IR Film Review: MINIONS - THE RISE OF GRU [Illumination/Universal]
The aspect of the Minions is always trying to understand what they are saying and how their shenanigans will unwind everything they try to accomplish for their master: Gru. With "Minions: The Rise Of Gru",the story is brought back to the villain's tween years where he is just trying to find his identity but also looking for mentors. There is a lack of a father figure which we see that more than likely contributes to who Gru will become. He idolizes a bigger supervillain contingent in the Vicious 6 which has some great voice talent that you won't expect until you get to the end credits. Discover them before you look. Steve Carrell is back as Gru but this is the Minions' run yet it is motivated by Gru's ambition which is an interesting irony. He wants to be alone but even his eventual mentor, supervillain Wild Knuckles teaches him that no one can operate alone.
Certain sequences like one with a pool and crocodiles is inspired. However most of the film is really based on creating sight gags for the Minions. Some of them work well but others almost have no connection other than to show how much the makers love some of their inspirations. The film is set in the 70s so there is a ton of reference to that but when the needle drops include The Carpenters and Linda Ronstadt, one wonders who the audience is that this is aimed at. That said, no one expected a Kate Bush song to become so popular because of an episode of "Stranger Things". Still, time will tell. There are also so many other visual and audio gags including "Close Encounters Of The Third Kind".
The eventual resolution and how it plays out is just non-sensical but fun so it should keep the attention of young viewers who might not understand the gag they are looking at. Older viewers might just give it a pass. Even the "Beast" mode reference taught by a martial arts master of sorts is a reference to certain video games (although those were from the 80s). The letdown though is that one of the best sequences (the airplane) was given away in the trailer almost in full. It's inclusion as well as a plot device makes no sense (except for one reason) though it is a bunch of fun. At the end, are lessons learned? Maybe. Are the Minions and Gru better off? Somewhat. What is next? Middle School. B
By Tim Wassberg
