The ‘Despicable Me’ and ‘Minions’ franchises have of course been immensely popular, but the quality of the films themselves have ranged from perfectly fine to quite mediocre. However, placing the beloved banana loving creatures in 1920s Hollywood was an inspired choice to say the least, resulting in by far and away the best entry into this beloved franchise. Seeing the minions dropped into a litany of classic film genres like period pieces, film noir, westerns and sci-fi films is a genuine treat, their bombastic and unpredictable nature well-suited for each as they make their imprint on tinseltown. Safe to say, seeing the minions in their own version of Orson Welles’ ‘Citizen Kane’ is a dizzyingly funny highlight. These bits are where Illumination truly shines here, finally beginning to stray away from their usual visual aesthetic that has become such a singular, but increasingly stale staple.
There are significantly more visual flourishes from the animation team this go around, not only able to give each Hollywood film the minions happen to be cast in have their own enveloping and wonderfully authentic panache, but give the setting the infectious energy it needs to sell the allure as well. With ‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’ and now this latest entry, the animation studio seems keen on breaking free from the narrative and visual formula that has made them such a household staple, an encouraging sign of innovation and evolution rather than steadfast complacency. Simply put, this is their most visually ambitious film to date and if they continue to push past the parameters they’ve set in years past, they may be able to go toe to toe with their competitors like Sony, Dreamworks and Pixar at long last.
As with any installment in this franchise, it has attracted a bevy of notable voice talent. In this latest entry, the minions are joined by the likes of Zoey Deutch, Jesse Eisenberg, Trey Parker, Christoph Waltz and Jeff Bridges in dual roles as The Bright Brothers, the heads of a major Hollywood studio. Fortunately, their talents are put to good use, especially Waltz who plays a filmmaker named Max who becomes an endearing mentor figure for James, the minion most awestruck and inspired by the magic of filmmaking. Their dynamic becomes one of the film’s highlights, filled to the brim with warmth that also happens to showcase Waltz’s knack for voice work. Eisenberg is also clearly having a grand old time playing Dort, a dorky, but lovable robot who aims to conquer Earth, but instead falls for a young woman named Debbie voiced by Deutch instead. However, it’s the main trio of the minions James, Henry and Ed that is the film’s biggest asset.
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