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| Courtesy of Universal |
Any
kid will tell you the best part of the Despicable Me films were the minions,
those adorable yellow creatures who talked in gibberish and assisted Gru, the
main character, with his various schemes. So it was only a matter of time
before they got their own spin-off movie.
And
it’s a perfectly serviceable piece of summer entertainment, albeit one that
you’ll completely forget about before getting home from the theater. Pixar has
absolutely nothing to worry about. But kids will love it and it’s going to make
a gazillion dollars.
Minions serves as the creatures’ origin story, starting at the dawn of time and
spanning thousands of years. From the moment they evolve from single-celled
organisms and move from the sea to dry land, their mission is to track down the
biggest, baddest villain to serve. But after an extended series of mishaps, the
minions find themselves living in a frozen cave, weak and despondent with no
leader.
Eventually,
three of them – Kevin, Stuart and Bob (all voiced by co-director Pierre Coffin)
– decide to strike out on their own and send for the others when they find a
new master. Their journey leads them to 1960s England, where Scarlet Overkill (an
energetic Sandra Bullock) and her husband Herb (Jon Hamm, his voice almost
unrecognizable) recruit them in their plan to steal the queen’s crown and take
over the country.
Co-directors
Coffin and Kyle Balda, along with screenwriter Brian Lynch, keep their young demo
in mind at all times. The film’s got a brisk running time and there’s a
constant barrage of visual gags and one-liners. Not all of them work, but I
laughed more than I expected to.
Unfortunately,
there are no compelling characters outside of the cute, hilarious minions.
Lynch and the animators are great at giving Kevin, Stuart and Bob distinct
looks and personalities, but they should’ve done the same for the humans. Bullock
throws everything she’s got into Overkill, but it’s a wasted effort. Nothing
about the character is interesting and the movie’s shaky momentum screeches to
a halt whenever she appears.
Jon
Hamm is amiable enough, but the role is so small he barely has time to make an
impression. You can tell he signed on to stretch his acting chops a bit and get
as far away from Don Draper as possible.
Michael
Keaton, Allison Janney and Geoffrey Rush are solid as well – but again, they’re
not who the audience came to see. It’s not their fault, but their roles
distract from the main characters rather than support them, turning the
narrative into a tedious tug-of-war. Still, kids will eat up the bright colors,
odd character designs and goofy humor. I just wish there was a stronger story
to go along with them.
Minions is rated PG for action and rude humor.
Grade:
B-
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