Sommerleigh Pollonais, Senior Writer
Plot: The untold story of one 12-year-old’s dream to become the world’s greatest supervillain.
Review: It takes a special kind of movie to please both kids and those adults who never let go of their own inner child, and the latest entry into the Despicable Me franchise (I can’t believe I just typed that, but there it you have it) hits just the right notes.
Set in 1976 this gorgeously animated tale of a young Gru, voiced once again by Steve Carrell, blends the old with the new in a way that makes it both accessible and entertaining to all ages.
The Minions are a huge part of what have made the DM movies as beloved as they are, and once again they get the spotlight on them as young Gru fantasizes about joining a group called The Vicious 6 (like the Sinister Six only with bigger hair and lots of bell-bottoms). The crew is led by Wild Knuckles (Alan Arkin), Gru’s personal hero/villain and they are trying to steal a necklace called The Zodiac Stones which will grant them superpowers. Of course with the little yellow pill-shaped Minions on the loose nothing goes the way it should, and when Gru is kidnapped it’s up to them to rescue their “mini-boss”.
The list of talented action stars that voice the Vicious 6 is a who’s who of action nostalgia. We have Stronghold (Danny Trejo), strongman Svengeance (Dolph Lundgren), a dude with a giant lobster claw for a hand named Jean-Clawed so of course he’s voiced by Jean-Claude Van Damme, and my personal favorite, a nunchaku-wielding nun named Nun-Chuck (you have to give them points just for these names) voiced by Lucy Lawless. Throw in Taraji P. Henson as their leader Belle Bottom and you have a team tailor-made for villainous destruction.
The animation is bright, colorful and packed with beautiful details. There’s a wonderful depiction of Chinatown where the main trio of Minions Kevin, Stuart and Bob train with master of kung fu Master Chow (Michelle Yeoh) and the laughs just keep on coming.
While I haven’t seen Lightyear I’m guessing there’s a lot that movie could learn from this one. Minions: The Rise of Gru understands its core audience is a very young one and to keep them interested you have to keep a lightning pace while delivering lots of pratfall comedy and Minions speak (I think it’s called Minionese). At the same time the music, hidden adult humour and emotional beats will keep parents (and everyone else) entertained right up to the very end.
There’s not much more left to say except if you’re looking for some easy going summer fun mini-boss Gru and his yellow Minions have got you covered.
Score: 7.5 out of 10
Sommerleigh of the House Pollonais. First of Her Name. Sushi Lover, Queen of Horror Movies, Comic Books and Binge Watching Netflix. Mother of two beautiful black cats named Vader and Kylo. I think eating Popcorn at the movies should be mandatory, PS4 makes the best games ever, and I’ll be talking about movies until the zombie apocalypse comes.
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Are you a fan of the Despicable Me franchise? Which film is your favourite? And you can check out more animated comedies below:
