Despicable Me 3 4K Blu-ray
By Chris Heinonen on
Audio Quality
Video Quality
Overall
Summary
After he is fired from the Anti-Villain League for failing to take down Balthazar Bratt (Trey Parker, “South Park,” Team America: World Police), the latest evil mastermind to threaten humanity, Gru finds himself in the midst of a major identity crisis. But when a mysterious stranger shows up to inform Gru that he has a long-lost twin brother — a brother who desperately wishes to follow in his twin’s despicable footsteps — the former super-villain rediscovers just how good it feels to be bad.
Movie Review
Despicable Me 3 is a fine, though not exceptional, sequel. The first two movies in the series are quite good, and I’ve watched them with my kids and highly enjoyed them. The overall plot of the third has too many strings going on at once (Minions quitting, the bad guy, losing a job, Gru’s brother, trying to be a Mom, etc…) to give enough attention to all of them.
I found the main enemy, Balthazar Bratt, to be enjoyable. The 80’s nostalgia was good, but there’s also not enough time give to his backstory. We find out he was on a kids TV show for a couple of years, but then it skips over the decades between that and where he is today. How did he wind up where he is? It’s just glossed over but I’d rather have more depth there and in some of the other storylines than trying to tell too many stories at once. My kids still enjoyed it when they saw it in theaters, but while we’ve watched the other films multiple times, they had no desire to turn this on again when it arrived.
Technical Review
Thankfully Sony is almost ready to deliver their Dolby Vision update so we can start commenting on that for discs, but right now we’re still only looking at the HDR10 version. Rendered at 2K the image looks fantastic most of the time, but some very slight banding can be seen in some blue sky scenes. Shadow details and HDR are good, and the film is very bright and vivid. If the Dolby Vision layer can clean up that slight banding, this would be a 4.5 (I can’t do 5.0 for a 2K digital intermediate), but as it is it’s a 4.0 because of that small flaw.
The soundtrack doesn’t have that issue, using DTS:X for an immersive experience. Whenever Balthazar is on the screen you’re treated to a number of classic 80’s pop hits, and they sound wonderful. When Gru and his brother race through town, every channel is utilized to place you in the car with everything flying around you.
Special Features
- All-New Mini Movie — The Secret Life of Kyle
- Minion Moments — Watch the Minions cause more hilarious mayhem with Gru
- Deleted Scene — With intro by Dana Gaier, the voice of Edith
- Character Profiles — The inside scoop on the most popular characters, from the actors who play them
- The Making of Despicable Me 3 — A behind-the-scenes look at the making of the movie
- Developing Dru — Behind the scenes character development of Dru
- The AVL Files — Through the lens of the Anti-Villain League’s hi-tech database, this ultra secret, interactive surveillance briefing showcases all of the agency’s amazing creations and top agents
- Freedonia Visitors Guide — Welcome to Freedonia! See all that the town has to offer with this interactive map. From its world class cheese, to its beautiful coastline, Freedonia has it all!
- Despicable Me TV — Tune in for some fabulous fun with these Despicable Me 3 infomercials. Includes “Balthazar Bratt Action Figure,” “Bad Boy Bod by Balthazar Bratt” and “Agnes’ Super Cute, Incredibly Amazing Toy Sale.”
- “Doowit” Sing-Along — Sing along with Pharrell Williams as the Minions plot their escape from prison
- “Yellow Light” Music Video — Official music video by Pharrell Williams
- Minion Mugshots — The Minions add to the long list of celebrity mugshots in their very own “rogues gallery.”
- Wanted Posters — Have you seen these Minions wanted for various crimes?
Review System
Sony A1E OLED, Sony UBP-X800 UltraHD Blu-ray Player, Oppo UDP-203 UltraHD Blu-ray Player, KEF Ci5160RL-THX Fronts, Ci3160RL-THX Center, 2x Ci200RR-THX Surrounds, 4x CI200RR-THX Atmos Speakers, Denon AVR-X6400H Receiver, Power Sound Audio XS30se Subwoofer.
Pros
Bright, punchy image that looks very good overall, DTS:X soundtrack is very good
Cons
Some very moderate banding in a couple of scenes in gradients
Summary
Despicable Me 3 isn't as good as the other films with Minions in them, but it's still a decent film that looks and sounds very good on 4K Blu-ray.
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