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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,

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