Minions & Monsters is a vibrant love letter to Hollywood with elevated humor and crisp animation. It’s easily my favorite solo Minions movie.
When it comes to the Minions universe, you generally know exactly what you are going to get. These yellow, overall-wearing, silly henchmen often rely on a very specific brand of slapstick humor to win over younger audiences. That is exactly what I expected when I went into Minions & Monsters, but what I actually got was a very pleasant surprise.
This film might be ridiculous, but it is also extremely entertaining. It tells the story of how the Minions conquered Hollywood, became massive movie stars, lost literally everything, and accidentally unleashed terrifying monsters onto the world. Just another day for the minions, am I right?
Here’s the thing. This is a wildly unique concept for the franchise, and I can honestly say it is easily my favorite of the solo Minions movies. By a landslide.
What sets this film apart from its predecessors is its genuine passion for cinema. As someone who does what I do because I am deeply passionate about film and the entertainment industry, it was really cool to see a legitimate love letter to Hollywood unexpectedly tucked inside a Minions movie.
The story tracks their chaotic rise and fall in show business, poking fun at the industry while celebrating the magic of filmmaking. It gives the narrative a layer of depth that these spin-offs don’t usually possess, making it a much more engaging watch for the adults in the audience. I have to admit, I was getting a little sick of these guys, as adorable as they are, but Minions & Monsters has reinvigorated my love for them.
Don’t get me wrong, this movie doesn’t completely abandon the absurd and silly side of things. In the past, the Minions’ comedy has been almost entirely centered around fart and butt jokes (something that gets old very quickly for me). While there are certainly still a few of those mixed in here, there is so much more to the humor this time around, which I truly appreciated.
The jokes feel more elevated, clever, and grounded this time around. The movie is filled with industry jokes and movie references – but not to the point of being too inside baseball, so to speak.
The main Minions of this movie are James and Henry. They are best friends who support each other and lift each other up constantly. They have fantastic chemistry and, quite honestly, their dynamic was so strong that I really wanted James and Henry to be in love.
Have we seen Minions kiss before? I am not sure… but now I need it. I kept wishing the writers would take that leap and make them official, but alas, it remains a missed opportunity for a great romantic subplot. That said, I will not give up hope on them, and in my head, they are in love.
The animation is just as crisp, bright, and vibrant as ever. The monster designs are imaginative without being genuinely scary, maintaining the colorful, energetic aesthetic that defines the franchise.
There are quite a few action sequences, which all breeze by at exactly the right pace. The film is ninety minutes long, which ensures kiddos will be glued to the screen the whole time, without losing interest. And parents as well.
Because the Minions don’t speak English and often mumble incomprehensible gibberish, carrying a feature-length narrative on their own can sometimes feel exhausting. Minions & Monsters solves this by introducing quite a few human characters to anchor the dialogue.
Jeff Bridges, Christoph Waltz, and Jesse Eisenberg are all wonderful additions to the cast. Their characters bring a unique flavor to the film that I feel we have not seen before in this franchise. Ultimately, Minions & Monsters is a movie that the kids who already love the Minions will continue to absolutely enjoy, but it offers plenty of substance for parents and film buffs too.
Be sure to stay seated through the credits because Illumination has added in some scenes throughout them that are not just incredibly fun, they offer a tie-in to Gru and the girls that nicely bridges the gap back to the main franchise.
Minions & Monsters is a chaotic yet creative ride that proves these little yellow troublemakers still have plenty of tricks up their sleeves. It breathes fresh air into a franchise that was starting to go stale.
Rating: 3 out of 5
About Minions & Monsters
This is the rambunctious, ridiculous and totally true story of how the Minions conquered Hollywood, became movie stars, lost everything, unleashed monsters onto the world and then banded together to try and save the planet from the mayhem they had just created.
Minions & Monsters comes to theaters July 1.
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