By: Rachael Tan

Short answer, yes. ‘Despicable Me 4’ is the sequel we never thought we needed and sheds a new light on Gru and his wife, Lucy.

What really surprised fans in this movie was the new character Gru Jr, also known as Junior, and the new child of Gru and Lucy. This new character is a really smart and fun addition to deepen the audience’s understanding of Gru and Lucy’s relationship and keep the plot interesting and exciting. For example, the plot of the film was the villain, Maxime, stealing something, or someone that Gru loves. If this person were to be Gru’s current children, the plot would seem repetitive.

Another new character Poppy Prescott gives a glimpse of Gru’s past life in contrast to Junior. In the film, Poppy is described as a fan of villain Gru and dreams to be just like him. Gru, who is now good and has children to take care of, ignores Poppy when she forcefully invites him to pull off a heist. Poppy however, is not as sweet as she seems and blackmails Gru to get what she wants.This new character brings excellent suspense into the plot as well as hints a little into Gru’s past so that it isn’t forgotten over the period of the movie.

However, Sofia Vergara’s character Valentina was severely underused, and would have made a better main villain than Maxime. Her charm and humor make for an excellent animated villain. Fans also feel that Dru should have made an appearance in this film because it would have made a good side story with Gru’s new neighbor Perry Prescott.

Overall, ‘Despicable Me 4’ is a whole hearted movie with many exciting and convivial characters and a few who deserved more screen time. The ending scene with Gru dancing and having fun with his past enemies in prison is a great way to end the series. So, will we see a ‘Despicable Me 5’ in a few years? That question has yet to be answered.