The Minions first found fame in Universal’s Despicable Me (2010). Following the subsequent release of Despicable Me 2 (2013), the Minions found a firm place in the hearts of children and adults alike. 2015 brings the release of the Minions first solo film. But does it manage to live up to the hype?
Minions Through Time
The film starts off by showing the Minions’ timeline. We see them evolve from single-celled yellow organisms, serving the most despicable masters they can find through time, from a T- Rex to Napoleon. However, the Minions are continuously unsuccessful at keeping these masters, and over time they gradually run out of masters and become deeply depressed. But one Minion, Kevin, has a plan. He sets off in search of a new master alongside fellow Minions Stuart and Bob.
The trio soon find themselves heading to Villain Con, where they meet their next potential master – Scarlet Overkill, the world’s first female supervillain. But, of course, things don’t go entirely to plan and soon the three have to save the whole of Minionkind.
The Hype
After all the trailers and hype surrounding Minions’ release, I had pretty high expectations. But when I left the cinema, I have to admit that it didn’t quite live up to that hype. Don’t get me wrong, Minions was good and I enjoyed it. It just wasn’t quite as good as I had been led to believe.
It’s perfect for kids (who, obviously, are the target audience) but there were plenty of older people there to see it too. The Minions seem to be one of those children’s characters that adults love as well, like Scooby Doo or Snoopy.
The structure of the film was good, with the Minions’ progression through time being narrated by Geoffrey Rush. This provided a much-needed framework as well as offering background information about the Minions, which hadn’t been explored in either of the Despicable Me films. However, after a while it did start to drag on a little. We were a good way into the film before the main plot even started, and although it was nice, the film could have really got going a bit quicker. Saying that, even though it was a fairly short film (1h 44m) it felt longer than it was. Not because it was boring or tedious, but because so much was packed into that short space of time.
Tired Cliches
Sadly the film wasn’t as funny as I’d been led to expect, and there were a lot less Minion jokes than the trailer promised. There were some moments of particular humour (I don’t want to spoil it, so you’ll have to find them for yourself!) but a few of the jokes did fall a bit flat. The tired English clichés in particular didn’t receive the warmest reception in the screening I was in. Typical English stereotypes such as poshness, constant tea-drinking and Cockney exclamations like ‘Cor, blimey’ tend to wear a little thin among the British public. Nowadays we rarely portray the typical American as a lazy, fat redneck, so you’d think it would only be fair for them to return the favour. But apparently not. Anyway, even though it was slightly annoying, it didn’t detract from the film as a whole.
All three of the main Minion characters were likeable with entirely different personalities. My personal favourite was Bob, the baby of the group, because of his endless enthusiasm and love for everyone. And not just the other Minions, I literally mean everyone, including a rat he befriends in the sewers beneath London and Scarlet Overkill, despite everything that happens. And, of course, his beloved teddy bear Tim.
I felt that the family who drove the Minions to Villain Con were underused characters. After being individually introduced and having such a big part on the ride there, they were then suddenly reduced to occasionally popping up alongside the other minor villain characters. I think they could definitely have been better incorporated into the rest of the movie.
All in all, Minions is a harmless, fun-filled movie, great for both kids and the rest of the family. If you’re going to watch the film, I suggest you forget your expectations and just enjoy the movie for what it is.
Have you been to see Minions yet? Let us know in the comments below!
