If you’ve seen the Trailers for Minions, you’ve pretty much seen all the good bits of the film. Yes, I know, it’s a kids film about a bunch of small yellow creatures that live to serve evil, so what did I expect? I remember being completely surprised and delighted by Dispicable Me, so maybe that was what I was expecting here. I may have had my hopes a little high.
Minions is the compressed history of life on earth, starting with a very Spore-like bunch of life forms fighting in the primordial ooze. Spore is a very cool game based very loosely on evolution. We follow the Minions around as they offer their service to one failed villain after another, again, see Trailers here. Nothing of any importance happens in the first half of the film. Which is ok, since really, not much of importance happens in the second half either.
Well, aside from Bob becoming King of England and the Minions finding Scarlet Overkill, the great villain of the age.
Scarlet is basically the Gru of the 1960s. She has a mad inventor who gives her cool gadgets. She lives in a nice castle filled with famous bits of art she has stolen. And she has that one dream she has longed for her whole life and just needs the help of the Minions to achieve. It doesn’t quite work out.
If the premise of Minions is to be believed, Gru should have died long before reaching adulthood. Far from being the perfect evil henchmen, the Minions are literally the kiss of death for everyone they offer their service to.
The time spent in the 60s is fun and I did like the gag where The Beatles make a cameo. We get to see a young Gru and a young Dr Nefario.
Minions is, as expected, a silly bit of business. I just hoped it might be a bit more.
.
.
