johnlink ranks MINIONS (2015)
This is the first movie to which I took both my 2 year old daughter and my 4 year old son. My daughter made it through most of it before fading a little in the last 20 minutes. My wife ran off with her and I stayed behind with my son. He, for anything wrong with this movie, certainly stayed engaged from front to end – even if he was upset that the minions were spending so much time trying to make bad people like them.
I watched MINIONS (2015) on 7.30.15. It was my first viewing of the film.
MINIONS starts with an alternative history lesson in which we are shown that these adorable little lemmings have been attaching themselves to the biggest bully on the block since they were amoeba drifting through some plasma. We see them follow dinosaurs and cavemen and Napoleon. Eventually they find their own home, but a lack of a leader makes them soft. So three little dudes – Stuart, Bob, and their alpha Kevin – venture out into the world (1960s New York) to find a new villainous boss.
This movie has hi jinx familiar to anyone who has seen even a portion of a DESPICABLE ME movie. They beat each other up, laugh at each other’s misfortunes, and ultimately help each other out when they need it most. These little guys speak Minionese – which appears to be an amalgamation of beeps, mutterings, Spanish, and English – and it makes for a movie which is not bad for kids who don’t have a ton of language or for adults who can enjoy the creativity.
Eventually, a plot develops which involves the three heroes heading to a convention for bad guys and trying to attach themselves to a woman named Scarlett Overkill (Sandra Bullock). She wants them to steal the crown from Queen Elizabeth. It would seem the movie from there would be predictable, but it takes an unexpected turn when Bob does something unexpected.
Despite the presence of Scarlett and her husband Herb (Jon Hamm), this is a movie which is laking in the bad guy arena. The first DESPICABLE ME had a wonderful villain in Vector. But this MINIONS movie seems like the conflict (and heck, even the plot) are secondary to just getting the minions together to argue and burp at each other.
Which, honestly, isn’t all terrible. This is a movie which is not ashamed of what it is and it shouldn’t be. There are some truly funny scenes – especially one involving torture – and the movie is never boring.
I’m sure my kids will be watching it once a week by Christmas. They certainly enjoyed it, and that’s really where this movie is aimed.
SCORES
NOTE: In an animated film, ‘acting’ considers character development through the animation as well as the voice acting.
FILM: 4; MOVIE: 8; ACTING: 7; WRITING: 5
4+8+7+5+0=24
FINAL SCORE: 6 out of 10
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