Review of Minions (2015) by Vincent N — 19 Jan 2016

It was inevitable that we would see a spin-off of these things we call Minions, the global phenomenon who have become the biggest success story in recent animated films thanks to the excellent 'Despicable Me' films. Sadly, however, 'Minions' fails to deliver.

While it could be called a disappointment purely because everyone loves these things so much and therefore expected to the love the movie too, in truth, it suffers from the exact problems it was destined to.

We all love them, but sadly 'Minions' inevitably falls flat because the characters only work in the background. In the superior 'Despicable Me' films, the minions are supporting characters, who pop up every once in a while to make you laugh, before we head straight back to the plot. They are not deep characters who can carry a movie, but quite simply slapstick comedy for the background. That's why 'Minions' falls flat.

The reason these characters work so well is that because of their slapstick and their own, inaudible language, they are far-reaching and can be enjoyed by anyone in the world. But, when you have a whole film with them, it's amazing how quickly it becomes tedious. Some jokes do work, but in a feature-length film, by the end, you really do lose interest in it. Add to that the boring plot and the uninteresting villain Scarlett Overkill, you have a fairly forgettable film.

'Minions' is sadly nothing but a marketing ploy, and anyone over the age of 15 will see that, and be bored by this movie. However, at heart, it's a movie for very young kids, and while it doesn't also contain jokes for the grown ups like in the 'Despicable Me' films, It will please the young ones, so it certainly succeeds in its goal. However, for the rest of us, the ending really leaves us just yearning for 'Despicable Me 3'.