Trending
When "Despicable Me" debuted in 2010, the animated film quickly captured the hearts of audiences worldwide and became a cultural phenomenon beloved by both children and adults alike.
Blending humor and heart, "Despicable Me" sparked sequels and spinoffs that have turned its characters, particularly the tiny yellow henchmen known as Minions, into box-office juggernauts grossing billions.
With a combined five films in franchise history and a seven-year hiatus since the last "Despicable" release, the timing was right for the release of "Despicable Me 4." Led by the returning Steve Carrell as former supervillain Felonious Gru, the fourth installment delivers a delightful mix of villainy and family dynamics that fans have come to love.
However, "Despicable Me 4" is not without a few minor drawbacks as critics agree it offers a rather thin plot and underdeveloped characters that feel slightly formulaic, which detracts from the film overall.
The Illumination-produced feature returns with the franchise's director Chris Renaud to share another comical chapter in the Anti-Villain League agent's domesticated life alongside his wife and former secret agent Lucy Wilde (Kristen Wiig) and their three adopted daughters, Margo (Miranda Cosgrove), Edith (Dana Grier) and Agnes (Madison Polan).
"Despicable Me 4" also introduces a few new characters, including Gru and Lucy's newborn son Gru Jr., a precocious tween named Poppy (Joey King) who aspires to be a villain and a cockroach-obsessed new baddie named Maxime Le Mal (Will Ferrell).
Insert these characters into the dull, safe and wealthy town of Mayflower and you get some absurdly hilarious situations. "Despicable Me 4" is unquestionably a lot of fun and has tons of laugh-out-loud moments, it's just hard to forget the plot feels as slim as Gru's legs.
Grade: B-
The Watchers
Seeing the name Shyamalan on a movie trailer leads to certain expectations: plot twists, incremental reveals that change the nature of reality, foreboding supernatural vibe. Check, check, check and check with "The Watchers." Even though the filmmaker isn't M. Night Shyamalan, of "The Sixth Sense" and "Split" horror thrillers, but his daughter Ishana.
"The Watchers," a folk-horror tale about a troubled young woman, Mina (Dakota Fanning), who finds herself stranded when her car breaks down in the foreboding Irish woods while she was ferrying a parrot (yes, that's correct) from Galway to Belfast.
Critics have called the film a little bit frightening and a whole lot of comical grandiose. As dusk sets in, Mina is rescued from the terrifying forest and encroaching shadows by Madeline (Olwen Fouéré), Ciara (Georgina Campbell) and Daniel (Oliver Finnegan), who live in house where they are observed every night by mysterious creatures called the Watchers. The group is in effect prisoners as Madeline tells Mina that whoever goes out after sunset dies.
Fleeing at dawn isn't an option because there is no escape from the forest within a day's walk. The surveillance and night creeps makes for a good scary flick, and the plot is certainly gripping.
Grade: B
•••
Greg Williams is a reporter and weekend editor for The Sentinel.