I find myself on occasion speaking in tongues when nobody is listening. Maybe sometimes when people are listening also, but that’s usually intentional because I’m intentionally speaking Minionese. For those who are not quite as hip to strange children’s animated movies, that is the language the small yellow creatures in Despicable Me speak (at least according to closed captioning). 

I was a fan of the first Despicable Me, but as the sequels and spinoffs came out, the plots began to become recognizable and the only reason they were being made was one simple factor: the brilliance of the Minions. You don’t know what they’re actually saying, but they’re cute and stupid enough that it’s fun watching them do anything. So fun that I was willing to go along with Despicable Me 2, the Minions movie and, most recently, Despicable Me 3.

In DM3, after Gru and Lucy get fired from the Anti-Villain League for not stopping Balthazar Bratt from stealing the world’s largest diamond, they learn that not only has Gru’s father passed away, but he also has a twin brother, Dru. Even more to his dismay, the Minions have chosen to quit over Gru deciding to remain on the side of good. Gru isn’t tempted by his old ways though. Even when he discovers Dru has been keeping up their father’s evil lab for when he and his brother could take over the family business.

While this plot, like the last film, is not the most original, it had plenty to merit watching multiple times. For instance, where else would you get a fully accapella cover of “I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General” from the Minions? What about the only realistic encounter with a “unicorn” in a kid’s cartoon? If you enjoyed the first two Despicable Me movies or the Minions movie, the third in the series is worth checking out. If you are only in this for the Minions though, DM3 could be skipped.