Review: Minions

by Trevor Kirkendall
★★★

It’s tough to successfully pull off a spinoff film of secondary characters from an already popular movie franchise. The cute and loveable Minions from the “Despicable Me” films seem like a prime candidate for their own standalone film since they’re arguably the most loved part of the films, especially with the kids. No kid walks around quoting Gru, but even full grown adults walk around quoting – or at least attempting to – quote the Minions. Their own film “Minions” does succeed at standing on its own, and there’s really no other word to describe the film other than cute.

“Minions” shows us where these little creatures came from. They’ve been on the planet since the dawn of time. If you’ve seen the trailer, they’ve already covered the entire back-story so let’s skip that part. The Minions find themselves without a boss to serve, and without a boss they don’t know what to do. One Minion, Kevin, gets the bright idea to go out searching for a new boss in order to save all the Minions. He is accompanied on his journey by two other Minions, Stuart and Bob. They set out and end up in New York in the late 1960s.

Once there, they set out to find a boss. They fall into the favor of the world’s greatest super villain Scarlett Overkill (Sandra Bullock) and her husband  Herb (Jon Hamm). Scarlett wants to be Queen of England and tasks the Minions with stealing the Queen’s crown. If they can get her the crown, she’ll reward them by allowing all the other Minions to come and work for her. If they fail, well, she’ll just have to destroy them. And since Minions are involved, we all know that shenanigans and hilarity ensue.

There isn’t a whole lot to say about “Minions” and I don’t take any real issue with anything in the film. It’s definitely a kid’s movie, first and foremost. Some movies, like the first two “Despicable Me” films, tend to be sprinkled with some adult humor to keep the parents laughing. That type of humor is missing from “Minions.” Director Pierre Coffin (creator of the Minions and “Despicable Me,” who also provides the voices for all the Minions) knows who in his audience loves the Minions and has made this film just for them.

A parent accompanying their kids to this film could find his or herself a little bored with the film, especially if they’re the type who finds the Minions annoying. But how can anyone hate the Minions? They’re the best part of “Despicable Me” and take center stage in this film. There’s just enough plot to move the story forward. It never falls victim to too much dead time or filler. It’s easy to follow so the adults to know what’s happening, but not so dense that the youngest viewers in the audience loose track or find themselves bored.

“Minions” doesn’t try to portray these guys any differently than in their early films. They’re the Minions. They have their own movie. And it’s pretty much exactly what you’d expect it to be. If you love them, there’s nothing to dislike here. It’s a much simpler and more lighthearted story than “Despicable Me,” but this one’s for the kids. All they want to do is laugh every time a Minion opens his mouth to say something. “Minions” is 90 minutes of just that.