By Cynthia Ayala

“Gru meets his long-lost charming, cheerful, and more successful twin brother Dru who wants to team up with him for one last criminal heist.” — IMDB

Fun and zany probably sums it up best. Despicable Me 3. Sure, the original will always be the best because it was original, but the heart isn’t lost from the original. The story expands as the story has the group discover a whole new family member. Turns out Gru has a brother, it’s Dru. Dru has the hair, and money, and a mansion. Talk about sibling rivalries. But he reveals some hidden secrets to the family legacy.

The charm of the family film, of the Despicable Me franchise, is the fact that the humor is still there and the family dynamic is still growing even now, the unit of the family is still growing and making itself stronger, more loving. By focusing on that dynamic, narrowing in on it, to make relatable, to make it connect to the viewer. It’s funny, it’s light, but there is still some heart to it that makes it enjoyable and less than cheap. No cheap tricks here, but there were plenty of fun antics.

Let’s begin with the 80s music. Woo! Who doesn’t love a bit of nostalgia that trails a delusional evil villain who is reluctant to let go of his past glory as a child star? And that makes him even better because he’s so delusional and so stuck in the past, but that doesn’t make him any less dangerous or crazy. And that’s so much fun. Sure, it wasn’t as good as the first, I already said that but the story was on point, it had meaning, it was cohesive and flowed very well, and built up this new character dynamic with charm and heart. Dru was so expertly designed to be the perfect foil for Gru. He’s not perfect, but his life has everything Gru could want, and Dru, he just wants a family, he wants to be the villain Gru always was. The tension is there, the sense of betrayal, but the love doesn’t leave the film and the characters, they are richer, their dynamics are richer and they are just a ton of fun to watch on the screen. (★★★☆ | B+)

—Film Credits—

Directed by Pierre Coffin & Kyle Balda

Written by Cinco Paul & Ken Daurio

Based on Characters by Sergio Pablos

Starring: Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Trey Parker, Miranda Cosgrove, Steve Coogan, Jenny Slate, Dana Gaier & Julie Andrews

Rating | Length | Genre: PG | 1h 30min | Animation, Action, Adventure

Distributed by Universal Pictures