Back in 2010, we met the Minions in the film Despicable Me. The pill shaped yellow characters spoke a small amount of English, mostly spurting out hybrid of every single language on the planet. They were instantly memorable, both hilarious and adorable. Used sparingly for ridiculous comedic relief, they reappeared in Despicable Me 2, and their screen time was increased, but not to the point of overabundance.
The saying less is more is epitomized perfectly with the Minions. However, Hollywood didn’t realize that, and pushed forth with spin-off film that put the band of little dudes at the forefront of all the action. As someone who enjoyed both the Despicable Me movies, I was worried that the focus on Gru’s sidekicks would be an issue due to the fact that they are wonderful in small doses.
While Minions has some really funny moments, there’s no doubt that the titular characters are their own worst enemies. The gibberish discussion becomes boring in time, and without a human presence to balance out their slapstick and pratfalls, the yellow crew can’t really soar.
That is, until, halfway through the movie. At that point, we are introduced to main villain Scarlet Overkill (Sandra Bullock). Her recruitment of the Minions is a welcome change to everything preceding it, and their romp around London is actually pretty entertaining. Equally entertaining is Scarlet’s husband, Herb, deliriously played by Jon Hamm. He’s actually the best character in the movie, which is kind of weird to say when he’s not even the focus.
I must note that the soundtrack of the film is amazing. The movie is littered with tunes from the 1960s, and the songs chosen fit the theme of whatever is going on very well.
Ultimately, Minions has its moments, but it tries too hard to make us like the Minions when really, that was already done twice already. This spin-off wasn’t necessary, but it could’ve been worse. I’ll be definitely happy to see these guys again in 2017 when they rejoin their pal Gru. Papoy!
Rating: 6.5/10
Minions is currently being Despicable in theaters
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