Minions BTS: Despicable Me 4 Review – Witness protection, K-pop infiltration, and Gru’s worst enemy: His own baby

Welcome to Despicable Me 4, where our favorite former supervillain trades world domination for suburban witness protection, a cockroach-themed nemesis, and a plot twist: his newborn son wants nothing to do with him.

Gru is back. The Minions are back. And somehow, so is K-pop.

Also, the Minions get superpowers, because sure, why not? If that sounds like a fever dream, congratulations. You understand this franchise perfectly.

But here’s the real question: does Despicable Me 4 still bring the mayhem, the laughs, and the chaotic energy that made this series a billion-dollar powerhouse? Let’s dive into the madness.

Disclaimer:

Look, opinions are like Minions—there are too many of them, they’re all chaotic, and half the time, they don’t make sense. This one’s mine.

If you think Despicable Me 4 is cinematic gold, you’re not alone. The audience score on Rotten Tomatoes? A whopping 87%. If you think it’s a chaotic mess held together by Minion gibberish and a BTS cameo (well, that disappointingly is not in the actual movie cut, a teaser for the film and BTS+DM4 Funko Pop collab)… well, critics gave it a 56%, so you’ve got company too.

Either way, numbers don’t lie, but Minions do—constantly and usually while wearing ridiculous disguises. So take from this what you will.

Warning: Spoilers ahead.

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The plot (or what passes as one)

So, Gru is now a full-fledged Anti-Villain League agent, but trouble follows him like a Minion follows a banana. Enter Maxime Le Mal, a former classmate turned revenge-driven supervillain with, uh… cockroach DNA. Somebody clearly watched The Fly and thought, “What if… but French?”

After Gru gets him arrested, Maxime naturally escapes and swears vengeance. The AVL, being as competent as ever, decides the best course of action is to put Gru, Lucy, the girls, and their grudge-holding newborn son, Gru Jr., into witness protection. Because nothing screams “low profile” like Gru trying to blend in as a normal suburban dad.

Of course, the whole thing spirals out of control. Gru’s neighbor, Poppy Prescott—aka a teenage supervillain BTS fangirl with way too much energy—recognizes him and blackmails him into helping her pull off a heist. Meanwhile, the AVL’s bright idea to give Minions superhero abilities goes as well as expected. Absolute disaster.

And because this franchise runs on chaos, everything collides when Maxime kidnaps Gru Jr., turning the poor baby into a mutant cockroach hybrid. Yep, we’re here now. Cue a rescue mission, an army of Mega Minions, and a climax that is equal parts absurd and heartwarming.

The grand finale? Gru doesn’t just defeat Maxime. He duets with him. That’s right, we close out with Everybody Wants to Rule the World in a prison talent show. Honestly? Iconic.

Character madness in Despicable Me 4

Look, no one watches Despicable Me for deep character arcs, but this film still brings some unexpected MVPs.

Gru – Less “diabolical genius,” more “frazzled dad trying to survive.” His biggest problem isn’t Maxime. It’s his own baby hating his guts. The fact that Gru Jr. has a baby beef with his father is both hilarious and, honestly, relatable.

Poppy Prescott – Imagine if Harley Quinn was a high schooler with K-pop posters on her walls and unapologetically ARMY. She’s a wannabe villain with main character energy, and somehow, her arc ends up being one of the most satisfying parts of the movie.

The Minions – The AVL tries to give them superpowers. It goes exactly as well as you’d expect. Watching them fail upwards as Mega Minions? Peak cinema.

Maxime Le Mal – The villain equivalent of an energy drink mixed with French arrogance. His plan is ridiculous; his transformation is nightmare fuel, but Will Ferrell sells it.

Gru Jr. – A baby with an agenda. The way he actively hates Gru for no reason? Comedy gold.

BTS takes over

Okay, ARMY, this is our section.

First of all, let’s talk about the BTS Permission to Dance teaser for the movie. Because if you ever wanted to see Minions literally dressed as BTS members, doing BTS choreography in an animated fever dream of K-pop perfection—this is your moment. The fact that this isn’t even the most chaotic thing happening in the film speaks volumes. That was not actually in the film, though. Bummer!

Then, there’s Poppy Prescott. She’s not just a supervillain in training. She’s also ARMY. This girl has BTS posters on her walls and BTS merch on her phone case, and at one point, she literally blurts out a BTS lyric mid-sentence. She is us. We are her. It’s giving Donatello from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem straight-up declaring his love for BTS, proving that pop culture’s most chaotic franchises are lowkey run by ARMY.

And finally, the soundtrack. We get BTS’s Dynamite in the movie because of course. And it works. At this point, Despicable Me 4 is basically an undercover K-pop recruitment film, and honestly? No complaints.

The humor: Does it still work?

Yes, but also, what even is this movie?

If you love classic Minion slapstick, it’s all here. If you love ridiculous, over-the-top villains, check. If you enjoy jokes that feel like they were written by someone consuming way too much sugar at 3 a.m., this is your movie.

From a Matrix-style slow-motion scene featuring a cupcake to Maxime’s cockroach monologues, the humor is unhinged. Even the emotional moments don’t escape the madness—like when Gru Jr. finally warms up to his dad, only for the scene to immediately be undercut by a Minion setting something on fire. Classic.

"Despicable Me 4" Multimedia Screening - Source: Getty

The visuals & music: Flashy and funky

Look, Illumination knows how to make pretty movies. Despicable Me 4 is as polished and colorful as ever, with fast-paced action, detailed animation, and chaotic Minion expressions that are somehow more relatable than ever.

And the music? Pharrell Williams returns with Double Life because we all needed another earworm. Meanwhile, BTS and BLACKPINK bring the K-pop flavor because Despicable Me apparently decided we’re all living in the Hallyu era now.

Final verdict – Despicable Me 4 is fun, chaotic, and despicable as ever

Is Despicable Me 4 the best movie in the franchise? No. Does it care? Also no. This is pure, unfiltered, Minion-fueled mayhem, and somehow, that still works.

If you’re an ARMY, the BTS Easter eggs alone bump this to a solid 4 out of 5. For everyone else, it’s probably more of a 3.5 out of 5—still entertaining, still ridiculous, but definitely pushing the limits of how many chaotic subplots a movie can contain before it implodes.

Either way, if you ever wanted to see Gru sing a prison duet with a cockroach man while Minions dance to BTS, Despicable Me 4 understood the assignment.