestly means nothing in the long run. In a franchise defined by heroes and villains, and in an entry where the commentary has never been so blatant, it’s clear that Universal and Illumination only care about the bottom line. But if we keep coming back for more, doesn’t that make us the Minions?