Movie Info
Movie Name: Minons
Studio: Illumination Entertainment
Genre(s): Animated/Comedy/Action/Adventure/Family
Release Date(s): June 11, 2015 (Premiere)/July 12, 2015 (US)
MPAA Rating: PG
Oh yeah, who’s going to get some hydrant tonight…
The Minions have been serving evil leaders since the dawn of life on Earth…unfortunately, they are really bad at it. After years of isolation, three Minions have set off on an adventure to find the leader they have been dreaming about. Bob, Stuart, and Kevin have learned of the evilest of evil villains Scarlet Overkill and manage to secure a position in her evil schemes…once again, Minions have a habit of screwing things up.
Directed by Pierre Coffin and Kyle Balda, Minions is a spin-off of the Despicable Me films. The movie was released to average to positive reviews but was a box office success (beating out both of the previous Despicable Me films).
Let’s get this party started…way into the movie
The Despicable Me movies were fun, but they were often uneven. While the Minions are fun in small doses and shorts, a movie based around them seemed to be a bit of a stretch…and it did prove to be so.
The story for the Minions is rather drawn out and wandering. The first part of the movie serves as a bit of an origin piece with the Minions rising out of the ocean to serve the worst people in history (so they had to shut them up in a cave past World War II to avoid the uncomfortable Hitler aspect). The movie then takes a long time to find the plot with Scarlet Overkill…and just feels like it keeps going.
I wish that young Gru had just been the star
The real aspect missing from the movie is a good lead. The Minions (voiced by Pierre Coffin) hold the floor but it really is missing Gru. Steve Carell’s character Gru does cameo, but Sandra Bullock just doesn’t measure up (plus her character really has no good direction). Other actors include Jon Hamm, Michael Keaton, Steve Coogan, Allison Janney, and Geoffrey Rush.
The animation is pretty slick and it is well timed. Most of the jokes (since the Minions can’t really speak) are visual gags, and they do work. It is weirdly set in the past so younger viewers probably won’t get a lot of the references…which kind of eliminates the primary audience.
Minions should stick to shorts and supporting characters. The movie is a huge success and as Hollywood knows they shouldn’t mess with a formula. Minions will continue to make money and Minions movies will continue to be made. I just hope the next one is a little better.
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