Minions

Quickie Review:

Minions from the dawn of time have always searched to serve the most despicable masters in the world. After failing to keep their masters numerous times, the minions feel without purpose. That's when three brave minions, Kevin, Bob, and Stuart set out on a journey to find their new master. Despicable Me franchise has done a lot of things right, one of which that clicked with all ages were the adorable little minions. This film could've been very basic, continuously rehashing a collection slapstick comedy, and just simply depend on the popularity of the minions. Instead, the creators of this film added heart to the characters, delivering a movie that kids will love and adults will have fun with.

Full Review:

As much as I love the minions in the Despicable Me movies, I was quite pessimistic on how good Minions was going to be. It just felt like a cash grab. Of course, all movies aim to grab some cash but this movie in particular felt like the studio was just capitalising on the popularity of the characters. Gratefully, the movie got me to set aside my pessimism.

One of my biggest concerns was whether a collection of side characters can really carry an entire movie. Short answer as it turns out: yes they can. It works because we are focusing on just three minions for the majority of the movie. Each of them have their unique personality that shines through without a single word of comprehensible dialogue. That in itself is an amazing feat, the minion-gibberish is all non-sense and yet I am able to empathise with them. I can't even say the same for actual human actors in other movies sometimes! So in that sense, job well done animators. I also liked the small story arc that was given to the villain of the movie, Scarlett Overkill (Sandra Bullock). She wasn't a villain just for the sake of it, which added another dimension to what could have been a generic character. There is relatable back story to her that made us understand where she was coming from, while still retaining the unpredictable evil-ness.

The movie is not without flaws. There are times where the jokes might be too slapstick for adults to enjoy. These scenes are obviously aimed for the kids. They don't completely alienate us grown-ups but it is still noticeable. On top of that, I have to say I felt the absence of Gru and the kids from the Despicable Me movies. What I love about the minions is their relationship with Gru's family, the pranks, the shenanigans, the care they have for each other, is all so delightful to watch. This absence was bound to happen since we are concentrating on the minions. At the same time, aside from Scarlett Overkill there are no other memorable supporting characters.

Even with the problems, I really did enjoy my time watching Minions. It was a great light hearted, charming, fun movie. If you have little kids, nephews or nieces, don't hesitate to take them to the cinema. They will have an awesome time. Together you too will find some amusing entertainment.

The popularity and the huge profits of Despicable Me franchise has driven the eagerness of Illumination Entertainment to produce a minions spin-off solely to entertain the fans. Caught in variations of the same scenarios, the decision to put more focus on the three minions - Kevin, Stuart and Bob might remind audiences about Alvin and the Chipmunks or the three daughters of Gru. While the animation does remain the fun, hilarious and ridiculous behaviors of the characters, the theme of the scores and the nonsensical language of the minions, it does not have a strong villain to support the three, also it lacks of character development, warm emotional engagement and moral values. The cuteness of the minions is the main element for entertainment rather than the dialogue itself in which the jokes aren't as funny as Despicable Me's series. Nonetheless, it is still energetic, actions packed, visually stunning and colorful for family audiences even its creative mistake drags its overall quality, proving that these banana lovers are far more effective and surprising to be supporting characters just as in the main franchise.

Having mostly gibberish for script, this movie is a prove that visual antics and a few timely noises go a long way to induce laughter. In a throwback to classic setting and comedy, this spin-off might not be bigger than most animations in recent time, but it's still an enjoyable foray. The style of 60s world and era appropriate soundtracks enhance the atmosphere as these peculiar creatures dabble in feeble mischief.

Story follows three particular minions on their way to find the most dreadful villain there is. The journey takes them across the globe until they meet Scarlet Overkill (Sandra Bullock). Graphic-wise Minions is presentable. Though not all of the set pieces are magic, some of the displays, such as the rainy night or monarch architecture are still engaging and presented with nifty details.

The mostly simplistic nature works well, bringing visual cues and lots of squeaking mumbles. It doesn't use elaborate word plays, but this is actually an advantage as the humor is readily accessible for any casual viewer. Several of the jokes are distinctly amusing, though it doesn't fall flat even when a couple of them don't hit the high note.

It also boasts notable pop references of the time, from the ironic quips and its zippy tunes. The human characters can be a bit stereotypical or over-the-top, since these are mostly spoof version of action flick baddies. Its actual villain portrayal might take the name Overkill way too seriously for comical purpose.

The presentation for visual humor is fine and the references are easily relatable. Minions is not a cerebral endeavor or emotional adventure, though these awkward yellow simpletons are notoriously delightful.

So, this movie disappointed me a bit, but not that much.

Minions Stuart, Kevin and Bob went on a journey to find a super-villain, which will they serve. On their journey, they went to VillainCon (I think it was called like that) and they started to serve one of the best villains in the world (America), Scarlet Overkill. They helped her to steal a crown.

This movie is not that good as Despicable Me, but it's better than Despicable Me 2. In the first one, minions are funnier than in this one called Minions, which is a shame. Of course, this movie is funny, but there are some jokes that are here for the kids. The movie's ending is great. After I saw young Gru and when his theme song started playing, I was being like:"OK, I think this is one of the most awesome movie (animated) I ever saw." The funniest joke in this movie is when minions came to the VillainCon (again, don't know if it's called like that), and Scarlet came at a stage with her awesome dress, dude dressed like her screamed:"I love you, Scarlet!" I mean, that was hilarious. Also, I really liked that moment when Scarlet told minions a "bed-time story" (which was cruel), Bob fell asleep. Characters (Bob, Stuart and Kevin) are done well in this movie. They have a lot of chemistry together. They are always all together and they are different. Kevin is brave and he is a chief. Bob is like a child. He is playful and scared. And Stuart, nahh... He is just hungry.

At the end, this was a really short review, but I have nothing else to say. I mean, jokes were mostly funny, characters have a good chemistry, ending is badass and... That's it. This movie is not that good as I was thinking it'll be, but it was good.

This animation tells the story of the minions trying to look for an evil master in order to keep up their morale. They find a villain called Scarlet Overkill, and the minions are tasked with stealing the crown from the Queen.

I saw the trailer and I thought the "Minions" was so cute. After watching the film, I thought it was even cuter than I expected! The plot is silly but fun. The minions are simple in design, and simple in their thoughts, but they manage to create the funniest situations. There are some jokes that made me laugh out loud, such as the usage of a teapot inside a police car. I also just realised that the minions are not talking unintelligible gibberish - it is actually a mix of languages, which I spotted Spanish, German, Mandarin and Bahasa. I enjoyed watching this animation, it is 90 minutes of brain-off entertainment.