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.

Review: Despicable Me 2

by Trevor Kirkendall
★★★

Three years ago, a little movie with an original plot came out into the theaters called “Despicable Me”. It wasn’t a sequel. It wasn’t marketed by a name-brand animation studio (i.e. Pixar). It was just a solid and funny film that everyone seemed to like. And it went on to earn over $250 million. Of course, with that kind of box office draw, a sequel is all but a certainty. But could the filmmakers give such a great film the follow up it deserves without trying to outdo it? Short answer: yep!

“Despicable Me 2” finds Gru (Steve Carell) no longer living his life as a super villain. He’s busy being a father raising his three adopted girls Margo, Edith and Agnes (Miranda Cosgrove, Dana Gaier and Elsie Fisher). He’s a businessman now, making jellies and jams that aren’t very good. His faithful assistant, Dr. Nefario (Russell Brand), isn’t happy being out of the villain game. He takes another job offer and leaves Gru and his wacky Minions to make the jelly on their own.

One day, Gru is kidnapped by Lucy Wilde (Kristen Wiig), an agent for the Anti-Villain League. She takes him to see her boss Silas Ramsbottom (Steve Coogan). They ask for his help finding a villain who has stolen an arctic research lab containing a chemical that can turn nice things into evil things (such as a cute bunny into a viscous man eater). Gru initially declines but later accepts.

They believe that the villain is hiding out undercover as the owner of a store in a mall. Gru and Lucy set up their undercover operation as cupcake storeowners. They suspect the villain may be Eduardo (Benjamin Bratt) who Gru thinks looks an awful lot like a villain whose been presumed dead for many years. They also think it might be Floyd (Ken Jeong), the weird owner of a wig store.

Meanwhile, Gru is trying to find out whether or not he is developing an attraction to Lucy. His girls certainly would welcome a mother figure in their lives. And Margo is also starting to develop an attraction to boys, especially for a boy she meets at the mall, Antonio (Moises Arias). So Gru’s got his hands full.

“Despicable Me 2” cannot match the humor levels of its predecessor, but it is still a very worthy follow up. The tone of the film has been reduced some from the first; it definitely feels more like kids film. Not to say the original wasn’t a kids movie, just that “Despicable Me 2” comes across with more simplicity to it.

Co-writers Ken Daurio and Cinco Paul, writers of the original, have reduced the complexity of their story and their characters to much lower age level. This is not a bad thing; just an observation. Their story has been simplified to such a level that all the plot twists can be seen a mile away. But where this may disappoint some, the target audience will follow with great ease. And that’s really who this film is meant for.

Directors Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud keep the film at a lighting quick pace. The 98-minute run time is gone before you know it. The jokes come one right after the other. Most are slapstick this time around. But once again, that’s okay! The voice performances, especially by Carell and Wiig, are top notch. Both comedians have made their careers on the expressiveness in their faces and that carries over very well here.

The Minions, of course, are the characters everyone wants to see. They are probably one of the most amusing cartoon characters created in a very long time. Their crazy antics in the original stole the film. Here, they receive a bit more screen time and are more deeply integrated into the plot, which is nice. More Minions is always a good thing. Their stand-alone film, coming out Christmas 2014, should be a very welcoming addition to this franchise.

Fans of the original should find a lot to like about “Despicable Me 2”. It may not be as smart or quite as amusing as the first film, but that shouldn’t stop anyone from enjoying every minute of it. Its interesting that despite perceived flaws in a film, animated features are still some of the better movies that come out each year. “Despicable Me 2” probably won’t be singled out for any awards or “Best Ten” lists at the end of the year, but its still better than half of the movies that have come out this year up till this point.