4K UHD/Blu-ray Review: DESPICABLE ME 4

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Sep 28 Posted by Kyle Nolan in DVD/Blu-ray, Reviews | Comments

Gru (Steve Carell) has been sent on a mission by the AVL (Anti-Villain League), going undercover to his Class of 1985 reunion at the Lycée Pas Bon School of Villainy, where he arrests Maxime Le Mal (Will Ferrell). Maxime was Gru’s childhood rival, and was plotting to take over the world by harnessing the power of the cockroach, even going so far as to turn himself into one. However, it isn’t long before Maxime escapes from the AVL prison—thanks to his army of cockroaches and girlfriend/partner Valentina (Sofía Vergara)—and leaves a threating message for Gru that he is coming for revenge.

So Silas (Steve Coogan) relocates Gru and his family—wife Lucy (Kristen Wiig), daughters Margo (Miranda Cosgrove), Agnes (Madison Polan) & Edith (Dana Gaier), new baby Gru Jr., along with Minions Phil, Ralph & Ron—to the quiet town of Mayflower, and gives them new identities. Gru and Lucy actually look at the situation as a positive, giving them a chance to get away from the missions and just get in some family time. Gru tries to embrace his new suburban life, swapping his usual all-black attire for a bright pink polo shirt. He also tries to befriend the new neighbors, but the wealthy, snobby Perry Prescott (Stephen Colbert) doesn’t want anything to do with him. However, their daughter, Poppy (Joey King), is an aspiring villain and immediately recognizes Gru. And so she threatens to reveal his secret unless he helps her carry out a heist, but doing so would put him in danger of Maxime discovering his location.

Meanwhile, the rest of the Minions have been shipped off to AVL Headquarters for their safety, where Silas has some big plans. The agency has been working on a new super serum to transform agents, giving them super powers and abilities. He decides to test the serum on some Minion volunteers, creating The Mega Minions, though this new Avenger-like team doesn’t really know how to control their new powers, and cause more mayhem whenever they try to help.

Despicable Me 4 is a thoroughly entertaining and welcome next chapter to the Despicable Me franchise. It feels both fresh and familiar, giving us more of what really worked in the earlier films, but also adding in some fun new characters and allowing the existing characters to grow. This time around, we get to see Gru as a new father, trying to take care of his baby boy (with help from a Minion pit crew). Gru is constantly trying to get his son to say “Dada”, but Junior just seems to frown whenever he’s around Gru…like father, like son. We also see Gru attempting to embrace the suburban life while taking on the ne identity of solar panel salesman Chet Cunningham, trying to befriend the neighbors nd get them to invite him to play tennis at their country club. Instead, he attracts the attention of their young daughter Poppy. Joey King is a such a great addition to the cast. Poppy is this really fun character who acts all sweet and innocent one moment, and devious and manipulative the next. At the same time, she’s still a young kid, and let’s be honest, Gru probably would have helped out with the heist anyway as a break from suburbia. We also see the rest of the family struggling with their new lives. Lucy is a secret agent, but is assigned a new identity as Blaire the hairdresser—something she quickly realizes she is not trained to do. The children miss their home and friends, and Agnes is having trouble with the lying part, refusing to go by her new name, Bree. And when Minions Phil, Ralph & Ron aren’t helping Gru with the baby, they are constantly getting into trouble at the safehouse.

The Despicable Me films have always done an excellent job at coming up with interesting and entertaining villains, and Maxime Le Mal and his girlfriend/partner Valentina are no exceptions. While the couple has a goal of taking over the world, Maxime becomes obsessed with bettering and getting revenge on Gru. He has this interesting obsession with cockroaches, transforming himself with some roach-based superpowers, and amassing his own Minion-like army of helper roaches. While Sofía Vergara is unmistakable as Valentina, Will Ferrell is almost unrecognizable with Maxime’s ridiculous but hilarious French accent. We also get some fun flashbacks to the schoolboy rivalry between Maxime and Gru. And the film brings in another great villain of sorts, Principal Übelschlecht (Chris Renaud), who also seems to have it out for Gru.

Finally, we have those adorable, nonsense-speaking Minions. The film constantly cuts away to the wacky antics of these yellow guys at the AVL HQ, where we see the origin of The Mega Minions, and how they try to hone their powers. We also get some breaks in the action, following Phil, Ralph & Ron getting up to mischief in suburbia.

While Despicable Me 4 was released theatrically in 3D, Universal has not given it a 3D disc release, though the film is available digitally in 3D at Fandango at Home for those who have a device that supports it. Universal’s 4K Ultra HD release looks and sounds spectacular. The picture is pristine, and the colors are vivid, especially when watching with Dolby Vision. There is incredible detail in all of the characters and their clothing—this is especially noticeable in the textures of Gru’s pink polo and the fur of Larry the honey badger. The look of this film feels quite unique, often making use of panning oner-like shots that weave through scenes and action to give a really cinematic and immersive feel. The audio track is also quite impressive, providing a thoroughly immersive experience throughout, whether it’s a big action sequences, the chaotic happenings with the Minions, or just a general ambiance. Dialogue remains clear throughout, and the film’s pop soundtrack sounds great.

This release contains over an hour of bonus material, including two new new Minion mini-movies, 45-minutes of behind-the-scenes material with the cast/crew, some deleted/extended scenes, and a drawing tutorial. The 4K release includes both a 4K and a Blu-ray disc, packed on either side of a standard UHD keepcase, along with a cardboard slipcover with an embossed title/artwork, and redemption instructions for a 4K digital copy of the film.

What’s Included:

Film: (1:34:23)

2160p / Widescreen 1.85:1
Dolby Vision / HDR10
Audio: English Dolby Atmos, Spanish 7.1 Dolby Digital Plus, French 7.1 Dolby Digital Plus
Subtitles: English SDH, French (Canada)

Blu-ray:

1080p / Widescreen 1.85:1
Audio: English Dolby Atmos, English DVS (Descriptive Vieo Service), Spanish 7.1 Dolby Digital Plus, French 7.1 Dolby Digital Plus
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French

Digital (code may not be valid after 9/30/2025):

4K Digital Copy (Movies Anywhere compatible)

Extras:
The same bonus material is available on both discs. Play All, or select from:

Game Over and Over (4:19)
In this new mini movie, Stuart breaks his video game controller, so he steals one from Gru’s lab, only to discover that it can control Kevin.
Benny’s Birthday (4:01)
In this new mini movie, Benny finds himself trapped in a time loop, forced to celebrate his birthday over and over again with some mischievous Minions.
Deleted/Extended/Alternate Scenes (14:25)
Collection of 9 deleted/extended/alternate scenes in various stages of animation. Play All, or select from:
- Class of ‘85 (2:21)
  Gru arrives at his class reunion, but isn’t happy to see Maxime.
- Minions at the Reunion (1:41)
  Minions Phil, Ralph & Ron get up to some mischief at the reunion.
- Minions at Home (1:02)
  Minions Phil, Ralph & Ron go through their morning bathroom routine,
- Big Day Out (2:30)
  The Minions and Gru take a misbehaving Gru Jr. out for a day in the park and more.
- Karate Round 2 (:16)
  The girls and Lucy ride a shopping cart through the parking lot.
- Gru vs. Treehouse (:51)
  Gru struggles to climb into the treehouse.
- Defibrillator (:28)
  The Minions shock one another with a defibrillator.
- Mega Minions Mega Mix (3:15)
  The Mega Minions struggle to control their powers.
- Mega Minions in Lockdown (2:09)
  Silas runs through the facility to find the Mega Minions to help Gru.
Despicable Dialogue (3:37)
Montage of the cast in the recording booth. Includes footage of stars Steve Carell (“Gru”), Kristen Wiig (“Lucy”), Chloe Fineman (“Patsy Prescott”), Will Ferrell (“Maxime”), Joey King (“Poppy Prescott”), Stephen Colbert (“Perry Prescott”), Sofía Vergara (“Valentina”), Steve Coogan (“Silas”) & Miranda Cosgrove (“Margo”), and director Chris Renaud.
Meet the Cast (22:16)
The cast and crew discuss the characters, the story, and what it was like working on the film. Includes behind-the-scenes footage from the recording booth, and interviews with producer/founder of Illumination Chris Meledandri, director Chris Renaud, editor Tiffany HillKurtz, co-writer Ken Daurio, co-director Patrick Delage, CG supervisors Boris Jacq & Richard Adenot, layout cinematography supervisor Maxime Devanlay, animation directors Aymeric Palermo & Pierre-François Duhamel, character animator Charlotte Kristof, and the cast. Play All, or select from:
- Steve Carell: Gru (3:29)
- Kristen Wiig: Lucy (3:05)
- Joey King: Poppy Prescott (3:47)
- Miranda Cosgrove, Dana Gaier, and Madison Polan: Gru’s Girls (3:05)
- Stephen Colbert & Chloe Fineman: The Prescotts (2:19)
- Sofia Vergara: Valentina (2:40)
- Will Ferrell: Maxime (3:49)
Making Of (10:57)
The cast and crew discuss the story, expanding the universe, the directors and various teams/departments involved, making things look realistic, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, concept artwork and rough animation, and interviews with producer/founder of Illumination Chris Meledandri, co-writer Ken Daurio, editor Tiffany HillKurtz, director Chris Renaud, character animator Charlotte Kristof, co-director Patrick Delage, CG supervisors Boris Jacq & Richard Adenot, art director Charlotte Hutchinson, animation directors Aymeric Palermo & Pierre-François Duhamel, layout cinematography supervisor Maxime Devanlay, character supervisor – surfacing Benjamin Fournet, set dressing supervisor Laura Giardini, compositing supervisor Romain Blanchet, and stars Steve Carell, Joey King, Will Ferrell & Kristen Wiig.
Mega Minion Mayhem (4:22)
The cast and crew discuss the addition of the Mega Minions, determining their superpowers, the artists who bring them to life, and what superpowers they would want. Includes animation footage, and interviews with co-writer Ken Daurio, director Chris Renaud, animation directors Aymeric Palermo & Pierre-François Duhamel, character design supervisor Hassan Bensmaine, production supervisor Alexandra Skinazi-Francart, head of story Habib Louati, layout cinematography supervisor Maxime Devanlay, CG supervisor Boris Jacq, art director Charlotte Hutchinson, hair & fur supervisor Emmanuelle de Amezaga, and stars Steve Carell, Miranda Cosgrove, Kristen Wiig, Sofia Vergara, Will Ferrell & Joey King.
Rogues Gallery (3:38)
Narrated look at the various villains that have appeared in the franchise.
How to Draw (12:11)
Head of Story Habib Louati demonstrates how to draw the Mega Minions—Dave, Mel, Jerry, Gus and Tim. Available with the original French audio, or dubbed in English. Play All, or select from:
- Mega Dave (2:30)
- Mega Mel (2:14)
- Mega Jerry (2:38)
- Mega Gus (2:06)
- Mega Tim (2:40)

Final Thoughts:

My Rating

Film:

Video:

Audio:

Extras:

Highly Recommended

Despicable Me 4 is a wonderful addition to the the franchise, which just keeps getting better with each new film. It not only brings back a lot of the fun characters and elements that have made these movies so popular, but also introduces some hilarious new characters and plot developments. It finds the perfect blend between the main story and the ongoing wacky adventures of the Minions, and even introduces a new Avenger-like group of Mega Minions. Universal’s 4K Ultra HD release looks and sounds fantastic, and the Blu-ray comes with over an hour of supplemental material. Fans of the franchise will not be disappointed, and will definitely want to pick this up!