6/10

Everyone’s favorite vilanous sidekicks return, this time at the front and center of their own film. Set in the 60’s, during a time when the Minions were in search of an evil mastermind to serve, the creatures Continuously fail at keeping these masters. When the Minions find themselves without someone to serve and fall into a deep depression, one Minion named Kevin has a plan, and he alongside his brothers Stuart and lovable little Bob, ventures out into the world to find a new evil boss for his family to follow. The trio embarks upon a challenging task that ultimately leads them to their next potential master, Scarlet Overkill (Voiced by Sandra Bullock). ‘Minions’ might not be the home run that Universal’s little yellow men deserve, but it packs enough of a punch with bright and colorful animation, as well as impressive first time voicework to give enough enjoyment to fans of the first two films. The story is a little thin, made evident by it’s 80 minute run time, and there are many scenes that place the Minions in certain situations to feel a predictable joke coming, but i really enjoyed these reactions because they feel like different characters even compared to seeing them in the prior films. There’s a certain fear and lack of confidence to these guys, especially during the first act of the movie where they search for life’s purpose. One aspect that i greatly enjoyed was the re-enactment of some of history’s greatest landmark events and how the Minions did their part to change what went down. During a second act when the characters themselves feel a little stale, it’s the straight forward voice acting of Jon Hamm and Bullock that really carries the film from reaching failing territory. Bullock, an Oscar winner, feels very invested in such a character. Perhaps Scarlett’s greatest tragedy is the regret from the audience imagining how great this character would’ve been in either of the ‘Despicable Me’ films. She needs that personality to work off of, and the Minions just don’t supply that enough. One aspect that drove the film down for me was the lack of laughter provided in the movie after seeing a trailer that always kept giggling. Sadly, the best parts of the film are in that trailer, and i was never treated to anything more than just a short snicker. The movie certainly caters more to it’s younger audience, and that’s fine, but after seeing a film like ‘Inside Out’, i was hoping for a little more adult inclusion during long, loudly shouting scenes by the title characters. Don’t get me wrong though, the film is certainly entertaining, but the voices of these characters grew a little annoying when heard in big timeshares. I don’t resent Universal for giving them their own feature film, but i think they are best when left doing something silly in the background of a bigger depth character. One thing i forgot to mention was the well represented 60’s music featured in the film. From ‘So Happy Together’ by The Turtles, to ‘Break on Through’ by The Doors, to ‘Purple Haze’ by Jimi Hendrix, this animated kids movie packed one of the best complete soundtracks of the year. Some of these historical tunes make for some excellent and practical uses during a scene complimentary to the lyrics. It’s such an ironic twist for the scenes that it will keep the movie unforgettable when these songs play on a classic rock station and the audience will reference the scene it played to. Overall, ‘Minions’ lacked a little of the fire power that i was looking for in the film, but it opened up my eyes to the other side characters in kids movies that may have missed the boat on their own origin stories. Props to a movie gutsy enough to take on characters that the audience can barely understand, but still make it entertaining enough to send the family home happy.