The world’s favorite supervillain-turned-Anti-Villain-League-agent returns for a bold new era of Minions mayhem in Illumination’s DESPICABLE ME 4. Gru, Lucy and their girls welcome a new member to the family—Gru Jr.—who is intent on tormenting his dad, as a new nemesis shows up and forces the family to go on the run. This latest blockbuster chapter in the biggest global animated franchise in history is packed with nonstop action and filled with Illumination’s signature subversive humor. – Synopsis via Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
DESPICABLE ME 4 is directed by Chris Renaud and Patrick Delage. The pair have made a movie that is a family movie with jokes that land for the parents too. In this installment, the new villains are odd and that’s the appeal. They remind me of the kind of superficial people that are all over social media nowadays and seeing them fail is a part of the entertainment. I’m also a fan of The Mega Minions and the new character Poppy. They’re similar to The Fantastic 4 but different enough not to land themselves in hot water with The Mouse. As for Poppy, she’s a good character for Gru to team up with.
Cast
Steve Carell as Gru
Kristen Wiig as Lucy Wilde
Will Ferrell as Maxime Le Mal
Joey King as Poppy Prescott
Sofía Vergara as Valentina
Stephen Colbert as Perry Prescott, Poppy’s father
Chloe Fineman as Patsy Prescott, Poppy’s mother
Miranda Cosgrove as Margo
Steve Coogan as Silas Ramsbottom
Pierre Coffin as the Minions
Dana Gaier as Edith
Madison Polan as Agnes
Chris Renaud as Principal Frau Übelschlecht
VIDEO QUALITY 5/5
The video is a 1080p AVC presentation that is bright and colorful. The colors everywhere are brilliant and not overpowering at all. Even in the darker scenes, the colors are fetching on the format. There are some surprising details in clothing and a great example is the gloves on the Minions/Mega Minions. There are creases and weathered lines that are subtle but add a little something to the art. Fabrics are also clearly different and the details stand out. Also, the textures on the team after they get their powers show they are also wearing suits. Jerry’s transformation is especially unique because he becomes a hero made out of rock. His “skin” texture has rock chips and is a great look.
AUDIO QUALITY 4.5/5
The audio is a Dolby Atmos mix that defaults to a Dolby True HD 7.1 mix depending on your setup. The sound design is excellent with all of the speakers constantly working. There are plenty of big action scenes with fast-moving objects in the sound field. The mix does create an immersive environment that utilizes the overhead channels. The LFEs from explosions and the effects are deep at times and clean. This also goes for the bass in the music in the movie. The dialogue is clear and prioritized.
SUPPLEMENTS & PACKAGING 4/5
-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 and 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 of DESPICABLE ME 4 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 from past DESPICABLE and MINIONS films.
-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
Disc Details
1 Blu-ray Disc
Digital Copy
Slipcover included with the initial release
Running Time
94 mins
Edition Ratings
Rated PG
Region Coding
Region Free
Video Resolution
1080p AVC MPEG-4
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Audio Mixes
English Dolby Atmos
English Dolby TrueHD 7.1
French Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles
English
Spanish
French
THE FINAL WORD 4.5/5
DESPICABLE ME 4 takes a lot of the fun from the previous movies and builds on it. Putting the characters in a “witness protection” scenario creates some good jokes and adds some new characters. As long as they’re successful, they’ll keep making them and I don’t mean that as a bad thing. The release has the strong transfer you expect from an animated movie and an excellent sound mix. There are a ton of extras and the two mini-movies are worth watching. Overall, for completionists and fans of the series, this is an easy decision to grab a copy.
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