Dir: Pierre Coffin
Cast: Pierre Coffin, Trey Parker, Allison Janney, Jesse Eisenberg, Jeff Bridges, Zoey Deutch, Bobby Moynihan, Phil LaMarr
Just when it looked like the Minions had run out of steam, they come roaring back with perhaps their most dazzling adventure in years, serving up a wildly clever and joyfully slapstick love letter to classic cinema
I adore the Minions just as much as the next person, and I still remember the thrill of their big-screen debut sixteen years ago. When I first saw “Despicable Me”, my expectations were low; animation studio Illumination was a newcomer in a world ruled by Pixar. But the film’s wild humour and inventive spirit completely won me over, instantly earning a spot among my favourite animated movies of the time. Its playful chaos felt like a much-needed gust of fresh air in a landscape that was starting to feel predictable.
Illumination’s stock has skyrocketed over the past sixteen years, averaging a film a year and regularly conquering the box office with hits like the “Super Mario” movies and, naturally, the “Despicable Me” saga. The secret sauce? Those mischievous, banana-yellow sidekicks who stole the spotlight from their master Gru and became pop culture icons. Since their debut, the Minions have popped up everywhere: in commercials, songs, short films, and even their own spin-off series, which now boasts three films.
Yet even for a devoted fan like me, the Minions’ antics started to wear thin after six films. Their slapstick still made me smile, but the magic was fading, and both “Minions” and “Despicable Me” seemed to be running out of steam. So when “Minions & Monsters” hit cinemas in recent weeks, I was sceptical, expecting more of the same. To my delight, this latest adventure is not just a return to form—it is the most entertaining Minions film since their unforgettable debut in 2010.
These dungaree-wearing henchmen are pint-sized whirlwinds of chaos, and Pierre Coffin, their creator and voice, has set out to cement their place in movie history with “Minions & Monsters”. The film kicks off with a contemporary framing device, as a present-day Hollywood tour guide (Allison Janney) leads kids through cinema’s greatest hits, tossing out references and sight gags from “E.T.” (1982) to “The Matrix” (1999) and even George Lucas, who briefly voice-acts as himself. The well-versed tourists look unimpressed—until the guide introduces James and Henry, two inventive Minion misfits who, as legend has it, left a lasting mark on the industry.
We then embark on James and Henry’s wild journey as their tribe of Minions—distinct from Gru’s future crew—sets out to serve history’s most notorious villains. Along the way, James and Henry accidentally dispatch a giant cyclops, a mummy, and a Russian warlock, whose spell book is swiped by fellow Minion Ed. Their desert squabbles lead them into a train robbery that turns out to be a Hollywood film shoot. German director Max (Christoph Waltz), initially furious, soon makes the Minions silent-era stars. But when their Minionese derails their careers in the age of talkies, James, Henry, and Ed decide to make their own movie, the eponymous “Minions & Monsters”, using the spell book to summon a real monster. Little do they know, the adorable Cthulhu-like Goomi (Trey Parker) they conjure is plotting to use their film as a springboard for a monster takeover of the world.
I went into the Minions’ latest escapade almost blind, having skipped the trailer, and for the first time since “Despicable Me”, I found myself genuinely delighted. The gibberish-spouting sidekicks deliver some of their sharpest slapstick yet, and their nonsense language somehow manages to make perfect sense. The real revelation, though, is the film’s dazzling cine-literacy. For a kids’ movie, “Minions & Monsters” is packed with loving nods to cinema history, drawing inspiration from silent legends like Chaplin and Keaton. The Minions’ antics cleverly echo some of the silent era’s most iconic moments, which, in-universe, turns out they are partly responsible for. Easter eggs fly by at breakneck speed, as the film pays tribute to Hollywood’s golden age, from silent classics to 1950s sci-fi like “The Day the Earth Stood Still” (1951). While many of these references will soar over the heads of younger viewers, older movie buffs will have a blast watching the Minions run riot through film history.
By embracing the pure joy of filmmaking and the dedication behind it, “Minions & Monsters” ditches the overused pop songs of previous entries and returns to classic slapstick, letting the Minions shine brighter than ever. They may be animated, but at this point, the Minions are as iconic and influential and recognizable as any modern Hollywood A-lister.
That said, this much-improved prequel is not without its flaws. The monsters themselves barely appear until the final act, making the big invasion of 1920s Los Angeles feel a bit hurried. A few subplots, like the romance between suffragette Debbie (Zoey Deutch) and the timid alien robot Dort (Jesse Eisenberg), add unnecessary clutter and distract from James and Henry’s journey. Still, this is a witty, entertaining, and unexpectedly insightful tribute to twentieth-century cinema. If future spin-offs let the Minions romp through different eras of history, count me in—something I never imagined I would say just a week ago.
Minions & Monsters is now showing in UK Cinemas
Dan Loves Film 
Leave a comment