Despicable Me 4 – 4K Blu-ray Review

When Despicable Me 4 hit theaters, there was anticipation to see whether the beloved animated franchise still had the charm that once captivated audiences. Directed by franchise veteran Chris Renaud and co-directed by Patrick Delage, this sequel brings back the familiar faces of Gru (voiced by Steve Carell), Lucy (Kristen Wiig), and their mischievous Minions. While the movie offers glimpses of humor and heart, the fourth installment struggles to maintain the wit and originality of its predecessors, and the 4K Blu-ray release does little to elevate its lackluster experience.

Despicable Me 4 brings Gru and his family back to the forefront of a new villainous escapade. The film’s premise revolves around Gru’s old rival, Maxime Le Mal (Will Ferrell), a man enhanced with cockroach parts, who escapes from prison with the help of his partner, Valentina (Sofia Vergara). Gru must move his family into a safe house under witness protection, leading to a comedy of errors in their new town. Meanwhile, teenage neighbor Poppy (Joey King) plots a heist with Gru, while the Minions embark on their own superhero journey, dubbed the Mega Minions.

While the film attempts to juggle multiple storylines, the result feels cluttered and scattered. Gru’s personal struggles, his family’s adjustment to a new life, Poppy’s villainous ambitions, and the Mega Minions subplot all vie for attention. Unfortunately, none of these threads are given enough room to breathe, leaving the film overstuffed yet hollow. Maxime’s cockroach gimmick adds a sense of absurdity, but his motivations and character development feel undercooked, making him a rather uninspiring antagonist.

Gru’s relationship with his son, Gru Jr., is meant to be a heartwarming anchor, but even this emotional core gets lost in the film’s chaotic pacing. The result is a predictable plot where the laughs are few and far between, and the emotional moments fail to resonate as intended.

Visuals: Vibrant but Familiar

One of the strongest aspects of Despicable Me 4 lies in its vibrant animation, which pops even more in 4K Ultra HD. The colors are bold, the textures are detailed, and the character designs maintain the quirky charm that the franchise is known for. The 4K presentation highlights these strengths, with crisp details and a noticeable improvement in clarity, especially in scenes that feature complex action or the exaggerated expressions of the Minions. The HDR (High Dynamic Range) enhances the color palette, making the film’s colorful settings and playful designs stand out more than ever.

However, the improved visuals can only do so much to cover the fact that the animation style feels all too familiar. Despicable Me 4 doesn’t break any new ground in terms of its look, relying heavily on the same visual gags and aesthetics we’ve seen in the previous installments. While the crisp 4K image quality is a welcome upgrade, it’s not enough to distract from the narrative shortcomings or the lack of innovation in the visual design.

Audio: A Missed Opportunity

The 4K Blu-ray release of Despicable Me 4 comes with a robust Dolby Atmos audio track, which should have provided a dynamic sound experience. However, while the surround sound does its job during action sequences, particularly during the film’s final showdown between Gru and Maxime, it doesn’t fully utilize the immersive potential of Atmos. The film’s score, composed by Heitor Pereira, is peppy and playful, but the overall sound mix lacks depth. Dialogue often feels front-heavy, with little use of the spatial effects that Atmos can deliver.

The iconic Minion chatter and the various sound effects still provide some of the expected slapstick charm, but the audio experience is underwhelming for a 4K Blu-ray release. Fans hoping for an audio mix that enhances the zany antics of Gru and his crew might be left disappointed.

Special Features: Lackluster and Repetitive

Special features can often redeem a lackluster film, offering fans behind-the-scenes insights, commentary tracks, or exclusive shorts that provide added value. Unfortunately, Despicable Me 4 falls short in this department as well. The 4K Blu-ray edition comes with a handful of bonus features, but they feel more like afterthoughts than meaningful content.

The “Making Of” featurette provides a standard look at the production process, with brief interviews from the voice cast and creative team. However, it offers little in the way of new or compelling information. Fans looking for an in-depth exploration of the animation process or the voice acting might feel shortchanged by the surface-level approach of these extras.

A few Minion-themed shorts are included, but they lack the originality and humor that made previous Minion-centric content enjoyable. Rather than adding to the experience, these extras feel repetitive and uninspired, further emphasizing the film’s creative stagnation.

Comedy: Stale Jokes and Minion Fatigue

The Despicable Me franchise has always leaned heavily on humor, particularly the antics of the Minions. But by the time we reach Despicable Me 4, the jokes feel stale, with many recycled gags from previous films. The Minions, once a delightful source of comic relief, have become tiresome in their overexposure. Their transformation into Mega Minions in this film, while initially amusing, quickly devolves into slapstick chaos that offers little in terms of meaningful comedy.

Gru’s deadpan humor, delivered expertly by Steve Carell, still has moments of charm, but they are few and far between. The writing lacks the wit and originality that made the first few films in the franchise stand out. Instead, *Despicable Me 4* seems content to rely on predictable gags and tired tropes, which fall flat more often than not.

Conclusion: A Franchise in Need of Reinvention

Despicable Me 4 marks a low point for a franchise that once felt fresh and inventive. While the 4K Blu-ray presentation offers a visual upgrade with crisp colors and improved clarity, it cannot compensate for the film’s lackluster plot, uninspired humor, and underwhelming audio. The special features are thin and repetitive, failing to provide any meaningful extras that might enhance the viewing experience.

For die-hard fans of Gru, the Minions, and the Despicable Me universe, this release may still hold some value. But for most viewers, it’s hard to escape the feeling that the franchise is running on fumes. At this point, it’s clear that the Despicable Me series is in dire need of reinvention, and Despicable Me 4 does little to inspire confidence in its future.

Information:

Release Date: September 24, 2024
Aspect Ratio: 16:9 1.85:1 Widescreen
Rating: PG for action and rude humor
Languages/Subtitles: English, French Canadian, and Latin American Spanish
Sound: English (Dolby Atmos for Feature, Dolby Digital 2.0 & Dolby Digital Plus 7.1 for Bonus Content), French Canadian (Dolby Digital Plus 7.1 & Dolby Digital 5.1 for Bonus Content), and Latin American Spanish (Dolby Digital Plus 7.1 & Dolby Digital 5.1 for Bonus Content)
Run Time: 01:34:15

Bonus Features on 4K Blu-ray:

• Game Over and Over – After stumbling upon a powered-up game controller inside Gru’s lair, the mischievous Minions discover its ability to control one another, unleashing mayhem as they compete for high scores.
• Benny’s Birthday – Benny finds himself trapped in a time loop of a Minion-style birthday party, encountering uproarious mischief at every turn.
• Deleted/Extended/Alternate Scenes
  • Class of ’85
  • Minions at the Reunion
  • Minions at Home
  • Big Day Out
  • Karate Round 2
  • Gru vs. Treehouse
  • Defibrillator
  • Mega Minions Mega Mix
  • Mega Minions in
  • Lockdown
  • Despicable Dialogue – Watch Steve Carell, Will Ferrell, and the rest of the cast perform some of their silliest lines in this hilarious montage of recording booth moments!
  • Meet the Cast – Get to know the actors behind your favorite characters! Featuring some of your old favorites like Gru, Lucy, and their girls as well as new favorites like the Prescotts and villains Maxime and Valentina.
    • Steve Carell: Gru
    • Kristen Wiig: Lucy
    • Joey King: Poppy Prescott
    • Miranda Cosgrove, Dana Gaier, and Madison Polan: Gru’s Girls
    • Stephen Colbert & Chloe Fineman: The Prescotts
    • Sofia Vergara: Valentina
    • Will Ferrell: Maxime
  • Making Of – The cast and crew of DESPICABLE ME 4 share a behind the scenes look at the creation of the fourth installment of this iconic franchise! Learn about the story, the new characters, the animation process and more!
  • Mega Minion Mayhem – Assemble the Mega Minions! Learn about the development of the five most unique Minions to date.
  • Rogues Gallery – Using the AVL’s state-of-the-art facial recognition software, we look back at the most nefarious villains from past DESPICABLE and MINIONS films.
  • How to Draw – Join Head of Story, Habib Louati, as he shows us how to draw the Mega Minions – Dave, Mel, Jerry, Gus and Tim!
    • Mega Dave
    • Mega Mel
    • Mega Jerry
    • Mega Gus
    • Mega Tim