"Minions" Review

Title: Minions

Directed by: Pierre Coffin and Kyle Balda

Screenplay by: Brian Lynch

Year: 2015


Ever since the first Despicable Me film hit theatres in 2010, the minions received incredible popularity. They have become so marketable, with plushies, and backpacks, and shirts, they even have their own ride at Universal Studios. It has come to the point where you cannot think of the Despicable Me franchise without first thinking of these characters. But can their antics and goofiness hold up for an entire film, or are the yellow henchman better off in the supporting role?

Since the beginning of time, minions (which can effectively be called a race now) have been seeking to serve the baddest villain in town. However, through their clumsiness, they end up killing their bosses. After being without a leader for a while, three minions venture out into the human world to find the best villain to serve.

Now, I felt that Despicable Me was a fine film. Nothing really spectacular, but entertaining at the least. I liked it, but not enough to make me see the second one, so I have no opinion on Despicable Me 2 at the time of this review. But I do know that in both films, the minions were side characters, played entirely for laughs. They were tolerable because they did not make up much of the films' runtimes. But Minions puts the yellow characters front and center. I really wanted to see this movie not because I am a fan of the series, but rather to see how they could manage to make this film work. I am disappointed, yet not surprised, to say that Minions failed to make this premise work effectively.

Despite there being hundreds of minions in the opening, the film only focuses on three; Kevin, Stuart, and Bob. Now, the minions do not speak English, and communicate mainly through their actions, and the occasional recognizable word. And I must say that this is done pretty well. For the most part, you understand what the minions are talking about and the motivations for their actions. Though they are understandable, the language they speak is absolutely ear grating. And, unfortunately, most of their screen time is filled with their "dialogue." Also, the minions aren't quite that funny this time around. They get a few good laughs here and there, and I can see most viewers falling in love with Bob. But aside from that, the minions don't offer much in this outing and become very irritating, very quickly.

The human characters on the other hand are much more enjoyable. Scarlet Overkill is voiced by Sandra Bullock and she does a decent job; nothing great, but good enough. Scarlet is a very simple character but her motivations are identical to those of a spoiled little girl and it really works for the movie. The way she explains her motivations to the trio of minions is hysterical. Also, having her dresses be her weapons was an extremely creative move and the designs they come up with are very inspired. Her husband, Herb, is voiced much better by John Hamm. He delivers some of the best lines and his relaxed attitude provides a contrast to Scarlet's over the top character. But by far, the biggest laughs come from the family of villains. They play a very minor role but every time they appear on screen, hilarity ensues. This family was an absolute riot and the highlight of the film for me.

And that's really where the positives end because Minions is a sub-par animation for this age. The story is bland, with the plot meandering throughout the runtime. The characters always seem to be tip-toeing around the plot, as if they were avoiding it in favor of trying to produce more unrelated jokes that often fall flat. Also, the story takes place in the 1960's, and yet there are many pop culture references that really stick out. They are played for laughs but none of them hit their mark. These are easily the jokes that fall the hardest. One of the best examples I can think of is the famous mic drop scene that featured so heavily in the trailers. The movie is riddled with references like these, which really hurts it in the long run.

In addition, despite being a comedy, I didn't find Minions entirely funny. There are laughs to be had, for sure, but it really drops the ball as an animated comedy. More often than not, the minions' jokes come off as annoying rather than genuinely comedic. Not only that, but the morals are inappropriate. The minions caused almost every major issue damaging the city, yet, when they fix it, they are not only celebrated, but also rewarded. They caused massive destruction, but because they fixed it, they are rewarded? I'm sorry, but that is not suitable for children.

In the end, Minions is a disappointment. The jokes don't always work, the story is terribly uninteresting, and your attachment to the characters depends entirely on tolerance. The human characters are much better, with the family I mentioned earlier being an absolute riot. (Seriously though, they deserve a spin off movie. That has massive potential and could be the studio's counterpart to The Incredibles.) The morals are absolutely misguided, making the entire movie inappropriate for children. I will say, however, that the final clip of the film was incredible and unexpected. Aside from a few good laughs and some bright spots every once in a while, Minions doesn't have much to offer anyone, save for those obsessed with the yellow henchmen. Not completely despicable, but underwhelming all the same.

Grade: C-