Minions & Monsters

by Tyler Glover

Photo: Illumination/Universal Pictures

Director: Pierre Coffin
Starring: Pierre Coffin
Rated: PG (violence/action, language and rude/macabre humor)
Runtime: 1 hour & 30 minutes 

​In 2010, the world was first introduced to the lovable but despicable villain Gru, his three adopted daughters, Margo, Edith, and Agnes, and of course, the goofy and adorable Minions. These yellow Twinkie-shaped henchmen stole the show and the world’s hearts. After two blockbuster films made millions for the “Despicable Me” franchise, Illumination decided to give the Minions their own films. The first two Minion standalone films, “Minions” and “Minions: The Rise of Gru,” were massive commercial hits, so a third film was all but guaranteed. Over July 4th weekend, the Minions returned in “Minions and Monsters” After four “Despicable Me” movies and two ‘Minions’ movies, are we getting tired of the Minions?

Absolutely not! 
 
“Minions and Monsters” actually breathes new life into the franchise by not following the same Minions that eventually become Gru’s henchman. There are many Minions out there, and this film shows us that we have only been following a small amount of them. That really does make the storyline potential for the future limitless. In this film, this new group of Minions are trying to find their villain to serve but stumble upon Hollywood in the 1920s. They eventually become big movie stars but with the rise of “talkies,” their careers could be over very soon. This really mirrors how it was for many silent actors who thrived before sound hit. Since the Minions really do speak gibberish for the most part, it was a very interesting story point for this film. In order to save their spot in film history, the Minions devise a plan to unleash monsters that could star with them in a new film they feel will help them revive their careers. However, the monsters have a plan of their own, leading the Minions to once again have to save the world.

We live in a world where Hollywood puts out sequel after sequel to guarantee that they will be making money. Once something has been proven to work, they want to do as much with it as possible. Oftentimes, it leads to lovable franchises losing steam and the quality of the films diminish rapidly. That is not the case with “Minions and Monsters.” The story truly is refreshing and gives the franchise even more potential for standalone stories for other groups of Minions not involving Gru. The Minion films, even when they aren’t putting forth the best story, are such a fun trip to the movie theaters. As someone with kids, it always makes me happy to look over at my three children in the movie theater to see them laughing hysterically at the crazy and diabolical antics of the Minions.

“Minions and Monsters” is one of the best films in the “Despicable Me” universe and is worth a trip to the movie theater. The film shows us that with the Minions, the sky is the limit. We will definitely be seeing the Minions in future films. After this exciting installment, I can’t wait.