Despicable Me 4 is a 2024 American computer-animated spy-adventure comedy film. It is the fourth main installment and the sixth installment in the Despicable Me film series and the sequel to Despicable Me 3 (2017). It is Illumination's 15th feature film.
Plot[]
Undercover Anti-Villain League (AVL) agent Gru attends a class reunion at his former high school Lycée Pas Bon where he reunites with Maxime Le Mal, a former classmate of his who has a feud with Gru for stealing his talent show act. During the ceremony Maxime reveals he has enhanced himself with cockroach body parts and Gru has him arrested by the AVL. Helped by his girlfriend Valentina, Maxime escapes prison and reveals his new invention, a gun that transforms people into cockroach hybrids, which he plans to use specifically on Gru's infant son Gru Jr., who despises his dad.
Days later, Silas Ramsbottom visits the Gru household to inform them Maxime has escaped and the AVL will have to relocate the Gru family to a safe house in another town under new identities. Meanwhile, the Minions are taken in by the AVL, where Silas selects five of them to be augmented with super-powers under a new initiative called the Megaminions, but the initiative is called off after the group causes great damage in a nearby city.
In their new well-off residential town, Gru and his family meet their new neighbors, the Prescotts, and their teenage daughter Poppy. Poppy, an aspiring villain, recognizes Gru from his former career as a villain and threatens to blow his cover unless he helps her to pull a heist to steal Lycée Pas Bon's honey badger mascot Lenny. Gru and Poppy successfully steal Lenny from the school, unaware that Lenny's collar contains a tracker. The school's principal Übelschlecht identifies Gru via security camera footage and contacts Maxime to inform him about Gru's whereabouts using Lenny's collar.
The next day, while Gru and Lucy are away at tennis practice, Principal Übelschlecht visits the safe house to interrogate the girls about Gru. Gru and Lucy rush back home after being alerted by Margo and they fight Übelschlecht. Lucy also signals the AVL who in turn call the Megaminions out of retirement to stop Maxime. In the havoc, however, Gru Jr. leaves the house and is spotted by Maxime and Valentina who proceed to kidnap him.
With the help of Poppy, Gru meets up with Maxime at a nearby building where he reveals he has transformed Gru Jr. into a human-cockroach hybrid and fight him off. Gru's words to his son manage to break Gru Jr. free from his brainwashing and attacks Maxime instead. Maxime falls to the ground where he is further squashed by the Megaminions, who arrive in turn.
Gru and his family relocate back to their original home, where Dr. Nefario reverses Gru Jr.’s transformation. Sometime later, Gru visits Maxime in prison to talk and settle their differences. The pair then puts on a performance of "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" at an AVL prison for the prisoners, featuring villains from past movies includng Vector, El Macho, Balthazar Bratt, Scarlett Overkill, Herb Overkill and the Vicious 6 excluding Wild Knuckles.
Cast[]
- Steve Carell as Felonious Gru Sr.
- Kristen Wiig as Lucy Wilde
- Joey King as Poppy Prescott
- Will Ferrell as Maxime Le Mal
- Sofía Vergara as Valentina
- Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud as Ron, Phil, Ralph, and the rest of the Minions
- Miranda Cosgrove as Margo
- Steve Coogan as Silas Ramsbottom
- Stephen Colbert as Perry Prescott, Poppy's father. As the face of Prescott Motors, the largest auto dealer in Mayflower, Perry exudes a blend of confidence with a hint of arrogance.
- Chloe Fineman as Patsy Prescott, Poppy's mother. When she’s not living the life of a Mayflower socialite, Patsy is working on her tennis backhand.
- Dana Gaier as Edith
- Madison Polan as Agnes
- Chris Renaud as Übelschlecht, the principal of Lycée Pas Bon
- Laraine Newman as Melora, a salon customer who was accidentally burned by Lucy
- John DiMaggio as Karl, an AVL bus driver
An uncredited actor cameos as Dr. Nefario. Additionally, Gru's neighbor, Fred McDade, his mother Marlena Gru, and his twin brother Dru Gru, make non-speaking cameos at the end of the film, as do several villains from prior Despicable Me and Minions films; Vector, Mr. Perkins, El Macho, Scarlet and Herb Overkill, Balthazar Bratt, Belle Bottom, Jean-Clawed, Svengeance, Stronghold, and Nun-Chuck.
Production[]
Illumination's CEO Chris Meledandri said in September 2017 that a fourth Despicable Me film is in development.[1] On February 18, 2022, a release date was confirmed for July 3, 2024.[2]
The cast was revealed on January 28, 2024.
Music[]
- Main article: Despicable Me 4 (soundtrack)
In March 2024, Heitor Pereira was announced to be composing the film's score, returning from the previous installments.[3] Pharrell Williams was also confirmed to be returning to co-compose the score with Pereira as well as to write new songs.[4]
On May 8, Williams previewed a 30-second snippet of his original song "Double Life" for the film on his YouTube channel.[5] On June 14, 2024, Williams released the song as the first single from the Despicable Me 4 soundtrack.[6] The song has been interpreted as a diss track aimed at Canadian rapper Drake.[7][8] Writing for Uproxx, Derrick Rossignol observed that "the tune isn’t as general and movie-agnostic as something like "Happy," but it has a great groove, and that Gru refrain is actually catchy as h---. This probably won’t be a world-changing single like "Happy," but it’s in the upper tier of kids movie soundtrack fare."[9] The original soundtrack was released on June 27, 2024, by Back Lot Music.[10]
Marketing[]
The first trailer for the film was released on January 28, 2024, during the 2023–24 NFL playoff championship games.[11] The trailer features the songs "Sweet Child O' Mine" by Guns N' Roses and "Maneater" by Hall & Oates, as well as in television showings, "Through the Fire and Flames" by DragonForce. CBR reported that the trailer showcased "the struggles of welcoming in a new member of the Gru family" and included the debut of Will Ferrell's Maxime Le Mal.[12] Screen RantTemplate:'s Brennan Klein observed that Gru's tumultuous relationship with his son, Gru Jr., contrasted with the good relationship with his adopted daughters.[13] An additional trailer was revealed on February 11 during Super Bowl LVIII, being narrated by Jon Hamm, who previously voiced Herb Overkill in the 2015 spin-off film Minions, and featuring cameos by Ferrell and Steve Carell. Ryan Gajewski of The Hollywood Reporter said the trailer appeared to "tout the benefits of modern technology but feature strange images supposedly generated by AI," enjoying the Renaissance-era-inspired poses of Ferrell and Carell in the trailer.[14] On April 10, at CinemaCon, Universal displayed a clip of Gru and Poppy trying to steal a honey badger.[15] Brennan Kline of Screen Rant appreciated that the clip solidified the "important element" of Gru's domestic family man status in the sequel.[16]
The second trailer was released on May 7, 2024.[17] Writing for TheWrap, Drew Taylor called the trailer "Minions-heavy" and pointed out one of Pharrell Williams' new original songs featured in the trailer.[18] Collider noted the "devastating consequences" of enlisting a small group of Minion volunteers for an experiment that gave them superpowers. Journalist Diego Peralta pointed out a sequence in which one of the super-powered minions destroys a part of their base with laser vision and said that villains Maxime and Valentina "are more dangerous than any threat Gru has faced before."[19]
On June 8, 2024, Illumination released a parody teaser for the film in which Steve Carell announces the Megaverse, a parody of shared universes such as the Marvel Cinematic Universe and DC Extended Universe, by claiming that Illumination would release 100 years' worth of films, television series, and stage productions starring the Mega Minions.[20] Illumination also published a website for the Megaverse.[21] Some of the fake productions noted on the website include Mega Minions: The Tax Write-Off and an untitled Mega Minions spin-off series with a "story to be determined based on rigorous market testing and ad hoc decision-making."[21] The stunt was praised for its lampooning of current Hollywood affairs such as the cancellation of Warner Bros. films like 'Batgirl, Scoob! Holiday Haunt and Coyote vs. Acme and the 2022 DCEU film Black Adam, as well as the mixed reception to many of Marvel's recent productions, such as Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Secret Invasion.[20]
Release[]
Theatrical[]
Despicable Me 4 premiered at the Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City on June 9, 2024,[22] and made its French premiere at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival on June 13.[23] The film was theatrically released in Australia on June 20,[24] and in the United States on July 3.[25]
Home media[]
As part of Universal's long-term deal with Netflix, the film will stream on Peacock for the first four months of the pay-TV window, before moving to Netflix for the next ten and returning to Peacock for the remaining four.[26][27]
Universal Pictures Home Entertainment released Despicable Me 4 for digital download on September 10, 2024, and it will release on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray, and DVD on September 24. Physical copies contain behind-the-scenes featurettes, deleted scenes, recreational activities, and overview of the Despicable Me franchise's adversaries, and two short films Game Over and Over and Benny's Birthday.
Reception[]
Critical response[]
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 54% of 83 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.5/10. The website's consensus reads: "Fast paced and teeming with slapstick gags, Despicable Me 4 is as overstuffed as a piñata but full of enough candy to give audiences an enjoyable sugar rush." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 50 out of 100, based on 28 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.
Variety admitted the film is entertaining but found the plot overcrowded with useless characters: "One thing is absolutely certain: We haven’t seen the last of these characters, even if we might prefer that a few of them sit out the next sequel — like the Mega Minions, who aren’t nearly as cute as they sound."[28] A similar appraisal can be found in Screen Rant[29] or in The Hollywood Reporter noting, for example, the underdeveloped role of the villain in the midst of the various plot lines: "Running a brisk 95 minutes, Despicable Me 4 doesn’t leave enough time for Maxime to enact his plans in a way that packs an emotional punch."[30] ABC News commented: "Should a review of a “Despicable Me” movie be a thoughtful analysis or just a list of the funny stuff the Minions do in it? As much as I might believe in the value of film criticism, I kind of suspect that even the finest points of assessment would be dismantled about as fast as a Minion can say “Bello!”[31]
Possible sequel[]
Renaud mentioned that Despicable Me 5 is "possible" if a fresh story can be crafted for the franchise's future.
Gallery[]
Videos[]
Trivia[]
- This is the first Illumination franchise to become a quadrilogy.
- The sixth Illumination film to be released in July, after Despicable Me, Despicable Me 2, Minions, The Secret Life of Pets, and Minions: The Rise of Gru.
- This is also the fourth film in the Despicable Me series to be released in July, since Minions: The Rise of Gru.
- This is also the second Illumination film to be released on July 3, after Despicable Me 2.
- This is the tenth Illumination film to be shot in 1.85:1 aspect ratio, since Sing 2.
- This is also the fourth Despicable Me film to be shot in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio, since Despicable Me, Despicable Me 2 and Minions.
- Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig and Will Ferrell have co-starred in the Anchorman film series.
- Steve Carell and Joey King have co-starred in the 2008 Blue Sky Studios film, Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who!.
References[]
- ↑ Christopher Palmeri; Anousha Sakoui (2017-09-12). "In Dismal Summer, ‘Despicable Me 3’ Producer Delivers $1 Billion". (en). Bloomberg.
- ↑ Jordan Moreau (2022-02-18). "‘Despicable Me 4’ Set for Summer 2024 by Illumination, Universal". (en). Variety.
- ↑ "Heitor Pereira Scoring Illumination Entertainment’s ‘Despicable Me 4’ | Film Music Reporter". (en-US).
- ↑ "Despicable Me 4 Confirms Pharrell Williams Returning as Songwriter and Performer". (en) ComicBook.com (April 11, 2024).
- ↑ Williams, Pharrell (May 8, 2024). "Double Life (From "Despicable Me 4") (Preview)".. YouTube.
- ↑ Saponara, Michael (June 14, 2024). "Pharrell Williams Brings the Groove for 'Despicable Me 4' With New Song 'Double Life': Listen". Billboard.
- ↑ Castro, Danilo (June 14, 2024). "Pharrell Seemingly Disses Drake On New Single "Double Life"". HotNewHipHop.
- ↑ Davis, Ahmad (June 15, 2024). "Fans Believe Pharrell Snubbed Drake On "Double Life"". Rap-Up.
- ↑ Rossignol, Derrick (June 14, 2024). "Pharrell Spices Up The 'Despicable Me 4' Soundtrack With The Groovy New Song 'Double Life'". Uproxx.
- ↑ "‘Despicable Me 4’ Soundtrack Album Details | Film Music Reporter"..
- ↑ Lovett, Jamie (January 28, 2024). "Despicable Me 4 Trailer Released". ComicBook.com.
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedDM4Trailer - ↑ Klein, Brennan (January 28, 2024). "Despicable Me 4 Trailer: Gru & His Son Team Up Against Revenge-Seeking Villain". Screen Rant.
- ↑ Gajewski, Ryan (February 11, 2024). "Jon Hamm Narrates 'Despicable Me 4' Super Bowl Trailer Mocking AI Glitches". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ↑ "'Despicable Me 4' Kicks Off Universal's 2024 CinemaCon With Gru’s Honey Badger Heist". Deadline Hollywood (April 10, 2024).
- ↑ Klein, Brennan (April 10, 2024). "Gru & His Son Rob An Old Lady In First Despicable Me 4 Footage Shown At CinemaCon". Screen Rant.
- ↑ "New Despicable Me 4 Trailer Released". (en) ComicBook.com (May 7, 2024).
- ↑ Taylor, Drew (May 7, 2024). "New 'Despicable Me 4' Trailer Introduces the Mega-Minions and Will Ferrell's Evil Frenchman". TheWrap.
- ↑ Peralta, Diego (May 7, 2024). "The Minions Develop Super-Powers in New 'Despicable Me 4' Trailer". Collider.
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 "Despicable Me 4: Steve Carell Roasts Marvel, DC in Hilarious New Video". (en) Comicbook.com.
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 Powster. "Illumination's The Megaverse". (en) Despicable Me 4 (2024) | Only in Theaters July 3.
- ↑ "See All the Stars Arriving at the Premiere of 'Despicable Me 4'". (en) People (June 9, 2024).
- ↑ Goodfellow, Melanie (June 13, 2024). "'Despicable Me 4' Enjoys Homecoming Welcome As It Makes French Premiere In Annecy". Deadline Hollywood.
- ↑ "Film review: ‘Despicable Me 4’ by Nick Gardener from ‘Built For Speed’ – 88.3 Southern FM". (en-US) Southern FM.
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedDeadline DM4 date - ↑ Hayes, Dade (December 9, 2021). "NBCUniversal's New Theatrical Window Scheme To Bring Films To Peacock After As Few As 45 Days Of Release"..
- ↑ Moon, Mariella (July 14, 2021). "Netflix extends exclusive rights to Universal's animated films in the US". (en) Engadget.
- ↑ Debruge, Peter (June 14, 2024). "‘Despicable Me 4’ Review: Illumination Adds a Baby and Five Mega Minions to Gru’s Already Overcrowded Family". (en-US) Variety.
- ↑ Labonte, Rachel (June 28, 2024). "Despicable Me 4 Review: I Can't Shake The Feeling That Something's Missing From Gru's Latest Adventure". (en) ScreenRant.
- ↑ Gyarkye, Lovia (June 28, 2024). "‘Despicable Me 4’ Review: Gru’s Family Grows in Illumination Animation That Serves Up Familiar Antics". (en-US) The Hollywood Reporter.
- ↑ "Review: More Minion mayhem in 'Despicable Me 4'". (en) ABC News.
v - e - d  | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|