FILM REVIEW ‘Minions’

LOVABLY LOYAL?Minions Kevin, Bob and Stuart.

Minions … Meh!


Cinema
Ciara Galvin

It started off with kids requesting birthday cakes and pyjamas with minions on them on, and turned into adults dressing up as the linguistically challenged group.
Everyone loves the goggle-eyed servants to overlord ‘Gru’ from ‘Despicable Me’ so it was only a matter of time before they got their own spin-off movie. It was inevitable. And with these Irish summers, a kids’ film like ‘Minions’ coming out in July is a Godsend for parents.
I said I’d steer clear of the 3D version this time. Those yellow fellas coming through the screen at me would be more of a nightmare than the T Rex in Jurassic World was a few weeks ago.  
To give a brief fictional background for the minions, it goes something like this: they don’t talk (very well), and they are only happy when they are serving a villainous overlord. By coincidence, one of these overlords during their history of serving was an aforementioned T Rex!
The intro to ‘Minions’ is a delight, seeing them evolve into the loveable characters they are today, well fictionally are today, when they are on a quest to serve a new villain. And so, the group ‘Kevin’, ‘Bob’ and ‘Stuart’ come to desperately seek ‘employment’ with Scarlett Overkill, voiced by Sandra Bullock.
It is surprising that this is Bullock’s first voiceover; the Oscar winner exudes fun and does have a quirky cartoon-like tinge to her voice. She was quoted recently saying she has gained a new appreciation for voice-over work since doing the film. John Hamm (of ‘Mad Men’ fame) voices her husband ‘Herb’.
Overkill, like any true villain, has set her sights high on world domination. She’s starting off with overthrowing the Queen of England.
Unfortunately, Overkill’s jokes begin to resemble her own name. The plot steers focus from our yellow buddies and becomes more about the villain’s plotting.
All the action takes place in the ’60s. Though the attention to real detail is lacking you can forgive the production team: I doubt the majority of audiences are looking out for continuity and prop quality.
A Brit-rock soundtrack forms the backdrop for minions getting into tight squeezes while attempting to steal the crown jewels, among other things. However, these scenes do get a little tiresome. I began to crave the really exciting and genuinely entertaining chases of last year’s ‘Paddington’.
Making a kids’ film shouldn’t be just about plonking in some loveable characters and attaching a lacklustre storyline. Granted, once again, the audience aren’t the judging panel for the Palme d’Or, but they still deserve a decent film – as do their parents. There are laughs for all ages, but the minions – so loved in Despicable Me – aren’t given enough free rein, and the plot is not good enough to make this a classic kids movie. The kids will enjoy it for the minion factor, but it didn’t capture this big kid’s imagination.

Rating 4 out of 10