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Minions poster

CAST (VOICES OF)
SANDRA BULLOCK
PIERRE COFFIN
STEVE COOGAN
JON HAMM
ALLISON JANNEY
MICHAEL KEATON
KATY MIXON
CHRIS RENAUD
GEIFFREY RUSH
JENNIFER SAUNDERS
PETER SERAFINOWICZ

BASED ON CHARACTERS CREATED BY
KEN DAURIO
SERGIO PABLOS
CINCO PAUL

SCREENPLAY BY
BRIAN LYNCH

PRODUCED BY
JANET HEALY
CHRISTOPHER MELEDANDRI

DIRECTED BY
KYLE BALDA
PIERRE COFFIN

GENRE
ADVENTURE
ANIMATION
COMEDY

RATED
AUS:PG
UK:U
USA:PG

RUNNING TIME
91 MIN

MINIONS (2015)

A fun and funny spinoff of the Despicable Me series, Minions is a vibrant and lively animation that perfectly captures the goofy energy of its zany title characters.

Dedicating a whole feature to a side character is risky stuff. After all, the reason a side character works so well in the first place is that they bring the right amount of energy & personality during a limited time frame, much like a sixth man coming off the bench for a great team. 

The Minions from the Despicable Me series of animated films are unique in the realm of side characters. Incomprehensible in speech & unusual (yet undeniably cute) in look, they never the less stole the show in the two Despicable Me films without a nifty catch phrase attached.

It's only fitting then that Minions is the best film in the Despicable Me franchise thus far, a constant giggle fest that directors Pierre Coffin (who has now worked on all three movies) and Kyle Balda inject with the right amount of zany spirit, impressively keeping the shtick of its title characters fresh despite the longer running time dedicated to them.

The film begins with the origin of the Minions narrated by Geoffrey Rush (thankfully Morgan Freeman was not used), with the loveable creatures presented as a species that need to serve an evil master, yet unable to find just that. This leads three of their kind - Kevin, Stewart and Bob - to travel across the world to swinging late 1960s London, England, where the opportunity to serve the world’s greatest criminal Scarlett Overkill (Sandra Bullock) is presented, attained...and almost immediately spectacularly backfires to entertaining results. 

Throughout one terrifically crafted animation sequence after another is presented, infectious in energy and humour and never missing a beat while being so. Of all of the animation films out there (and there are many) Minions is a tremendous throwback to the slapstick heavy comedy of the Looney Toons, Abbott & Costello and the Marx Brothers. There is a relaxed confidence to its comedic madness. How else to describe a film where the main characters talk in gibberish, yet make all of the sense in the world?

Many animated movies are equally about the "message" as they are about the entertainment. Way too many go too dark in trying to achieve that goal (How to Train Your Dragon 2, ParaNorman). Much like the characters themselves, Minions is not interested in being a part of the crowd. It’s big and colourful and silly and funny. Very, very funny. If you spit out your drink in a fit of laughter while watching Minions, don’t be embarrassed: everybody else is doing it too.

 

****

 

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