Review by Tres
I just left the Minions movie with my wife, youngest two, and eldest son and his lady.
My youngest 2 would give this a high rating. ( Not perfect , because they can wait until the DVD to see it again they said.)
For me, I’m disappointed. I felt like I kept watching the same 15 minute movie over and over. 1) They have a leader. 2) They do crazy things and get hurt. 3) Something bad happens. REPEAT
So the main characters are Kevin, Stewart, and Bob. (I’m not sure who voiced them.)
Sandra Bullock played Scarlett Overkill.
Jon Hamm is Herb/Blerb Overkill.
Michael Keaton as Walter Nelson. His wife, Madge, is Allison Janney.
Now, don’t get me wrong, there are some laugh out loud moments.
Bob is adorable and brings everyone in to liking him easily. His character is the most endearing, though Kevin seems to be Minions #1.
Bullock does an okay job voicing the villain. Sadly, though, she was a disappointment. I adore Sandra and I’ve seen everything she has been in since 1992 when I first saw her in Love Potion #9. (The comedies, the drama, the intense small parts…all the the good, the bad, the ugly that she has done) The thing with this role, I didn’t buy any emotion change in the character. The images showed anger, sadness, greed, cunning, etc… but her voice never captured these. I just don’t think voice acting is her thing.
I liked how they begin in time and go throughout history finding a ruthless leader. Sadly, a lot of that was shown on the trailer. However, if you see it pay special attention to their goggles…it’s creative.
It was a struggle to try to understand what they said, as always. There was some English, Spanish, French and gibberish. It took me back to my Ringo Starr and Dennis Quaid CAVEMAN days.
I just got a little tired of the constant bashing into signs, doors, cars, walls, etc. I guess, as a movie fan, I wanted to see more of a story. I think what went wrong for the Illuminations Entertainment company is that they took great supporting characters that are truly petty flat and tried to make them the stars. I think they saw what Dreamworks did with the Penguins and thought they could do the same. However, The Penguins have great character foundation and story line to build on with their crock-pot missions. The minions just do slap-stick comedy.
The big questions: Is it worth seeing? If you have children, YES! My children loved it. They laughed throughout the entire movie.
If you are an adult, then you really need to enjoy 3 stooges and Abbott and Costello movies
The story of the Minions is a true to life, but sad one. People are always longing to find something, someone, or a connection on a higher plain. Some fall into the trap of bad things: as simple as an intensity to sports, addictions, or even Satan worshiping.
In the beginning God created man in Their own image. He designed us a spiritual beings with a connection to him. Until we are in His Son, we don’t have that completed connection. We just wander around trying to find something to fill that void.
It’s important that when you are looking for something to complete you that you look to the one Being that can truly fulfill you.
When it comes down to the movie, I give it a 3. It’s not terrible by any means. I just felt like there was so much more that they could have done with it. The just fell flat.
For all of you to be more uplifted, please know my children would give it a solid 4.
Ironic that reviews I’ve seen are very much along the lines that you’ve presented. Not outstanding but not flat out bad either. Maybe it’s the fact that these creatures are visually adorable that I’m just going to take my adult (and admittedly) geeky self to see this…..;)
Thank you for the comment. They are adorable; I can’t take that away from them. I have spoken with several people since this write up that went to see it and they walked away feeling the same.
Let me know what you think of the movie.
Okey dokey. I went. I sat. (And sat through what felt like a never ending parade of trailers. Oy.) I then proceeded to giggle and snicker through the timeline from the Minions’ birth and on through to every pop culture 60’s reference. A special joy was the Busby Berkley/Gower Champion-esque production number that the tribe stages for its’ abominal (sp?), snow man “master” just before he gets clunked by a chunk of ice. And I got a big chuckle out of Queen Elizabeth’s overbite, to say nothing of her holding forth in a brew pub. That was inspired, LOL! As for the voices, Jon Hamm was note perfect and while Sandra Bullock wasn’t bad, I found myself wondering how someone like Anne Hathaway (“Rio”) might have handled Scarlett.
Yes, the film was thin on story but the main through line I latched on to (besides what you mentioned originally), was that, no matter which one of the “Big 3” Minions was being focused on, they looked out for each other, even while being distracted to a greater or lesser degree. And in Kevin’s taking on the final “bomb” and seemingly “sacrificing” himself to save the tribe, I could see a direct tie to Christ sacrificing Himself that we might live. That may admittedly be a bit of a stretch there because the next thing you know here comes the next villain (Young Mr. Gru), to turn their heads. It was here that I appreciated the way he was woven into the final sequences with the remaining fillaments of that thinning material.
Stars? From where I was sitting I’d say I’m in line with your kids at that solid rating of 4. Geeky? Yeah, but I still had fun.
God Bless.