s former super-villain Gru (Steve Carell) tries to acclimate himself to his new role as an agent for the Anti-Villain League, his wife Lucy (Kristen Wiig) attempts to assimilate herself into family life, to be a nurturing mother to their three adopted children, Margo (Miranda Cosgrove), Edith (Dana Gaier), and Agnes (Nev Scharrel). When child actor-turned-jewel thief Balthazar Bratt (Trey Parker) once again evades Gru and Lucy during an extravagant heist of the world’s largest diamond, replacement head of the AVL, Valerie Da Vinci (Jenny Slate), fires them both. While the two contemplate their next career path, Gru receives word that he has a long lost twin brother who wishes to meet him. Intrigued by the prospect of a sibling, Gru and his family head to Freedonia (perhaps an homage to the nation from “Duck Soup”) where his brother Dru tends to the biggest pig farm in the land. But it’s not long before his newfound relative steers him back into a life of crime, just as Lucy and the children find themselves embroiled in their own wild adventures.

“That’s not a monster! That’s a man wearing shoulder pads!” It’s somewhat amusing that a growth spurt and the uncomfortable complications of puberty are the catalyst for the villain’s turn toward villainy, but the humor concerning antagonist Balthazar Bratt stops there. His costuming, his flamboyant movements, and his general design (essentially an ‘80s rock star shoved into a tiny, shiny getup) aren’t funny by themselves. Nor is his voicing by Trey Parker (co-creator of “South Park”), who doesn’t do anything recognizable, or particularly notable, or even obnoxious like Carell’s exaggerated accent. Supplementary elements give Bratt more purpose, but only through his robot sidekick and his inventions (such as expanding bubble gum traps that appear reminiscent of technology seen in “The Incredibles”).

From a silly dance fight to the nonstop pop music accompaniment, “Despicable Me 3” continues to do exactly what the franchise did before: childish absurdity. Even Gru’s voice is as annoying as ever. This time around, since most of the supporting characters return, there are simply too many roles to include, which makes a plethora of subplots weigh on the pacing. The primary twin angle allows for traditional bouts of competition, rivalry, and jealousy, while also setting up the majority of the slapstick and notes on brotherly love and cooperation; a Freedonian boy’s (Adrian Ciscato) cheese-based betrothal to Margo lets Lucy explore her new role as a mother; an incessant pig motif generates some extra visual gags (though an overweight gem expert, looking like an extreme caricature of Gerard Depardieu, is the best of the designs); and a unicorn-hunting expedition teaches about expectations and compromises. Some of these sequences work, but most do not work well together – generating abrupt shifts, particularly with Bratt, who spends most of his screen time alone, behaving peculiarly. Basically, due to the abundance of returning characters and new players, too many unrelated stories were crammed into a single film.

Fortunately, the Minions are used in proper doses to break up the slower, less interesting digressions. Unlike when they were in their own movie, “Despicable Me 3” isn’t burdened by having them appear in every scene; instead, they show up intermittently, specifically for some humor or for grander asides to showcase their lovable routines – such as dancing and singing in their French-like gibberish. But even with the Minions as dependable sources of laughter, this series is proving to be almost exclusively for young audiences. Fun-loving, scatterbrained, juvenile misadventures do not provide much substance for adults who are accustomed to the higher standards and more profound storytelling of Pixar – though Minion nudity is good for giggles and seems to transcend its own obvious immaturity.

– The Massie Twins