Set against the glamour of old Hollywood, Minions and Monsters is a surprisingly sweet and genuinely funny movie that will leave kids howling with laughter
The Snapshot: After 16 years and several misfires, Illumination’s star characters finally get to star in a movie that’s worth seeing.
Minions & Monsters
7 out of 10
G, 1hr 30mins. Animated Family Comedy.
Directed by Pierre Coffin.
Starring Pierre Coffin, Christoph Waltz, Trey Parker, Allison Janney, Jesse Eisenberg, Zoey Deutch and Jeff Bridges.
It only took several tries, but credit should go where its due: Minions & Monsters, starring the world famous, gibberish blabbing yellow blobs, is both a whole lot of fun and (astoundingly) a really artful, sweet cartoon.
Director and Minions creator Pierre Coffin has finally come up with a premise worthy of these silly little tater tots and finds a dramatically compelling reason for them to star in their own movie.
By letting them discover the glamour of old Hollywood in the 1920s, it lets them take centre stage as silent movie stars in a brilliant use of animated metafiction.
What begins as a simple story of a little Minion named James following his dream of being creative instead of evil soon devolves into a frenzy of hilarious parodies of famous moments of both world and cinematic history.
That kind of set up is perfect for the Minions; so much of their big screen presence in the last seven Despicable Me films have all been focused on physical, slapstick comedy – exactly the type of entertainment that was in its heyday in glamorous, old-world Hollywood.
I’ve been no stranger in criticizing the pandering, shallow antics of the Minions in recent years, especially in their lazy outings in the recent Minions: Rise of Gru and Despicable Me 4.
But Minions & Monsters gets to the core of what makes (and has always made) these characters so loveable and genuinely funny.
Humour has always been the strongest asset for these characters, and many of the set-ups and scenes from famous Hollywood films (like Casablanca and Citizen Kane) show a hilarious juxtaposition between the artful drama and nonsensical minion mayhem.
There’s also several original ideas that Coffin has concocted for the Minions discover in their new adventures. I won’t spoil the best bits, but if the idea of the Minions unironically joining the women’s suffragette movement sounds funny to you, you’ll have a great time at Minions & Monsters.
Getting to see the sweeter side of this crazy crew — along with a really heartfelt parody of what makes going to the movies so much fun — makes this a giddy and bright film the whole family can enjoy.
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