Illumination’s Despicable Me 4 is low effort filler and yes, even kids will notice how lazy this got

Despicable Me 4. // Courtesy Illumination Studios

In a world with seemingly infinite amounts of animated children’s programming, it’s a rare IP that can keep an audience in the palm of its hand at the box office. That’s what makes Despicable Me so noteworthy. It made a bajillion dollars, put Illumination Studios on the map, and launched a thousand minions. With even Disney/Pixar films facing increasing hurdles in finding (or keeping) and audience, Gru and pals have only gained revelence, and elements of quality, one entry to the next.

Despicable Me 4. // Courtesy Illumination Studios

Despicable Me 4 shows that the franchise may be better riding off into the sunset. If only they were to do so with a better film.

In DM4, Gru and clan are settling into a nice domestic routine. Edith (Dana Gaier), Margo (Miranda Cosgrove), and Agnes (Madison Poland) are all happy in their lanes, while Edith (Kristen Wiig) is enjoying being a mom to the girls and the newest addition of baby Gru Jr, whose main focus in life is tormenting dear ole dad. As for Gru (Steve Carrell), he’s settled into a cozy habit of jumping from Anti-Villain League Agent to doting father.

When his cockroach-obsessed former-classmate-turned-arch-nemesis Maxime Le Mal (Will Ferrell) and his femme fatale girlfriend (Sophia Vergara) threaten to end Gru’s life, the family must go into hiding.

Faster than you can say “sequel-itis” Despicable Me 4 overloads itself with plot contrivances it isn’t even marginally interested in investing time in. Interesting threads seemingly just dissolve into new stimuli, as if the writers got bored and just hit “accept all” on the studio notes.

The girls are all granted new names, but Agnes struggles with the idea since it means lying to people. Margot gets bullied (off-screen) at school. Edith has a disastrous first—and last—day as a hairstylist. What could have easily lasted most of the film is done in less than ten minutes. Out of everyone, it’s Gru who gets more than one scene dedicated to his attempts to befriend new neighbor Perry Prescott (Steven Colbert).

Unsurprisingly, that thread ends entirely too early, as well.

Okay, but Adrian, get down to the hard hitting question: “How are the Minions?”

They remain delightful as always. Although, without their name in the title they’re relegated back to a secondary role. Whenever the film cuts to their antics, it feels like a glimpse at a better and more entertaining film. From office work to tackling the exasperating world of superheroes, their slapstick still manages to elicit a chuckle out of even the most hard-hearted. I know what you’re thinking, and yes, I too am shocked to be yearning for the true cinema of another Minions stand-alone sequel. That is what DM4 has done to my brain.

It isn’t uncommon for a film directed at kids to make drastic shifts in pace to try and keep their attention. Yet where other films more naturally thread that needle, the various plots following Gru and company feel too fractured. New beats are introduced every five minutes, and things pile up so much that the film forgets that a) the Grus are in witness protection and b) someone desperately wants to kill them.

That void comes down to the two writers who seem at odds with each other, series regular Ken Daurio and The White Lotus creator Mike White (who is also responsible for writing School of Rock). Two separate films may have benefited from their own individual stories, rather than the Frankenstein’s monster that stands in their place.

Despicable Me 4. // Courtesy Illumination Studios

Easily the most interesting narrative here involves Perry’s teenage daughter, Poppy (Joey King) who blackmails Gru into helping her pull off a heist. It turns out the quiet loner is, in reality, a budding supervillainess. She needs Gru’s expertise as a former criminal mastermind to help ensure she can get into a school best described as “Hogwarts, Oops All Slytherin,” A move that, much to his surprise, he ends up enjoying.

Reviewing a kid’s film is a difficult task. You can’t overweigh things by the same metrics of a normal film, lest you have a mob of people decry that it’s just for kids. Despicable Me 4 flies in the face of that notion with mature and adult storylines. The downside is that it barely gives these moments any credence; wanting credit for merely attempting a different approach. That would be ok if it amounted to a film of substance, but this latest outing is bloated in comparison to earlier films. Not to mention is missing a few of the hallmarks that made prior films so indelible in the first place.

Parents are better off staying at home and putting on the far superior Minions: The Rise of Gru for the thousandth time. Your wallets and patience will thank you.