'Despicable Me 3' - Movie Review

Like any long-running series, the "Despicable Me" movies have played out their comedic concepts and overstayed their welcome. This is better than the appallingly bad "Minions" movie (which was technically the third in the series), but far worse than "Despicable Me 2" which was still a decent movie, suffering primarily in comparison to its progenitor.

There's always an exception to a rule, although I thought for a long time that movie sequels had none. It remains incomprehensible to me how the "Kung Fu Panda" series has remained as funny and as good as it has: all three movies are of roughly equal quality, and all three very entertaining. I suppose there's still time for the series to stick around and destroy itself ...

But I'm supposed to be talking about "Despicable Me 3." This movie finds Gru (voiced by Steve Carell) struggling with unemployment, fired from the Anti-Villain League after his latest attempt to catch Balthazar Bratt (Trey Parker) goes bad - thus setting up the bad guy for the movie. Lucy is struggling with being a mother to Gru's three adopted daughters. And then we're introduced to Dru, Gru's twin brother he didn't know he had.

There are three or four very funny gags, but most of the movie is colourful and absurd mayhem with jokes so weak they don't even raise a smile. Thoroughly disappointing.