Despicable Me 3

Gru (Steve Carrell) and Lucy (Kristen Wiig) are dismissed from the Anti-Villain League after Gru's failure to catch the number one target on their most-wanted list, Balthazar Bratt (Trey Parker). The Minions meanwhile have decided to leave Gru after Dru refuses to return to his previous life of villainy. It emerges that Gru has a long lost twin brother called Gru (Steve Carrell again). The two brothers must work together to bring Bratt down.

The star of this film is undoubtedly Balthazar Bratt and it's clear Parker had a lot of fun with the role. A former child star spurned by Hollywood, he's a ridiculously ostentatious creation and responsible for the film's funniest and most inventive sequences. The Minions are, on the face of it, extremely annoying characters but are used responsibly here to good effect as vessels for the film's physical/slapstick comedy elements. A tribute to Gilbert and Sullivan of all things becomes one of the movie's most memorable moments.

Wiig doesn't have an awful lot to do other than fret about her role as stepmother to Gru's children and the character of Dru mainly seems to be in place for Carrell to attempt an even sillier accent, though the story hints that he'll be back for a fourth instalment. But these are small gripes. As a newcomer to the series, I was pleasantly surprised. It's colourful fun that doesn't outstay its welcome and a family film that I expect everyone would enjoy.

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