Minions

There are enough elements in “Minions” that work to keep the people who have been highly anticipating it entertained for the 91 minute running time. It’s a great-looking movie that uses the 3-D technology very well, a lot better than most CG animated pictures I’ve seen anyway. Set before the titular minions met their future master, Gru, the story begins when Stuart, Kevin & Bob (all of the Minions are voiced by Pierre Coffin) travel to Orlando in order to attend Villain-Con. There, they hope to impress the world’s first female Super-Villain (I guess the countess Elizabeth Báthory, who bathed in the blood of virgins didn’t count) and become her henchmen. Scarlet Overkill (voiced by Sandra Bullock) accepts their servitude and sends the three bumbling yellow beans to England, where they are charged with stealing Queen Elizabeth II’s crown (Elizabeth II voiced by Jennifer Saunders)

A lot of this movie depends on you finding the Minions’ voices absolutely hilarious. I’ll admit they’re pretty funny… but that mix of English, Spanish and French gibberish only goes so far. It seems really obvious to me that the Minions were never meant to be main characters, that as… well… sidekicks they are far more amusing to watch. You can have your main joke in the foreground and pepper the scene with some surprising little jokes courtesy of these guys to great effect. I also feel like the movie goes for the easy gags way, way too often. Pants falling down, characters getting knocked over, even some child-friendly toilet-humor… I know this film is aimed for kids, but they won’t be driving themselves to the theatre. “Minions” also resorts to my least favorite trend in animated films, a sequence in which a bunch of characters dance to/sing a popular song at least 4 times, and that’s not including the gag scene at the end of the credits. I amused myself by playing “name that tune”, which made me somewhat proud because a bunch of these the audience I saw it with probably missed. “Make ‘Em Laugh” from “Singin’ in the Rain”, “Hair” from the musical of the same name, the theme from “The Monkees” among others are included. However, each instance of a song adds up to several minutes where no jokes had to be actually written because “Hey! I get that reference! ” or “Look! That sounds weird! ” was deemed sufficient.

I don’t think “Minions” is terrible, but when you look at what shines, it makes you wish that kind of effort was put in every aspect of the film. There’s a scene in which a Minion gets covered in saliva, and I was blown away by how good that spit looked. It’s photo-realistic! Throughout the plot I noticed many wonderfully crafted objects, details and textures. On the big screen, looking at those leather gloves the Minions wear made me realize how far we’ve come in terms of computer graphics. If you’re seeing this film in the theatre, which you should if this prequel to “Despicable Me” interests you, this is a film where the 3-D is well worth your hard-earned cash. It’s not just once or twice but consistently from beginning to end that stuff comes right at ya in a variety of ways.

I criticize the humor for taking the lowest-hanging-fruit and for the way the story wrapped itself up, which once again I think it’s just the easiest choice you could have gone with. I did laugh several times throughout though and I have to hand it to writer Brian Lynch; I was all ready to make a joke to the person sitting next to me about the Minions getting a job assisting Hitler during WWII during the very funny intro that shows the history of the Minions, but that joke just wouldn’t work with the way that opening sequence works out. It’s a fantastic looking film with terrific character designs, and I’m certain that the kids you bring to the movie will have a blast. When you compare this film to the other big animated release this summer, “Inside Out” this feels tired and lazy, but there are enough laugh to keep you going and you’ll leave happy.

There is one thing that was bothering me during the movie. If someone out there knows the franchise obsessively, can you let me know if this “evolution of the Minions” thing actually makes sense with the info we’re given in “Despicable Me”? I could have sworn with the way the critters were able to be used as glow sticks and seem to be innumerable that they were genetically created by Gru and Dr. Nefario. Maybe I’m just misremembering the picture but I was certain that they were made of mutated corn or something. (3-D Theatrical version on the big screen, July 21, 2015)