Back in 2010, Despicable Me put Illumination Entertainment on the map, which gave them enough ammo to produce more feature-length films. That film, and its sequel, were such successes that the studio opted to make a spinoff prequel about the incredibly popular yellow Minions. But are the Minions ready to move from sidekicks to leads?
Since the dawn of time, the yellow Minions have existed for one purpose: to serve the most evil and diabolical of masters. But, after centuries of serving failed villains and living in isolation, three Minions—Kevin, Stuart, and Bob—decide to take it upon themselves to find their new master. On their journey, they stumble upon a secret villain convention in Orlando called VillainCon, where the world’s greatest villains meet to share secrets, socialize, and meet their idols. One of these villains is Scarlet Overkill (Sandra Bullock), the world’s most popular and successful villainess. Through dumb luck, the Minions are able secure a spot as her new henchmen and their first assignment is to steal the queen of England’s crown.
Going into Minions, I feared that it would suffer from “Minions overload” (There’s a reason why we only got the little yellow guys in spurts in the Despicable Me films). However, the filmmakers made the wise decision to have the plot follow just three of the Minions (Kevin, Stuart, and Bob). As a result, the film more digestible and less overwhelming. The audience is able to form a bond with the three, instead of with hundreds of nearly indistinguishable little guys.
Speaking of our stars, despite not being able to talk in a coherent language, the chemistry between the three is incredible. Each has their own personalities, quirks, and fears, but together they are able to form a hilarious and indomitable team. Bob, the smallest of the group, was by far my favorite. In the vein of the famous Despicable Me quote: “He’s so adorable!”
From the start Scarlet Overkill is touted as the world’s biggest and best super-villainess, which are big shoes to fill. She doesn’t quite live up to that name in the film, but she is a great character nonetheless. And who would could have guessed that her husband, Herb (Jon Hamm), would steal the show.
Since the film is set in 1968, it takes advantage of every opportunity to reference this decade (from Abbey Road to the moon landing). It makes one wonder if, in a few years, this film will suffer from the same fate as Shrek, which is an excellent film that suffers upon future rewatches due to its infusion of pop culture gags. But, then again, the jokes and references in Minion were already dated, so maybe not.
In the moment, Minions is enjoyable and hilarious. The plot, for the most part, moves along quickly, but does get bogged down in the third act. It doesn’t offer a lot of substance or depth, but instead is filled to the brim with sight gags, cartoon violence, and kooky antics (Example A: at one point, the Queen of England is seen in a pub throwing back a few beers with the best of them). There isn’t much more to the film than that. It doesn’t leave you to think about and ponder life, but that isn’t really its purpose. We’re just supposed to go on a zany, wacky adventure. And that’s exactly what Minions delivers.
Even if you weren’t particularly fond of the Minions in the past, I would still give Minions a chance. It just might surprise you and win you over with the cute yellow guys. Then again, maybe not.
