Despicable Me 3

I didn't hate that. Bonus points for it not ending on a damn dance party.

But let's get real: I think Dru was a narrative mistake. I can't picture how they can possibly make a Despicable Me 4 work with him in the picture. He will not fit comfortably into any future movie. Hell, LUCY didn't fit comfortably into THIS one, so I see trouble ahead.

I like that when Dru learns the girls are in trouble, he puts aside his hurt feelings and helps. I also like confirmation that Gru has not always just treated the Minions well, he's always treated them kindly too. I was annoyed with them turning on him for that reason, but they put it together themselves by the end. And their musical numbers on both the singing show and the airship were hysterical.

I would be inclined to say Trey Parker was wasted, if I didn't truly believe he was an overrated voice talent to begin with. I think what I'll say instead is that he was unneeded. No adults are going to see the movie because of Trey Parker and no toddlers know who he is. You think Russell Brand is weird celeb casting for this franchise? Trey Parker is about that times a thousand.

Michael Jackson? For real? Man, that is NOT a good look for this movie. At ALL.

The series is getting long in the tooth already, and I believe they just shot themselves in the foot for future sequels, but it was all right. 3 stars.

Mini-Movie: The Secret Life Of Kyle

Settle down, nerds. This isn't actually an Illumination franchise crossover. Although on second thought, maybe it should have been 3 stars.

Deleted Scene

Sorta funny, but also brief enough that I didn't really see the point of cutting it, especially since it was already finished. ***.

Music Videos

Couple of musical segments. Overall: 3 1/2 stars.

"Doowit" Sing-Along

Cute. 3 1/2 stars.

"Yellow Light" Music Video

A bit of an earworm. 3 1/2 stars.

Minion Moments

A couple of (VERY) brief promotional shorts. Overall: 4 1/2 stars.

Drenched

That looks like fun. 4 1/2 stars.

Overkill

Funny. 4 stars.

Despicable Me TV

Promotional ads done as faux commercials. Not great. Overall: 2 stars.

Balthazar Bratt Action Figure

Now that I think about it, considering what an oppressive children's TV atmosphere the 1980's were regarding censorship, I can't for the life of me ever see a show like Balthazar Bratt making it onto the air. In the era of Brainy Smurf, the Complainer is always wrong, not made the protagonist. 2 1/2 stars.

Bad Boy Bod By Balthazar Bratt

Ugh. 1 1/2 stars.

Agnes' Super Cute, Incredibly Amazing Toy Sale

It seems to me they were stuck for a third commercial idea. This one doesn't work. 1 star.

Trailers

Three trailers. The first one sucks but the second two are good. Overall: 3 stars.

Trailer 1

It's a good thing I missed this one. The Michael Jackson song would have turned me off the movie completely. 1 star.

Trailer 2

This was actually a really good trailer. 4 stars.

Trailer 3

This has some scenes not in the actual movie (like Lucy busting Gru and Dru for villainy). 4 stars.