Um, wow. I really got this wrong, didn't I? So it turns out Minions isn't a DreamWorks movie at all, but made by a studio called Illumination Entertainment. So let's rewrite this. I'm gonna try to keep this as close to the original review as possible, only taking out references to DW and maybe cleaning it up a little in the process. So, without further ado, the actual, proper, corrected review for Minions:
Minions is
the latest offering from Illumination Entertainment, their spin-off from
the Despicable Me universe featuring Gru's adorable
fruit-loving helpers. It follows the adventures of the minions before
they find the man they will follow for the rest of their lives, from
their evolution as a species to the first time they discover
supervillains in the late '60s; involving a villain convention, a
furious and brilliant carriage chase and a plot to steal the Queen of
England's crown, it's an interesting movie.
The
secret to making this a good movie, I think, was making the minions
unique and more characteristic than they originally were. Having been
reduced to little more than a plot device in the second film (after
being fun and actually useful comic relief in the first) it's nice to
see them shining in their own movie and given their own stories and
characteristics. From the beginning it's clear they're all different
characters, and even without narration there is a lot which would be
easy to follow. Much of it relies on imagery and narration by the
human characters for exposition, although it would definitely lose
something from the removal of Geoffrey Rush's voice for narration,
which gives many scenes a comforting, bedtime-story feel.
I
think it suffers a bit from disjointedness; there's never a feel that
this is a whole story, it feels stitched together out of parts. It
could have been a series of shorts up until the end, that's a feeling
which isn't helped by the opening which is essentially a montage of
minion screw-ups as they accidentally kill boss after boss. There's a
lot in there, sure, but it doesn't feel whole. It feels
like someone left out the bit about gluing it all together on the
instructions, so they put it together and only when they tried to
pick it up did they realise it was all a bit loose and wobbly,
nothing was stuck together exactly.
I
think I've extended that metaphor enough. Okay, the good: Pierre
Coffin still makes the minions sound adorable and quirky, the
animation and art team did a really great job because there's so much
detail in every scene, and the visual gags are as much fun as the terrible puns. It's got a
bangin' soundtrack of '60s hits to keep with the theme of the movie,
and there are some absolutely nonsense moments which are pure
laugh-out-loud fun.
To
Illumination's immense credit, they realise their audience is not just
small children; while there are so many moments just for the kids
(and seriously, a theatre full of small children who suddenly burst
out laughing at the slapstick bits is a cheerful thing to hear) there
are so many jokes for the adults too, references and sly winks to the
parents who have to sit through it like, 'Don't worry, we know you're
here too. You're here to have fun as much as they are.' It's a
refreshing thing, when a lot of kids movies are puerile slapstick and
rude jokes all the way through and the adults have to sit and cringe
through it, Illumination have the experience and the foresight to know
the entirety of their market, and to cater to it. One of my
favourite things is the ridiculously fun, albeit stereotypical,
portrayal of Britishness. Our Queen is a kick-ass woman who doesn't
take any shit, proudly beating up Kevin for trying to steal her crown
(one of the best moments) and arm-wrestling pub crowds; the
beefeaters are ageing men with hearing problems who are nonetheless
dedicated in their defence of the crown jewels (including one ancient
defender voiced by Steve Coogan, who steals the show for the entirety
of his screentime); and British people going absolutely nuts for
anything monarchy-related. It's not exactly a flattering look a
Britain, but it's a much-loved one, cherished by Brits as well as the
rest of the world as a symbol of what Britishness should be,
what it once was.
Perhaps
this pandering to stereotype and little digs at British culture is
playing it a bit safe but it hasn't exactly lessened the tale. I can't call it
the best movie of the year, but it's good fun and my brothers
certainly enjoyed it. It's not a tough watch, it's light-hearted and
slapstick, and as far as animation goes it is showered in cartoonish beauty. If minions weren't your thing in Despicable
Me then this isn't for you. But if you want something where
you can laugh out loud once in a while, and spend the rest of the
movie smiling, it's a good watch.
Adieu!
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