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Film: Minions (UIP)
Directors: Kyle Balda, Pierre Coffin
Featuring: Sandra Bullock, Geoffrey Rush, Jon Hamm and Jennifer Saunders
At the dawn of time, when our finned ancestors decided to grow feet and walk, so too did the minions, and their evolutionary imperative is to serve the baddest badass they can find.
The problem is that when it comes to mortal danger, having minions increases the danger of death tenfold (they tend to kill their bosses by mistake). While finding a villain to serve is one thing, keeping him alive is another thing altogether. So begins the uniquely hilarious origin story of Minions.
If you ever wondered why the T rex never made the grade as a long-term apex predator, or why Napoleon was taken out at Waterloo, here’s your chance to find out.
After years of accidentally killing off their bosses, the minions head for an icy cave, where they become depressed. Then one day, Kevin decides to be a hero. He’s going to find a new villain to follow so that his minion family can find the joy in life again.
With the help of Stuart and little Bob, Kevin sets out into the big bad world and the unlikely yellow trio stumbles upon the world’s first female supervillain, Scarlet Overkill (voiced by Sandra Bullock). The trio joins her in London and so begins the plan to steal the crown jewels and the throne of Queen Elizabeth II.
It is 1960s London, so The Beatles are there and so is Andy Warhol.
What makes the success of the Minion movie remarkable is that the three lead characters never say an intelligible word. They chatter nonsense throughout the movie, but the animators have done such a good job with their body language and expressions that what they are on about is as clear as day. And, of course, Geoffrey Rush as the narrator helps where there is no substitute for words.
Co-director Pierre Coffin says that he’s a fan of silent films and that he considers this to be a nod to the great leads of that era, such as Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton.
“Those guys were the best storytellers ever, and it goes across generations. I showed my kids The Gold Rush and they loved it. There are no words in it, obviously, but they were just hooked on the visuals. Everything was so well timed and well executed. The minions are all about that. They’re this legacy of silent films, except that we stuck ridiculous words on them.”
Despicable Me was a surprise hit, the sequel banked on return business, but this one’s going to paint the box office yellow. The adults laughed uproariously throughout at the array of in-jokes, while the children sat transfixed by the little yellow trio.
I suspect children like the minions because they see the world from their level and they do crazy things. Whatever it is, this story about how the minions and Gru, the villain who planned to steal the moon, found each other is worth the price of a ticket for everyone in the family
