In Despicable Me 4, Gru and his family go into the Witness Protection Program and relocate to a new town until his archenemy Maxime Le Mal can be captured.
The Production: 3.5/5
Despicable Me 4 begins as Gru and Lucy are settling into domestic bliss with Lucy, Edith, and Agnes as they welcome the new addition to their family, Gru Jr. Their existence is turned upside down after Gru’s nemesis, Maxime Le Mal, escapes from prison after being captured by Gru at their high school reunion. The Anti Villain League puts Gru and the family into the Witness Protection Program as they are relocated with new identities to the suburban town of Mayflower. Hijinks ensue as a teenage neighbor figures out their true identities and tries to blackmail Gru.
Has it really been 7 years since the release of Despicable Me 3 (2017)? I guess it does not seem so long because these characters are such a feature of popular culture, plus we did see the release of Minions: The Rise of Gru in 2022.
Chris Renaud returns as the director of Despicable Me 4 with a screenplay by Ken Daurio(The Secret Life of Pets, Bubble Boy) and Mike White(The White Lotus). The returning voice cast includes Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Miranda Cosgrove, Steve Coogan, Dana Gaier, and Madison Pollan. The original voice cast of the Despicable Me franchise is joined this time around by Will Farrell, Sofia Vergara, Joey King, Stephen Colbert, and Tara Strong.
Despicable Me 4 delivers more of the same manic energy and jokes that are the hallmark of this franchise. Despicable Me 4 may stand up well to multiple viewings. I noticed this while watching Despicable Me 4 again for this review. Although I remember seeing Despicable Me 4 not too long ago for the first time, the film is so visually rich that I noticed details in the backgrounds of the animation that went unseen the first time. If you have seen the other 5 films in the Despicable Me franchise, you should know already if this is your thing. If you have never seen a Despicable Me or Minions film before, you might be able to see Despicable Me 4 as the first one you watch without feeling too lost. Despicable Me 4 may not say profound things about the nature of existence and the human condition, but it is an entertaining confection that you can enjoy with all of the other members of your family.
Video: 5/5
3D Rating: NA
Despicable Me 4 appears on 4K disc in its original 1.85:1 screen aspect ratio via the HEVC codec. The main menu, just by itself, demonstrates an unusually vibrant color scheme which is also evident in the main feature itself. See if this is noticeable in the screen grabs accompanying this review. The 4K disc provides an excellent presentation of the Despicable Me 4.
Audio: 5/5
The English Dolby Atmos track plays by default on 4K for Despicable Me 4, with Spanish 7.1 Dolby Digital and French 7.1 Dolby Digital also available as options. The Dolby Atmos audio seems to echo around the proscenium of the soundstage right from the beginning as the Illumination Studios logo is lit up manually by one of the Minions. The remainder of Despicable Me 4 is filled with ambient sounds throughout with some nice directional audio. Dialogue is mixed well to be audible over the sound effects and the music score by Heitor Pereira(Despicable Me 1-3) and original songs by Pharell Williams(Despicable Me 1-3, The Grinch).
Special Features: 4.5/5
Special features for Despicable Me 4K include all of the following:
Mini Movie “Game Over and Over”(4:19): Minions cause mayhem with a powered-up videogame controller.
Mini Movie “Benny’s Birthday”(4:01): Benny enjoys his birthday party repeatedly with a time loop.
Deleted/Extended/Alternate Scenes(14:25) including all of the following: Class of ’85(2:11), Minions at the Reunion(1:40), Minions at Home(1:01), Big Day Out(2:30), Karate Round 2(0:15), Gru vs. Treehouse(0:50), Defibrillator(0:28), Mega Minions Mega Mix(3:15), and Mega Minions in Lockdown(2:12). Some of the deleted scenes have completed animation and some scenes are not fully completed from preliminary animation.
Despicable Dialogue(3:37): The voice cast is shown in a montage of their performances.
Meet The Cast(22:16): The voice actors talk about their roles. Steve Carell: Gru(3:28); Kristen Wiig(3:05); Joey King: Poppy Prescott(3:46); Miranda Cosgrove, Dana Gaier, and Madison Pollan: Gru’s Girls(3:04); Stephen Colbert & Chloe Fineman: The Prescotts(2:18); Sofia Vergara: Valentina(2:39); and Will Farrell: Maxime(3:52).
Making Of(10:57): Voice cast and producers talk about the creation of Despicable Me 4.
Mega Minion Mayhem(4:22): The development of the new Mega Minion characters in Despicable Me 4 is discussed by the cast and crew.
Rogues Gallery(3:38): This featurette reviews all of the villains in the Despicable Me franchise.
How to Draw: Habib Louati, Head of Story for Despicable Me 4, demonstrates how you can learn to draw the 5 different Mega Minions. Mega Dave(2:29), Mega Mel(2:13), Mega Jerry(2:37), Mega Gus(2:37), and the best Minion, Mega Tim(2:44).
Also included is a blu-ray disc of the film and a paper insert with validation code for digital download of the Despicable Me 4 via the MoviesAnywhere app. The review copy that I received also included a handsome looking slipcover.
Overall: 4/5
Illumination Studios’ Despicable Me 4 is a welcome return of Gru and his family of Minions and humans. Despicable Me on 4K UHD presents the feature in a flawless video and audio presentation. The 4K disc (and blu-ray) includes a wealth of special features that may appeal to both adults and children. If you enjoyed the other films in this franchise, then you probably cannot go wrong with Despicable Me 4 on 4K UHD.
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