Minions: Movie Review
Like most people who enjoyed the first two “Despicable Me” films, I absolutely loved the Minions. They were easily the best part of the series. Don’t get me wrong, I think Steve Carell’s Gru is great and his adopted kids were cute, but it was all about the Minions (voiced by Pierre Coffin). Because of the popularity of the little yellow guys, the studio decided to give them their own prequel. Even though kids will enjoy the hell out of it, adults may find the Minions wear out their welcome within the first twenty-thirty minutes.
The story starts off with a journey through history as the Minions worked for different villains over the centuries. Some of their bosses included Dracula and French military leader Napoléon Bonaparte. After completely pissing off Napoléon, the Minions went into hiding and formed their own community. Things were great for a long time but they guys missed working for an evil boss.
With the Minions now living a life of depression and sadness, Kevin, along with Bob and Stuart head out on a quest to find an evil villain that they can assist. When they attend Villain-Con in Orlando, Florida, they win the chance to work for Scarlett Overkill (voiced by Sandra Bullock) and her husband Herb (voiced by Jon Hamm).
Kevin, Bob and Stuart head to England with their new boss and are given the job of stealing the crown from the Queen. In the process of stealing the crown, Kevin winds up removing the sword from the stone and in doing so becomes the new king of England. This of course doesn’t sit well with Scarlett Overkill who wanted the crown for herself.
There are two major problems with “The Minions”. The first being that 90 minutes with these guys front and center is just way too much. Like I said, the kids will love it and they are the target audience but unlike the “Despicable Me” films, there is less here for the parents to enjoy. I found myself getting pretty annoyed after awhile, but I would be lying if I said they didn’t make me laugh every once in awhile. The second problem is that Scarlett Overkill is not an interesting or fun villain.
Easily one of the best parts of “Minions” was the Nelson family, voiced by Michael Keaton, Allison Janney, Michael Beattie, and Katy Mixon. The Nelson’s give the minions a ride to Villain-Con and on the way, stop to rob a bank. I wish they played a more crucial role in the film.
“Minions” is going to make a ton of money at the box office, there is no doubt. Thankfully the way the film ends makes me hopeful that the Minions will only be back as supporting players in a third “Despicable Me” installment.
By: Marc Ferman
