Plot: What’s it about?
I can’t remember when I saw Despicable Me for the first time, but I know (as of this writing) that it’s been over a decade. Coming from someone now in his 50’s, that seems like the blink of an eye. But imagine if you saw this when you were a kid, now we’re at the point where you’re looking at going to college. In short, these films (and I’m lumping Minions in there as well) have been around for a while. And that’s fine. After all, consistency is what makes the world go around. And if you’re a fan of this particular universe, there’s an oddly calming feeling in that you know what you’re going to get when you see this at the theater – or in this case, pop the disc in. They deliver what they promise. There’s something reassuring about that.
We find Gru (voiced by Steve Carell) as he’s forced to move his family to a safe house after his encounter with Maxime Le Mal (voiced by Will Ferrell). La Mal has vowed revenge in that he wants to take the new baby that Gru and his wife, Lucy (voiced by Kristen Wiig) just had. He’s even got a unique concoction that gives him the superpowers of a cockroach (I’m actually not kidding). This will make his plan easier to come to fruition. An offshoot finds that five of the Minions are recruited into a special program that gives each one of them some superpowers as well. They’re referred to as “Mega Minions”, but at the heart of it all…they’re still minions.
As I mentioned above, at this point we know what we’re in for. We know Gru, his plans and his enemies and we know that that Minions, while cute, will continue to steal the show (and get into trouble). And I can’t fault the filmmakers for that. The Minions have inspired a few spinoffs films of their own and they’re, to me, the main draw of these films. But they’re also best in smaller doses. As per usual, the cast is full of top notch voice talent with Carell, Ferrell and Wiig leading the way. The old adage “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” more than applies here. Enjoy.
Video: How’s it look?
With this 4K presentation, you can expect bold and strong colors throughout. All of these films have been very colorful and lively, and that’s only enhanced here. The results should please just about everyone as there’s always something eye catching happening. There’s a richness here where I can see the added edge that 4K brings to the table. There’s no softness or noticeable flaws to speak of. In short – this is more than pleasing.
Audio: How’s it sound?
We get a strong Dolby Atmos track that starts strong and stays that way throughout. It’s exciting and lively, never compromising for even the most subtle of vocals. You’ll be continually pleased with this track. Vocals have a nice crispness to them and this track keeps us involved.
Supplements: What are the extras?
- 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 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.
- 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
The Bottom Line
I have no idea how many of these films they’ll make. I assume so long as they continue to make money, we’ll keep seeing them. What was fresh and fun with the first couple now seems a bit tired and redundant. But don’t let me deter you. The films do have an audience and Universal’s 4K disc offers tons of supplements along with reference-quality audio and video.
