Skip to main content

Matt Vs. Minions

Animated films have always held a certain place in my heart and while my interest mostly peaked in the 1990s and early 2000s I still keep an eye on certain films. When I saw Despicable Me a few years ago at a free outdoor screening and I was pleasantly surprised at how enjoyable it was. Gru was funny, the kids were charming, and the minions were fun side characters. In the time since their 2010 debut, Gru's yellow pill-shaped minions have taken a life of their own. Minions is the first feature length spin-off of the Despicable Me franchise showing the history of the Minions and briefly, how they met Gru.


The film takes place in the 1960s and involves three Minions Bob, Kevin, and Stuart who are  looking for a new boss. The Minion horde has wander through decades of boss-less leadership to the point where their very existence is at stake. Bob, Kevin, and Stuart leave their home at the North Pole and eventually find their way to a Super-villain convention in Florida where they meet villaness Scarlet Overkill (Sandra Bullock). From there they get caught up in her plan to steal the crown of the Queen of England.

The film had a few scenes that I liked but like minions without a boss, boredom took over, The humor wore on me and the film dragged at parts.  This was almost to the point of me checking the time and letting my mind wander several times.  The minions babble was grating and I wished they spoke plain English. I enjoyed the Minion's road trip with the villain family more than the rest of the movie. The animation was decent and I appreciated the film's 60s aesthetic and how it really was much more than simple window dressing. The fashion and music choice oozed that tumultuous decade. The three leads have distinct but basic personalities (The Leader, The Naive One). Minions while clearly a kid's film has several gruesome yet bloodless deaths that are played for laughs. The Minions often lead their masters to an untimely demise. Scarlet Overkill and her husband proved to be no exception,

Overall Minions is a decent kids film. It has a few moments but ultimately isn't very memorable. For adults wanting some Minion action, I would suggest watching the original film,

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Matt and the Joker's Five Way Revenge

    Last year saw the passing of acclaimed comic book writer Denny O'Neill. O'Neill had a long history with many DC Comics superheroes as a writer and editor and is best known for revitalizing the character of Batman among others starting in the 1970s. I decided to pick up a copy of one of the more famous Batman issues of this era, Joker's Five Way Revenge which was written by O'Neill and drawn by Neal Adams. The story featured in Batman # 251, was released in November, 1973. While I am gaining a better appreciation for 1990s comics, I largely avoided avidly reading 1970s issues due to their seemingly dated nature and tropes. After reading this issue, I had some thoughts on both how the character and mythos of Batman has evolved over time and a greater appreciation for a more grounded Dark Knight. In Joker's Five Way Revenge, the Joker is seeking revenge for a presumed betrayal by killing members of his former gang and Batman is striving to stop him. By the time t...

Matt V.S. Sonic the Hedgehog

Growing up, I've had several video game systems including the Gameboy, NES, and Nintendo 64. However I would be remiss if I did not mention the Sega Genesis. The year was 199X (specific year I can't recall) and my brother and I made the jump from 8 bit to 16 bit. At the time this blew our minds. We played games such as Road Rash, Mortal Kombat, and several excellent licensed games based on Batman, Disney, ect. However I can clearly say that one of my favorite titles was Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Compared to the more primitive 8 bit era and its immediate predecessor Sonic 2  possessed certain qualities which made it not only the most successful game on the console but one of my favorite of all time. Sonic 2 was bigger, faster, and better designed than Sonic 1. From Emerald Hill and Chemical Plant to Oil Ocean and Sky Fortress, the game had amazing variety and design and also giving Sonic his trademark SpinDash. (This excludes the death pit in the Mystic Cave level). Giving the abi...

Matt Vs. The NFC East

The National Football League's NFC East division has a long and storied history.  Every year the Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants, Washington Redskins, and Dallas Cowboys compete for the division crown in hopes of going the distance and winning a Super Bowl Championship. This season has been a transition year  for all of these teams. The Eagles are having a surprising season helmed by new coach Chip Kelly and 2nd year Quarterback Nick Foles while the Redskins are following up their 2012 Division with an abysmal 3 win year and internal division. The Cowboys are one game behind from the Eagles in the division but many question the team's ability to win with their backs against the wall. The Giants have struggled as well, starting their season with six straight losses. Their 2 time Super Bowl MVP QB Eli Manning has proven to be a turnover machine. Among all the teams, defense is currently something that is being left out in the cold. So where does that leave us? As a Philad...