WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
First, the Recap:
Oh let us revel in those who make it a choice to serve others. No matter the cost, they only live to ensure that their masters are taken care of with the best of everything, finding their own enjoyment in said master’s contentment. And then, it all falls apart, as it turns out, even the best of intentions often seem to NOT always work when the master’s servants are small, yellow, mischievous creatures know as the Minions. From the beginning of time, these good-hearted, hard-working, prone-to-silliness seekers of the ultimate bad guy march on, taking some of history’s most famous natural and human baddies along for a wild ride that usually seems to end up in tragic (albeit humorously so) goof-ups.
Constantly in a state of being boss-less, three of these stalwart friends, Kevin, Stuart, and Bob (all voiced by Pierre Coffin), take it upon themselves to rectify the situation and strike out into the unknown to find their new evil leader. Ending up in 1968 New York City, and of course initially getting themselves acclimated to city life in some of the goofiest ways possible, the three end up discovering the existence of Scarlett Overkill (voiced by Sandra Bullock), the greatest villain of the time, who they then make a point of reaching her and getting in as her new henchmen. But, once involved in her diabolical plot to take over England, it takes all the Minions coming together to stop her and save the Crown.
Next, my Mind:
Co-directors Kyle Balda and Pierre Coffin most certainly maintain the wonderful mix of silliness, excellent visuals, and fantastic Minion-speak throughout this newest effort via bringing the insanely likable characters introduced in 2010’s awesome “Despicable Me”. And really, it’s hard to NOT be completely enamored with these yellow, one- or two-eyed trouble-makers, who can in one moment make you think they are not capable of doing anything right, but can then turn around and show a level of empathy and seriousness that defies you not to be one hundred percent emotionally invested in their every move and “word”. The vocal additions here of Bullock, Jon Hamm, Michael Keaton, and Allison Janney, plus narration by Geoffrey Rush, certainly doesn’t hurt the film either.
But again, let’s be Kevin, Stuart, and Bob here, it’s all about the craziness of watching these guys try to make something good out of everything they do incorrectly in trying to carry out the mission Scarlett has given them to accomplish. The opening sequence of events leading up to the three main characters embarking on their adventure alone is worth the price of admission, as the hilarity provided by the Minion’s impact of this planet’s history is consistently guffaw-worthy. Throw in 1968 NYC, England, the Queen, a cadre of other outrageous super villains, some superb pop culture and musical references from the era, and a cameo to boot, Illumination Entertainment has once again illustrated why these little characters are here to stay.
As a always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
