Minions review: Minions is a joyous journey that will please both kids and adults. There is something for everyone; even the jokes that only adults will understand will still make kids laugh.
Minions review
Directors: Pierre Coffin, Kyle Balda
Cast: Pierre Coffin, Sandra Bullock, Jon Hamm, Michael Keaton, Allison Janney, Steve Coogan.
Certificate: U.
Run Time: 104 minutes.
Synopsis: Evolving from single-celled yellow organisms at the dawn of time, Minions live to serve, but find themselves working for a continual series of unsuccessful masters, from T. Rex to Napoleon. Without a master to grovel for, the Minions fall into a deep depression. But one minion, Kevin, has a plan; accompanied by his pals Stuart and Bob, Kevin sets forth to find a new evil boss for his brethren to follow. Their search leads them to Scarlet Overkill, the world’s first-ever super-villainess.
The loveable yellow minions are back but this time in a film of their own. Set in 1968, 42 years before the first Despicable Me film, Minions follows the origin story of the minions as they look for a new boss after accidentally killing all of their old bosses. Three minions, Kevin, Stuart and Bob, embark on a mammoth journey to find Scarlett Overkill (Sandra Bullock), the first female super villain and become her new henchmen but it soon becomes apparent that the minions have bargained for more they can handle. There was a worry from people if Illumination Entertainment could actually create a story good enough for the minions without the help of Gru. Thankfully, Minions boasts one of the strongest stories of the Despicable Me franchise and is one of the funniest entries of the franchise too. The minion characters have always been the standouts of the first two Despicable Me films but were never the main focus of those films. Giving the minions a full movie is perfect; it gives them the opportunity to try more with the characters and possibly offers more laughs per minute then the Despicable Me films. Minions is hysterical, it’s one of the funniest films of the year with enough jokes for everyone, regardless of age. There are great vocal and physical jokes and continues the great callback to silent comedies that the minions were able to create in the Despicable Me films.
Minions review
The acting in animations as improved massively over the years as people realise how successful they can become. These performances continue in Minions, especially from the actors who at one point you never would have expected to see in an animation. Sandra Bullock is fantastic as Scarlett Overkill, making a great and believable villain. She does a wonderful job of changing from sweet and lovely to wicked and evil at numerous times throughout the film seamlessly. I’ve never been a fan of Bullock, but in recent years, she has proved that she can act and her portrayal as Scarlett Overkill is another home run. While there are other great performances from actors like Jon Hamm, Michael Keaton, Jennifer Saunders and Allison Janney, the true standouts are the minions themselves, Kevin, Stuart and Bob, who are all voiced by co-director of Minions, Pierre Coffin. Not only is Coffin funny as the minions but he does a great job working in unison with script and the story in helping to create a unique batch of minions. In the Despicable Me films, even though the minions had names, you couldn’t really tell them apart. In Minions, Kevin, Stuart and Bob are given personality traits so you can easily tell who is who. Kevin is ambitious and the self assigned leader, Stuart is delusional and only really cares about guitars, bananas and yellow fire hydrants (trust me that does make sense in the film) and Bob is the innocent, naïve child of the trio. By doing this, you care deeply for them all, which makes the film more impactful as the story develops.
Despite being a spin off from the Despicable Me franchise, Minions stands out on it’s own and is on a bigger scale of the past films. The action, danger and spectacle are bigger, badder and better. Minions has incredibly strong visuals and very effective 3D that makes it feel like everything is being thrown at your head. As the film is also set during 1968, the culture of the 60s is ever present and used to great effect. There are great callbacks to the events and the times of the sixties from the psychedelic fashion to famous faces of the era. Minions also has possibly the best soundtrack ever, featuring music from many legendary 60s artists including Jimi Hendrix, The Turtles and The Doors.
Minions review
Minions is a joyous journey that will please both kids and adults. There is something for everyone; even the jokes that only adults will understand will still make kids laugh. The script is incredibly funny, has great performances from the voice cast, cool little cameos that I won’t spoil, a fantastic tribute to the 60s and is visually wonderful to watch. This film is by no means a mellow yellow one and is a welcomed addition to the Despicable Me franchise.
Minions review by Sean Narborough, June 2015.
Minions opens in cinemas in the UK and the US on June 26th, 2015.
