Kids Korner: Despicable Me 3 - A twin brother, mullets, Minions and unicorns, but it all seems pretty familiar - 3 stars*
Popcorn, M&Ms and a large drink. Roll the film... Our family loved the first film, but it has all gone down hill since 2010. Can this franchise do more than ride on the backs of the bald, yellow horde?
Kid's Korner rating:
3 stars
*(Being generous, but it is one of the only children's films this season)
It's been seven years since the original invasion of Gru (Steve Carell) and his Minions (Pierre Coffin) and the Illumination Studios have made a cottage industry of the villain and his adoptive family. The original film provided an endearing look into the life of a ‘bad guy’ and how these cute sisters could help him find his good side. Since this initial introduction, the popularity of Gru and girls have been eclipsed by the bald yellow creatures led by Kevin, Stuart and Dave. After a brief stint with their own film, the whole Gru crew is back for Despicable Me 3, with the expansion of the villianous family.
Gru and Lucy Wilde (Kristen Wiig) are partners in fighting villains and in life as husband and wife. They are agents of the Anti-Villain League (ANL), but the 80’s inspired super-villain Balthazar Bratt (Trey Parker) continually alludes their grasp. Even with their stellar record in keeping the world safe from these scoundrels who desire to dominate the world, the unassuming dynamic duo are let go from the agency. They not only lose their positions with ANL, but in the process the Minions decide to leave Gru behind for a life of crime. While Gru's family comes to terms with their unexpected dismissal and the betrayal of the yellow horde, Gru finds out that he has a long-lost brother, Dru (Steve Carell). This unexpected family reunion leads Gru to make a decision, to return to a life of villainy or to stay true to Lucy and his girls and find a way to bring Bratt to justice.
For the fans of this franchise, the inclusion of a long-lost twin does seem to be a writer’s stretch for a new plot. Thankfully there are no political or spiritual agendas being pushed throughout this film, which can be a trend the longer a franchise goes. The heart of the film is bringing families together, regardless of how bizarre the circumstances that occur around the familial unit. Similar to the experience with Minions, most adults may not understand the appeal of this curious lot of characters. The thing that is convincing is in the sound of the children's laughter, which may be perplexing, but it can make the screening of this film bearable.
This is a franchise that has diminished in cinematic value with each instalment, but the team at Illumination Studios have managed to find the niche that will keep the Minion army on screen, the kindergarten crowd. Director of Minions, Kyle Balda, and co-director of the original film, Pierre Coffin, provide something for this miniature fanbase and their parents to enjoy. The younger set gets the slapstick humour and silliness of Gru and his villainous munchkins, while the parents are thrown nostalgic memories of the 80’s. None of it has the touching moments that made the first film a runaway hit, but it gives parents of little ones a relatively safe option during the school holidays. The gags do run thin after awhile, but they do manage to keep the family element as a central theme. This makes for some fun hijinx with very little originality.
What should parents know about Despicable Me 3?
There really are not too many warnings from this film. There are a couple of scenes where Gru and the Minions lose their clothing, but it is all innocent and handled with care. The themes stay pretty close to the original film, but with some subtle nuances.
At Kids Korner the goal is to provide some key topics that might help parents to look at something more than the 'Did you like it?' question after the film. Here are three key topics that will help to have some interesting conversations with the kids in the car after Despicable Me 3.
1. What does God have to say about dealing with disappointment?
(Psalm 121:1-8, Romans 8:28, Philippians 4:6-7)
2. Why does the Bible have to say about brotherly love?
(John13:34, Romans 12:10, 1 John 3:18)
(John13:34, Romans 12:10, 1 John 3:18)
3. Why should I choose to be good?
(Psalm 37:3, John3:16, Ephesians 2:10)
(Psalm 37:3, John3:16, Ephesians 2:10)
Reel Dialogue encourages parents to be active participants in the entertainment choices of their children and discuss with them the lessons that they can learn from these films.
Click on the link and see
Trailer for the film
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