Review: Minions movie will keep Despicable Me fans happy
REVIEW: After Inside Out, this stand-alone adventure is a fine second choice indeed for the school holidays.
Leigh Paatsch
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Minions (PG)
Directors: Kyle Balda, Pierre Coffin
Starring: Sandra Bullock, Jon Hamm the voices of Chris Renaud, Katy Mixon.
Rating: ***1/2
A solo hello from those fellows in yellow
Just like the Penguins Of Madagascar at the start of this year, the Minions of Despicable Me fame have finally been given a feature-length chunk of film to call their very own.
Quite unlike the Penguins, the Minions effortlessly make the absolute most of the opportunity.
This stand-alone adventure starts out as an original story of sorts, wryly recalling the Minions’ many associations with history’s great villains.
Did you know the Minions were already hard at work before the cavemen emerged from their caves? Neither did I. In those days, the boss of the Minions was whatever the biggest dinosaur happened to be.
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From there, the Minions were the best back-up men in the business to tyrants, dictators and, err, Count Dracula.
Once this highly enjoyable opening is done, we move to Swinging London of 1968. It is here those mischievous little devils will be getting on the wrong side of the reigning supervillain of the era (voiced by Sandra Bullock) while also accidentally taking over Buckingham Palace.
While there appears to be little justification for plonking the Minions in this particular time and place — aside from supplying a slew of sublimely Sixties soundtrack cuts — the movie barrels ahead regardless.
Long-term Minions fanatics will be happy to learn that the diminutive power trio Kevin, Stuart and Bob (who indeed unseats Queen Elizabeth II from her throne in very amusing fashion) are very much to the fore throughout.
Fast, frenetic, gleefully silly fun is the order of the day here, and this well-crafted production (involving many of the key creatives behind the Despicable Me series) delivers it all by the truckload.
Even preschoolers will get where the whole thing is coming from, and love where it’s going. Next to Inside Out, a fine second choice indeed this school holidays.
Originally published as Review: Minions movie will keep Despicable Me fans happy
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