THE STORY – The Minions band together to save the day after unleashing monsters upon an unsuspecting world.
THE CAST – Allison Janney, Christoph Waltz, Jeff Bridges, Jesse Eisenberg, Zoey Deutch, Bobby Moynihan, Phil LaMarr, Trey Parker & Pierre Coffin
THE TEAM – Pierre Coffin (Director/Writer) & Brian Lynch (Writer)
THE RUNNING TIME – 90 Minutes
The de facto mascots of Illumination since their first appearance in 2010’s “Despicable Me,” the Minions have been such scene-stealers one could legitimately wonder what the key difference between the main film series and their own spin-off movies is: “Despicable Me 2” gave them virtually all the best scenes, while the second “Minions” film was so much about their boss that in some territories the subtitle “The Rise of Gru” was changed to “How Gru Became Despicable.” In that sense, “Minions & Monsters” is the most refreshing entry in the franchise, in that it completely sets itself apart from the group of characters we’ve been following for almost two decades. That’s right – Kevin, Stuart, and Bob are not in this one. As the framing device self-awarely explains, there are multiple tribes of Minions spread across the globe, all seeking a villain to serve. This addresses what appeared to be an inconsistency: the Minions were seemingly trapped in an ice cave during the first half of the 20th century. Then again, none of that really matters because when given the choice between being logical and funny, the franchise has always gone with the latter. And that’s not about to change anytime soon.
This particular tribe finds itself in Hollywood at the dawn of cinema, where a brief, accidental appearance on camera unexpectedly turns them into movie stars. Before long, they’re living the Hollywood dream, throwing lavish parties, residing in a massive mansion, and inspiring legions of fans to emulate their overalls-and-goggles look. Their fame proves short-lived, however. The arrival of sound and the rise of the talkies expose a rather obvious problem: Minionese does not exactly lend itself to dialogue-driven storytelling. Reduced to wandering the streets of Hollywood in search of purpose and a new evil master to serve, two Minions named James and Henry instead discover a passion for filmmaking. Armed with a spell book acquired from a former boss, they set out to make the ultimate monster movie, only to unleash a collection of very real monsters that threaten to wreak havoc on the world.
And so we’re off to 1920s Hollywood, the ideal setting for a Minions adventure. Their not entirely intelligible language (gibberish mixed with the occasional word, usually in French) and penchant for slapstick have always made them akin to silent film stars like Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, and Buster Keaton (all referenced in one of the movie’s many bravura sequences), which also accounts for their global popularity. But that would be too dark for a family-friendly series of films whose edgiest joke dates back to the very first movie (the “Bank of Evil” being ‘formerly known as Lehman Brothers’). As a result, no figurative monsters are lurking in the moviemaking context (even the two studio head brothers, both voiced by Jeff Bridges, are relatively mellow). Literal ones, though? Oh, yes, starting with the diminutive Goomi, voiced by Trey Parker of “South Park” fame (and previously Balthazar Bratt in “Despicable Me 3”). He brings along a few friends, whose names – which we won’t reveal here – might be the funniest verbal gag in the whole movie, and the single best reason to add a “Kaiju” angle to the film in recent memory.
Having said that, the monster component of this latest “Minions” film is the main drawback, taking up a large chunk of the third act that, while not without charm, partially sacrifices wit for action. It comes close to replicating the scattershot quality of “Despicable Me 4,” which felt overstuffed at times, although in this case, there are a few grace notes, one of them before the end credits, that make up for a battle so formulaic, all that’s missing is a sky beam.
Before all that, though, there’s the extended Hollywood pastiche, which is pure joy and well-calculated anarchy. Seven films in, Pierre Coffin (who returns to direct in addition to voicing all the Minions) and his team have the chaotic humor down to a science, and letting the characters go loose on the Tinseltown of yore is a winning strategy that pays off from the very first shot. In fact, it pays off even before the main plot kicks in, as James and his pals spend the opening credits crashing the earliest examples of cinema, from the Zootrope to the Lumière brothers to Méliès. Christoph Waltz adds value in this section of the film as the director who inadvertently turns the Minions into A-listers, as does Jesse Eisenberg as Dort, a character whose arc defies expectations in the zaniest of manners.
“Minions & Monsters” is a welcome return to form for a franchise that is unlikely to ever truly disappoint, unless one thinks the Minions aren’t that funny (one who does think they’re hilarious is George Lucas, who cameos in this film), entertaining, and cute to begin with. Because even when they just pop up in the Illumination logo before the studio’s other movies, their ridiculous energy is a surefire smile generator. And it gets even better in cases like this, when the larger film can sustain and feed that energy for an hour and a half, while entertaining hardcore cinephiles who would normally scoff at broad family entertainment like this.
