Since the Despicable Me film franchise began back in 2010, a certain pack of little yellow humanoids stole the show. Sure, the main character was played by Steve Carell, with a supporting cast featuring the likes of Kristen Wiig and Russell Brand, but the minions were the big take away. It is unsurprising then that two films and five years later the little critters got a movie of their own. A prequel to the first film, Minions is an origin story, telling of how the tykes of the title met their current employer.

[SPOILER ALERT]

The minions, as it turns out, have existed for billions of years, siding with the most dastardly boss they can find. However, the trouble was never finding a villain to serve, but said villain being inadvertently undone by those so eager to serve them. That much is made clear from the trailer. The minions lived in this way for millennia, flitting from one master to the next, until they were driven into the frozen wasteland by Napoleonic troops, following one particularly messy kerfuffle. In case it wasn’t already clear, the screen writer, Brian Lynch, is playing fast and loose with history, and pre-history come to that!
In isolation, the minions develop their own civilisation. It sustains them for a time, but eventually they grow listless in the absence of a strong leader with wily ways. So one day (in 1968, as it goes) a minion takes it upon himself to seek out a new boss. His name is Kevin, and joining him on this mission are Stewart and Bob. The trio travel in search of of their new boss.
This is a silly movie. It’s not a wholly bad thing, but let’s be clear about the motivation for this movie. A franchise’s supporting characters being given a feature length movie tells us that said movie exists (at least in part) as an exercise in money making. The silly is expected; the silly is delivered. That said, the film’s fundamental redundancy does not mean that it is without charm or jokes. In truth, I laughed consistently. The film’s physical comedy and mild violence works on a law of averages. Swing often enough and eventually you will get a couple of good hits. In addition, there is something strangely pleasing in the way that these little fellows are oddly invincible. Their propensity for screwing things up means that attempts to do them harm inevitably backfires – and not in a purely figurative sense of the word much of the time.
Now, I am sure some of you reading this must be aware of the convention that recently came to Dublin. The movie has its own gathering of nefarious types in VillainCon, where our troublesome three attempt to find a ne’er-do-well to whom they may lend their services. As I watched, I was very taken with the way in which the film covers the con scene. One of VillainCon’s headline events is a guest appearance by criminal celebrity Scarlet Overkill, voiced by Sandra Bullock. On TYT’s What The Flick, the panel gave the verdict that the character is under-written and the actress portraying her is underused. I agree. However, Overkill (Bullock) has a fan base that includes an all-male triumvirate who dress up as her and go nuts when she appears on stage. All too often I’ve found such depictions are usually reserved for female characters. Somehow it’s only women who lose control when their heroes make an appearance in person. As a result, the gender-swapping twinned with the cross-dressing was a nice touch.
For me, there was only one thing about the movie that struck a bum note. It wasn’t the depiction of English stereotypes: we’re odd folks, it’s cool. Nor was it the depictions of Queen Elizabeth 2nd. It was the Queen’s corgi. They make a brief appearance and, when they do, some are shown as having bushy tails. The royal dogs are Pembroke Welsh Corgis, whose tails are traditionally kept short, unlike the Cardigan variety. As a dog enthusiast, lack of attention to detail (and yes, the pun is intended!) irked me some.
Nonetheless, the movie is the best version of what it is. If you are a young child or have a young child, this is bound to go down a treat. If you are an adult who doesn’t let your ‘grown-up’ inhibitions get in the way of silly jokes, you will laugh all the way through.

If you’re a huge fan of the movie, check out our recent Style Saturday where we came up with two wearable Minions-inspired outfits!

Giggles galore. 7/10 

What did you think of Minions? Will there/should these be a sequel to this prequel? Let us know in the comments!

Jack Dempsey