Minions & Monsters – Movie Review
Whether it’s their solo cinematic adventures or their scene-stealing supporting roles in the Despicable Me series, the Minions have become a wildly successful and entertaining powerhouse that had kids cackling at the mayhem and shenanigans, and adults giggling at some of the more cruder humour that can emerge during their adventures. And now the Minions are taking on monsters in their latest flick (the third Minions specific title, and seventh overall in the Despicable Me franchise), Minions & Monsters.
This new adventure takes the Minions all the way back in time, as they search the globe for a “big boss” that they can serve the evildoings of. But, due to an array of classic Minion-induced incidents, a lot of the “big bosses” they find often meet their demise. Defeated by the constant failings, the Minions end up in 1920s Hollywood, where three new Minions, James, Ed and Henry (all voiced by director Pierre Coffin), accidentally find themselves right in the middle of the transitions between silent films and talking, becoming Hollywood stars in the process and changing cinema history forever.
While James, Ed and Henry pursue their newly discovered creative ambitions, the rest of the Minion crew, led by Dick (also voiced by Coffin) continue their quest for a “big boss”. After watching a monster movie, the Minions discover an ancient book that grants them the ability to summon monsters from a dark underworld, with the help of a small Cthulhu-like creature named Goomi (Trey Parker) and a robot focused on world-domination called Dort (Jesse Eisenberg).
There is a lot going on narratively in Minions & Monsters. There are an array of set pieces, characters, story arcs and plot points that fill out the 90 minute runtime. And the result is a movie that structurally is as chaotic as the Minions themselves. It feels like a story that is an amalgamation of a lot of cool ideas and scenarios for the Minions to be involved with – invading Hollywood during a pivotal time in cinema, looking for a new boss, helping a robot take over the world (and fall in love), helping a monster summon more monsters to also take over the world, witnessing the suffragette movement in Los Angeles. But, there also aren’t enough threads in these ideas alone to turn just one aspect into its own feature film. And by smashing them altogether, the movie feels incredibly jumbled and all over the place.
That’s not to say there aren’t moments of insane fun to be had. There are exciting set pieces that balance high-stakes action (a fun horse-to-train cowboy chase being a highlight) with humorous shenanigans. However, this does feel like one of the more lacklustre entries into the series so far. The animation is as vibrant and dynamic as ever, with that classic Illumination sheen bringing everything to life. When the film then focuses on the Hollywood elements of the story, the old-school square aspect ratio, black and film film grain, and mono sound design also do a great job of really making that old Hollywood feeling so immersive. There are an abundance of references, homages, and jokes that are accessible for the young kids to enjoy, and for the cinephiles to really appreciate.
And speaking of Hollywood, there is no shortage of A-listers lending their voices to this new film. Jeff Bridges makes an appearance as twin-brother Hollywood studio moguls who push for the Minions to become new stars. Christoph Waltz brings a zany energy to the film director who begins working with the Minions. Eisenberg’s balance of a sweet-heart and world-dominating robot who falls in love with Zoey Deutch’s strong-willed suffragette character brings a lot of heart and humour to the story. Bobby Moynihan and Phil LaMarr bring to life some of the titular monsters. Alison Janney pieces all the story’s puzzles together with her narration. Hell, even George Lucas appears for a cameo. Everyone brings such a fun energy to their roles that exceed the expectation that they will just play themselves, all putting on exciting voices in their respective roles. And the voice-over masterwork of veterans like Pierre Coffin and Trey Parker is also fantastic.
Minions & Monsters may not be the strongest entry into the Despicable Me series, but there is enough mayhem and shenanigans involving the titular characters to make for a funny and entertaining time at the movies for audiences of all ages.
Minions & Monsters releases in Australian cinemas on June 25
