There’s no denying the popularity of Illumination’s Despicable Me franchise , with worldwide box office earnings for its combined offerings in the multi-billions. It’s safe to assume that many kids and their parents will be rushing to the theaters over the long Fourth of July weekend to see the animated comedy Despicable Me 4 , which hits the 2024 movie calendar on Wednesday , July 3, but will mom and dad enjoy the experience as much as their little ones? That’s up for debate, as some critics are railing on the newest installment, while others are perfectly fine with more Minion antics. Two years after Minions : The Rise of Gru , Steve Carell ’s villain is back for the animated comedy Despicable Me 4 , and you know he’s brought along his little yellow henchmen.
Let’s get to the critics, starting with CinemaBlend’s review of Despicable Me 4 . Our own Dirk Libbey rates the movie just 1 star out of 5, writing that when the movie inevitably finds success at the box office, it won’t be because of its compelling story or hilarious jokes, because those don’t exist. He continues: All theatrical releases exist to make money, but Despicable Me 4 feels like a film that was given a release date before anybody bothered to come up with a reason to make it.
There clearly wasn’t a compelling story to tell here, but rather than just wait until somebody actually had an idea, Illumination moved forward regardless, putting together a collection of the best ideas they had at.
