When the evil Balthazar Bratt, the former child star of an 80s television series, becomes a super-villain who tries to steal a precious diamond, Gru and Lucy are sent to stop him. But the operation goes wrong: the treasure is saved but Bratt escapes. Exasperated, the new head of the Anti-Villain League fires them. Desperate and depressed, Gru sees new hope in life when he learns he has a twin brother and goes off in search of him, with Lucy and their daughters in tow...

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Despicable Me was a surprise hit in 2010. The 2013 sequel was a little bit less so. The Minions spin-off was more annoying than anything. Despicable Me 3 continues in the same vein, exploiting a brand with little thought going into ideas or story. It’s all just one big noisy ad for action figures instead of an animated film that has something to say. A series of uninspired gags is assembled without imagination around a vague story that above all is there to sell a franchise. The result will probably satisfy hardcore fans, but everyone else will cringe in the face of the overt cynicism of the production.