July 4 At The Movies: 'Despicable Me 4,' And 'Beverly Hills Cop 4'

HOLLYWOOD, CA — Wondering about the new movie releases coming to theaters this July 4th weekend? Sequels reign supreme in the cinematic landscape.

"Despicable Me" fans, rejoice! "Despicable Me 4" is making a big splash this weekend with Steve Carell and Kristen Wiig lending their voices for the lead characters Gru and Lucy, respectively.

Remember Alex Foley from the famed "Beverly Hills Cop" movie franchise? Eddie Murphy's iconic Detroit PD detective is returning to 90210 for a stint in "Beverly Hills Cop 4: Axel F."

And if you're also wondering about last weekend's new releases, "Quiet Place: Day One" and "Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1"? We are also featuring them in this publication.

Happy July 4!

Check out what we thought of the four new releases below.

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Movies Out This Weekend

“Despicable Me 4”

Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Joey King; directed by Chris Renaud and Patrick Delage

Fourteen years after the original film graced the big screen, the “Despicable Me” movies have raked in $4.67 billion worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing animated movie franchise of all time. As the latest entry in the series launches, it raises the question of whether the franchise — which centers on a former supervillain-turned secret agent Gru — will remain king at the box office.

“Despicable Me 4” is the sixth installment of the “Despicable Me” movie franchise, following 2010’s “Despicable Me,” 2013’s “Despicable Me 2”, 2017’s “Despicable Me 3”, as well as two spin-off prequels, 2015’s “Minions” and 2022’s “Minions: The Rise of Gru.”

The new movie, set in mid-80s, sees the now-do-gooder Gru (voiced by Steve Carrell), his wife Lucy (voiced by Kristen Wiig) and the couple’s adopted daughters Margo (voiced by Miranda Cosgrove), Agnes (voiced by Dana Gaier) and Edith (voiced by Madison Skyy Polan) welcome a new member of the family, baby Gru Jr.

Moments later, Gru and his family are forced to enter the protection program as the villainous French-accented Maxime Le Mal (Will Ferrell) and his Spanish-accented girlfriend Valentina (Sofia Vergara) are trying to track them down. Why? For reasons we'd rather not reveal so as not to spoil the movie.

From there, the story turns into a collage of subplots over subplots, cluttered with so many characters to follow along.

By the end, “Despicable Me 4,” feels bland, especially in the creativity department, leaving much more to be desired. Nevertheless, the 95-minute movie is breezy and zippy enough for young kids to enjoy.

“Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F”

Eddie Murphy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt; directed by Mark Molloy

“Beverly Hills Cop” fans, get excited! Eddie Murphy’s iconic detective Axel Foley is back in action for “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F,” the fourth installment of the popular cop-comedy movie franchise.

Three decades after Axel’s last assignment, audiences finally get to reconnect with the jokester cop in downtown Detroit when he gets a call from his old pal Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold), a former cop who is now a private eye. Apparently, Axel’s daughter Jane (Taylour Paige), an LA defense attorney, has received numerous death threats.

Despite their estranged relationship, Axel decides to travel back to 90210 to meet with Jane. Then, Billy suddenly disappears without a trace, forcing Axel and his daughter to team up and uncover the conspiracy, with the help of Jane’s detective ex-boyfriend (Joseph Gordon-Levitt).

Over the course of the movie, Axel also crosses paths with old familiar faces, such as Detroit PD Captain Jeffrey Friedman (Paul Reiser), the flamboyant realtor Serge (Bronson Pinchot) and Axel’s old pal John Taggart (John Ashton).

In all, “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F” serves up a fourth iteration that brims exuberantly with roaring 80s' nostalgia and Murphy’s whip-smart brilliance. The sequel is not perfect, albeit good enough for laughs and thrills.

(“Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F” is now available in Netflix.)

“A Quiet Place: Day One”

Lupita Nyong'o, Joseph Quinn, Djimon Hounsou; directed by Michael Sarnoski

Indie writer-director Michael Sarnoski takes over the reins from John Krasinski in “Day One,” the third installment of the “A Quiet Place” movie franchise — a spin-off prequel about the beginnings of a world gone horribly silent.

The original film and the 2020 “A Quiet Place Part II” both posit a post-apocalyptic world decimated by hostile aliens that are highly sensitive to sound. At the heart of the continuing saga is a family fighting for their survival against these blind monsters who attack at the slightest noise, ultimately tearing their prey to shreds.

In contrast, Sarnoski’s new film paints the very first day of the invasion across a doom-and-gloom canvas with a poignant story of great resolve and resilience at the core.

Enter Sam (Lupita Nyong’o), a woman afflicted with cancer in hospice care. On that fateful day of the attack, she becomes more emboldened than ever to fight for her life as the aliens rain down terror in their wake. Along the way, she crosses paths with a caring law student named Eric (Joseph Quinn). Together, the duo will forge a strong bond of friendship to navigate their new, unforgiving world in the face of terror and catastrophe.

Oh, did we tell you about Frodo, Sam’s scene-stealing therapy cat? Well, the adorable quadruped also has nine lives to live in the movie.

“Day One” provides enough thrills and chills to keep audiences on the edge of their seat. It is an impressive survival thriller, buoyed up by Nyong’o’s electrifying lead performance — though, at times, the movie feels uneven!

“Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1”

Kevin Costner, Abbey Lee, Sienna Miller; directed by Kevin Costner

Kevin Costner’s lifelong four-part passion project, “Horizon: American Saga,” makes its cinematic debut with the theatrical release of “Chapter 1.” The Western epic spans a period of 15 years set in the Old West during Antebellum and post-Civil War expansion. “Chapter 2” will hit theaters Aug. 16.

The sprawling story begins in 1859 San Fernando Valley. Aptly, “Horizon” is the name of a fictional town that is being hailed as the quintessential paragon of manifest destiny, attracting pioneers from far and near. In time, however, the promised land is embroiled in an unmitigated disaster when a band of rogue Native Americans suddenly launch an attack. Many of the settlers will perish in the brutal raid.

An hour in, Costner finally strolls into the movie as the laconic and wary cowboy Hayes Ellison, a lone wolf who is suddenly propelled into a dispute over a toddler. Apparently, there is more to it than meets the eye, leaving Hayes and the kid’s caretaker (Abbey Lee) with no option but to go on the run.

Elsewhere, other storylines emerge, including the blossoming romance between First Lt. Trent Gephardt (Sam Worthington) and the grieving widow Frances Kittredge (Sienna Miller). At this juncture, the movie appears to be lost in a muddle, meandering aimlessly with no end in sight. Hopefully, the upcoming chapters of the saga can shed more light on the narrative that Costner is seeking to portray.

In all, Costner’s “Horizon” excels in dramatic gravitas and visual majesty. However, the extremely bewildering first installment can be excruciatingly painful to bear over the course of 181 minutes.