Despicable Me 4
Brace yourself for more minion mayhem – Despicable Me is back.
In the fourth instalment of the incredibly popular franchise, reformed criminal mastermind Gru returns for yet another adventure with his adopted family and banana-loving minions all along for the ride.
Director Chris Renaud knows exactly what fans of this series want, and duly delivers the goofy goods with a movie that feels rather more like a selection of sketches rather than a fully fleshed out plot.
But what Despicable Me 4 lacks in story, it makes up for it with enough slapstick comedy to delight young fans who want nothing more than a variety of skits involving the beloved, misbehaving minions.
This time around, Gru and his wife Lucy welcome a new member to their expanding household, and Gru Jr is a baby that looks to have inherited his father's mischievous nature.
While Margo, Edith, and Agnes adore their new baby brother, their idyllic family set-up is disrupted when Gru's arch nemesis, a French super villain named Maxime Le Mal, escapes from a maximum security prison.
Now in danger of being attacked, Gru and family are placed into a witness protection programme to begin a new life in a new town, and wherever Gru goes, trouble inevitably follows.
It certainly isn't the strongest movie in the franchise, yet while the story is as flat as a banana pancake, Despicable Me 4 just about gets by with enough family-friendly japes that will keep younger members of the family giggling throughout.
Fly Me to the Moon
A flighty romantic comedy set against the background of the Apollo missions to the moon, Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum keep the action light and the romance sugary in this well-meaning and inoffensive rom-com.
Tatum plays NASA launch director Cole Davis, a man with no wife, no kids and nothing else on his mind other than his mission to help land the first men on the moon before the Soviets get there.
Finding the Apollo mission a bit of a hard sell to the American public, sassy advertising executive Kelly Jones (Johansson) joins the team in an attempt to give the mission some positive PR. Determined to turn Cole'stech-savvy nerds and very serious astronauts into celebrities, Kelly's wildcard methods don't endear her to the team.
It's all very safe and run-of-the-mill, and director Greg Berlanti is clearly focused on creating a date night rom-com that will won't stay in your memory for long after viewing.
While it has its moments, and Johansson and Tatum make for a great on-screen couple,
Fly Me to the Moon is rather playfully predictable but a safe bet if you're looking for a movie with minimal fuss and plenty of charm.
