Plot: What’s it about?
It’s been a few years, so we’ve got another Minions movie. I rather enjoyed the first Despicable Me back in 2010, which was so out of nowhere it seemed. After 3 Despicable films and a Minions spinoff, one should know by now if they’re going to enjoy this latest chapter or not. While I haven’t followed the sequels as closely, I quite enjoyed this one. It may play it safe and give the audience exactly what they want, but what’s wrong with that? Why reinvent the wheel if you don’t have a broken system? As of this writing, the film is already a huge hit at the box office, so it’s clear that audiences eat this up. This chapter takes us back to the 1920’s. I will talk more of the plot and what to expect in a bit, but the already established fans should find plenty to love in this chapter. I certainly had a lot of fun with it.
Minions & Monsters introduces us to an entirely new tribe of Minions, who find themselves in Hollywood at the dawn of cinema. Our heroes are two brand-new Minions: James and Henry. We meet them and their rambunctious friends in the distant past and witness their trials and tribulations as they search far and wide for an evil master to serve. Eventually they reach the 1920’s, and wind up crashing a Hollywood film set. Their brief and accidental appearance on camera pays off and before they know it the Minions are bona-fide movie stars. They begin to live the Hollywood lifestyle, and soon they’re throwing lavish parties, living in a huge mansion, and inspiring an army of fans to dress in overalls and goggles. The Minions’ 15 minutes of fame are soon up, however. With the addition of sound to film and the rise of the “talkies,” they drop in popularity – it turns out they can’t follow the script when all they speak is Minionese. Destitute and aimless, the Minions roam the streets of Hollywood looking for a purpose…and a new evil master to serve. Our heroes James and Henry have a different plan and break away from their tribe. They have fallen in love with making movies and want to make an awesome monster movie of their own! With the help of a spellbook taken from an old boss (an evil sorcerer they used to work for), James and Henry summon some fearsome monsters to play the villains in their movie. When things go haywire, James, Henry, and all their buddies must work together to save the world from a band of rampaging monsters.
If you’re a fan of the Minions (or Despicable Me) films, then you’ll feel right at home with this one. I find it oddly amusing that these films keep jumping around in time, but that’s also part of the fun. As with past installments, we’ve got a litany of celebrity voices who lend their “talent” to the film ranging from George Lucas to Christoph Waltz to Jeff Bridges. There’s no shortage of talent here. I’ve personally found that the minions are best in smaller doses, but at only 90 minutes, this isn’t too much of an ask in your day. If you’ve been a fan of the past films, this one delivers more of the same. Who knows where they’ll end up next?
Video: How’s it look?
Most likely anyone reading this will know that anything computer-animated will look positively stunning. This is the case with Minions and yes, it’s consistent with the other films in its genre. The 2.39:1 HEVC 4K image positively sparkles from beginning to end showcasing a wide variety of detail and texture. While I’m not really sure what the minions’ skin is made of, we’re treated to aerial shots monsters made of slime and more. What’s all of this mean? Sit back, relax and know that nothing in the world will look any better than what you’ve got in your player.
Audio: How’s it sound?
As is becoming more and more common these days, a Dolby Atmos soundtrack is included but if you’re not equipped (and not many reading at this moment are), a very nice Dolby TrueHD soundtrack has been included. I hesitate to comment on the “dialogue” and that’s used in quotes for a reason, as most of the vocals from the minions are just pure gibberish with a few coherent words mixed in (“Yes”, “Ok” and the like). Still, even though we can’t really understand what they’re saying, it does sound crystal clear. Ambient surround effects are abundant, the front stage is constantly churning and if you’ve ever wanted to see a the best in what 70’s fashion has to offer – I assure you that it will sound its best here.
Supplements: What are the extras?
- Minions Take on Hollywood – Go behind the scenes as the filmmakers and artists at Illumination reveal the inspiration behind its early Hollywood setting, from story and casting to period research and cutting-edge animation, while introducing a new generation of Minions.
- Casting Minions & Monsters – Meet the voices behind the wide array of characters as filmmakers discuss what talent brought to their respective roles and what they hope fans of the franchise take away from the film.
- Hollywood Sound – Step into the studio with composer John Powell as he crafts a score inspired by the sweeping sound and timeless style of Hollywood’s golden age.
- How to Make Your own Irene Blob Monster Slime – Using simple ingredients found at home, follow along with slime influencer Snoopslimes in this step-by-step guide to make your very own Irene blob monster slime to devour anything in its path!
- Movie-Making Minions Style – Take a seat in the director’s chair and make your very own Minions-inspired monster movie with this simple how-to, using hand-drawn art and flipbook animation to recreate one of the earliest forms of filmmaking.
- How to Draw – Follow along with head of story Nima Azarba as he teaches you how to draw the Minions, monsters, and more!
- James
- Henry
- Ed
- Max
- Dort
- Goomi
- Irene
- Howard
- Phillips
The Bottom Line
If there was ever any doubt that the Minions franchise had lost any steam – let’s put that to rest. They continue to be entertaining and clever. This film raked in over half a billion dollars on an $85 million dollar budget. We’ll be seeing more of them. The disc is spot on perfect with refrence-quality A/V and a nice assortment of supplements.
