Movie review: Adorable sidekicks are back in fun, familiar prequel, ‘Minions’
The "Minions" movie is a prequel to "Despicable Me." (Universal Pictures)
Screenshot from "Minions." (Universal Pictures)
Parents need to know that "Minions" is the highly anticipated prequel to the Despicable Me franchse, focusing on Gru's beloved yellow sidekicks. (Common Sense Media/TNS)
Parents need to know that “Minions” is the highly anticipated prequel to the “Despicable Me” franchise, focusing on Gru’s beloved yellow sidekicks. Although no children are in peril in this installment of the franchise, there are several scenes of cartoon violence that are played lightly/for laughs (explosions, freeze guns, torture devices). The actual “body count” is low and mostly involves the Minions’ non-human/bad guy (a T-rex, a yeti, etc.) bosses. The Minions speak a made-up language, but there are a couple uses of insults like “idiot” or “screwed up.” And there are some glimpses of basically bare Minion bottom. Like the other “Despicable Me” movies, the story explores why villains appeal to the Minions — and how loyal they are to one another and to their masters.
WHAT’S THE STORY?
“Minions” is a prequel to the wildly popular “Despicable Me” movies, chronicling how the little yellow creatures have always been drawn to follow the biggest villains surrounding them, from a T-rex to a caveman to a tyrant. For a long time, the Minions — distraught that their masters keep dying — stay hidden in an ice cave, with no one to follow and nothing to do. Then, bored and depressed, Kevin leads Bob and Stuart on a mission to find a new supervillain ruler and ends up in 1968 New York City. From there, the trio discovers that renowned international villain Scarlett Overkill (voiced by Sandra Bullock) is the one they want. They win her trust and accompany her to England, where they must prove their loyalty by stealing the queen’s crown jewels with the help of Scarlett’s weapons-specialist husband, Herb (Jon Hamm).
IS IT ANY GOOD?
Kevin, Stuart, and Bob — whom “Despicable Me” fans will remember fondly from the previous films — are definitely cute and clever, so kids will no doubt want to flock to the prequel, even if it’s not as substantive as the original story. The Minions are an adorable bunch of sidekicks, so it’s difficult not to root for them, even though they’re destined to be acolytes to evil masters. With their vaguely familiar-sounding language and their penchant for causing mayhem, the Minions will continue to win viewers’ hearts with their googly-eyed shenanigans.
As for the new characters, Scarlett and Herb are a hilarious couple, and it’s obvious that Bullock and Hamm had a good time channeling their inner wacky villains. And the soundtrack is full of greatest hits like “My Generation,” “Happy Together,” “You Really Got Me,” and “Mellow Yellow” (of course). Still, despite the comedic gags and the familiar soundtrack, there’s not a lot of depth to this story, and Scarlett isn’t nearly as compelling as Gru. Go for the love of Minions, but don’t expect this installment to dethrone the original as the best of the “Despicable Me” bunch.
RATING AND CONTENT
Recommended for ages 5 and older
Quality: 3 out of 5
Educational value: 1 out of 5
Positive messages: 3 out of 5
Positive role models: 2 out of 5
Violence and scariness: 3 out of 5
Sexy stuff: 1 out of 5
Language: 1 out of 5
Drinking, drugs, and smoking: 0 out of 5
Consumerism: 4 out of 5 (Are products/advertisements embedded? Is the title part of a broader marketing initiative/empire? Is the intent to sell things to kids?)
MOVIE DETAILS
Theatrical release date: July 10, 2015
Directors: Pierre Coffin, Kyla Balda
Studio: Universal Pictures
Genre: Family and Kids
Run time: 91 minutes
MPAA rating: PG
