Lady's Choice: Minions

Guess who's taking over!

Let me tell you something: I love the Despicable Me movies! They appeal to both kids and adults. As Brian has said previously that those movies are just a way to pass the time with kids. So with Brian reviewing The Gallows, I have the honor of reviewing the spin-off movie: Minions. And, personally, I got the better movie. In fact, I got the number one movie of the weekend, grossing $115. 7 million. Jurassic World was number two with $18.1 million. Minions is aimed completely at kids from start to finish.

Minions is the life story of the minions and how they met Gru. If you have seen the trailers than you most likely have seen the first part of this movie. The minions evolve little. single cell minions to little, aquatic minions to the minions that kids everywhere know from Despicable Me. They are really, really bad at keeping a boss. From accidentally tossing a Tyrannosaurus-Rex in a volcano to shooting Napoleon with a cannon, the Minions are kind of accident prone.

The Minions end up all alone, and, at first, they build something like their version of a civilization. However, they fall into a depression with no boss to serve. So Kevin, Stuart, and little Bob go out into the very changed world in order to find a new boss to help try and rule the world. Since they haven't seen the changes that the world has gone through in the last few hundred years, the Minions are in a strange land but seem to adapt fairly well. From arctic furs to their jean overalls, the Minions blend in and start their search for a boss. It is isn't until they see a secret advertisement for Villain Con that Kevin, Stuart, and Bob start heading in the right direction: Orlando, Florida. 

Through a series of funny circumstances, the Minions end up at Villain Con and also become Scarlet Overkill's , voiced by Sandra Bullock, henchmen. Scarlet is the world's number one super villain, and now she wants Queen Elizabeth II's crown (though it would be even better for her if she could actually be the queen). Her husband Herb equips the three with weapons for their heist, and the next day they head to the Tower of London. Between Stuart being able to dance with some hypnotized guards to Bob becoming King of England to giant Kevin trying to protect his tribe, the minions learn that, while Scarlet is the top villain, this is one boss that won't tolerate any mistakes or mishaps. 

Minions is very kid centered. I honestly cannot think of a message. Despicable Me and Despicable Me 2 had family oriented messages. This movies really doesn't have one, which kind of turns off any adults in the audience. Our showing had mostly kids with parents and few teenagers. The kids were laughing more than we were, so the movie does appeal to kids. I'm just looking for something a little big more I guess.

The new characters, mainly Scarlet and Herb, are not really explored. She's there to be evil, which she enjoys, and Herb is there to supply the lava guns, Scarlet's high-tech dress, etc. Kevin, Stuart, and Bob each have their distinct personalities. Kevin (tallest with two eyes) is the leader and cares deeply for his tribe. Stuart (the middle one with one eyes) is obsessed with guitars and music. He's also trying to out do Kevin. He didn't really come along by choice. Bob (smallest with two eyes) is kind of like the little kid or little brother of the group. He's trusting and loves his bear Tim. Kevin is often taking care of Bob.

The animation for Minions is the same as Despicable Me. The soundtrack is better for the previous two than the spin-off. What is missing most for me is what the other Despicable Me movies had, but this one doesn't: Plot. There's a story of course, how the Minions found Gru (who does appear a couple times in the movie); however, there's no plot, no character development. The Minions do just stumble through the conflict with Scarlet and into Gru. It's not a huge thing for a kids' movie, but I don't think that Minions will land in my top movies of 2015.

Rating:  6.5/10

Buy on BluRay:  Only if the Minions were a huge draw for you to Despicable Me, otherwise no. 

So what did you think about Minions  Was it as entertaining as Despicable Me or Despicable Me 2?  Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

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