Minions: The Rise of Gru
In 1976, the Minions (Pierre Coffin) are living with eleven and three-quarters year old Gru (Steve Carell) and his mother Marlena (Julie Andrews). The three "leaders" of the Minions - Kevin, Stuart, and Bob - are the ones closest to Gru and are overjoyed to hear that he was invited for an interview to join his favorite supervillain team, the Vicious Six. Led by Belle Bottom (Taraji P. Henson), the team also consists of Jean-Clawed (Jean-Claude Van Damme), Nun-Chuck (Lucy Lawless), Svengeance (Dolph Lundgren), and Stronghold (Danny Trejo), the team is looking for a new member after discarding their founder and elderly member Wild Knuckles (Alan Arkin) after he stole the Zodiac Stone which will give its owner unlimited power during the Chinese New Year.
Gru is instantly mocked by the team as being too young and inexperienced, but he tries to prove his worth by stealing the Stone in hopes of gaining their respect - but instead they attempt to hunt him down. Gru is kidnapped but not before finding out that the Stone - which he entrusted in the hands of Minion Otto - was traded for a pet rock. Now held captive, Kevin, Stuart, and Bob go to San Francisco to free him while Otto tracks down the Stone, and they're aided by Kung Fu fighter Master Chow (Michelle Yeoh) who agrees to train them - if they're smart enough to learn.
"Despicable Me" is a billion-dollar franchise that introduced the world to the Minions - little yellow creatures with overalls who speak their own language which seems to be a mix of every language out there - and instantly they became wordwide sensations. They even earned their own spinoff film, which earned over a billion dollars, obviously green-lighting their own sequel, but with the pandemic throwing everything out of whack, it took a lot longer than it should've to hit the big screen. Despite the long wait, it's well worth it as the antics of the Minions once again results in numerous laugh-out-loud moments that are sorely needed in today's day and age. Not only is it enjoyable for children, but adults will absolutely fall in love with the film and its numerous tongue-in-cheek jokes that'll go over the kids' heads.
This film follows their early years with a young Gru before he becomes fully despicable, and Steve Carell once again returns to voice the rambunctious young wannabe hellion, disguising is voice to make him sound younger than his older counterpart, and once again the animation styling is outstanding, vivid, and full of detail. Gru wants to be taken seriously, so he applies to be a part of his most favorite villain team, but of course they turn him down due to his inexperience. The film follows the Minions who must save their boss and while I was worried the film would focus more on Gru than the Minions, the time is pretty evenly spit in that department.
The Minions are always a source of uproarious laughter, and the film centers on the three main Minions: Kevin - the leader; Stuart - the sarcastic one; and Bob - the lovable innocent one. The antics that these three get into are legendary, and whether they're trying to fly an airplane or disguising themselves as household plants, it's a guaranteed laugh-out-loud good time. It's also fun to find out what Minion you're closely associated with - after a few Minions personality tests, I've decided that I'm Bob - and see yourself in their misadventures. Pierre Coffin voices all the Minions once again, and even though you can't understand what they say, you always know what they're going to do.
The film does falter a bit with its focus, as the Minions aren't seen until about fifteen minutes into the 87-minute feature, and I would've been fine with it being Minions beginning to end, but there was a story to be told. The remaining voice cast includes numerous A-list actors who seem to be having the time of their lives, including Taraji P. Henson, Alan Arkin, Julie Andrews, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Lucy Lawless and Danny Trejo, but the standout newcomer is Michelle Yeoh, who's having an amazing year (I'm calling it the Yeohiverse, as she's appearing not just in this film but in the need-to-be Oscar nominated "Everything Everywhere All at Once" and "Paws of Fury") in cinema. Here she plays to her bread and butter as Kung Fu fighter Master Chow, who begrudgingly agrees to train the Minions in the art of Kung Fu - and as you can expect, it doesn't go too well, but it's some of the best comedic moments in the entire film.
While it doesn't tread any new ground and the characters are rather one-dimensional, "Minions: The Rise of Gru" shines with its humor, heart, dedicated vocal performances, and lavish animations. It's a film that young and old can enjoy in equal measure and it's one that should be seen without watching any of the trailers, because you'll guaranteed to be crying tears of laughter by the end of it, leaving a lasting smile on your face.
The Score: A
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