Movie Information

Release Date: July 10, 2015

Director: Kyle Balda, Pierre Coffin

Writer: Brian Lynch

Cast: Sandra Bullock, Jon Hamm, Michael Keaton, Allison Janney, Steve Coogan, Jennifer Saunders, Geoffrey Rush, Steve Carell, Pierre Coffin, Katy Mixon, Michael Beattie, Hiroyuki Sanada, Dave Rosenbaum, Alex Dowding, Paul Thornley

MPAA Rating: PG

Runtime: 91 minutes

Production Company: Illumination Entertainment

Genre: Animation, Comedy, Family

Language: English

Country: USA

Budget: N/A

What started out as cute little creatures from Despicable Me have grown into a worldwide phenomenon. These little yellow devils called the Minions are the definition of adorable, and are filled with peace and love. It may be considered a no-brainer to give the little monsters their own franchise—you can’t blame those who greenlighted that decision. The most important question you have to ask is, can this bunch of characters stand on their own? In the past, they had supporting roles led by the fantastic Gru (Steve Carrell). With no language other than their own, there isn’t much a viewer can understand. So to answer the question earlier, no, this bunch of characters doesn’t do justice as a standalone franchise. This is a waste of energy and time that you’ll never get back.

Newborns, infants, and toddlers can be the cutest things alive. Their innocence and goo-goo gah-gah mannerisms will melt your heart. I don’t mean to sound insensitive, but I wouldn’t want to hear that twenty hours of each day, and that’s what Minions is like. Initially their noises and voices are cute, but after a while, they’re an annoyance. You can’t understand anything they’re saying or even come remotely close to it. Their innocence runs out fast while the film tries to explain their back story. There’s nothing special or meaningful about it—just that they were born thousands of years ago, with no record of their origin. They drift through massive events in history, cause a ruckus, or simple prance around with fairytale characters.

It is disgusting that the Minions’ only motivation to live is to serve the most evil master they can find. This becomes as boring as watching their everyday lives. Every moment of their being is stupid, and the fact that they keep killing their masters accidentally is tiresome. Yet they never learn their lesson. Not once can the Minions look in the mirror and learn from their mistakes. They constantly show the same behavior, and are like a tumor that slowly destroys everything it touches.