Film Review: 'Minions: The Rise of Gru' Delivers More of the Same
Friday, July 1, 2022 at 1:00PM 
Wherever the Minions go, mayhem follows.By: Christopher James
Everyone knows what their mileage is on Minions mischief. Since exploding onto the screen in 2010’s surprise animated hit Despicable Me, these goofy yellow helpers have become part of popular culture. Like demented, individualistic oompa loompas, the Minions do not need speech in order to win over their audiences. In fact, they hew closest to the Three Stooges in terms of their appeal. It’s pure physical comedy amped up by the frenetic dexterity that animation allows.
The newest entry, Minions: The Rise of Gru, doesn’t reinvent the wheel, to say the least. It’s broad, loud and frantic, barely stopping for a minute to craft a story. At 107 minutes, the energy sputters out, particularly in a rushed third act. Yet, the movie gives exactly what it promises, a fun ride full of antics galore...
Gru's chances as a villain are made or broken by his pals, the minions.
Okay, so there is a story, and some interesting narrative details. Yes, Minions: The Rise of Gru is a period piece, much like the preceding Minions branded film. The year is 1975, as marked by the groovy fashion, abundance of flower prints and the around the block lines for Jaws at the movie theater. An elementary school aged Gru (voiced by middle aged Steve Carell) dreams of nothing more than joining the elite league of outlaws, called the Vicious 6. As luck would have it, there is a vacant position, after the group abandons their eldest member, Wild Knuckles (Alan Arkin). Gru scores an interview for the position, but is laughed away due to his age. Villainy is in his blood though, and Gru is eager to showcase that. Thus, he steals their all powerful Zodiac stone, making him target number one for the Vicious 6.
Every Minion, Everywhere, All At Once.
When he entrusts the stone to his enthusiastic, yet bumbling, minions in the middle of a high speed chase, things go awry. The eager, braces clad Otto trades the prized Zodiac stone for… a pet rock. To be fair, after seeing Everything Everywhere All At Once, I can’t look at a rock with googly eyes the same way ever again.
Here’s where everything bounces off the walls for the next hour plus. Gru connects with Wild Knuckles as he tries to hide from the Vicious 6. They end up on a string of heists, as Wild Knuckles acts as Gru’s mentor of mayhem. Elsewhere, the Minions end up taking martial arts lessons from Master Chow (Michelle Yeoh) and wind up in San Francisco in their quest to find and save Gru.
As dumb as it might be, the madcap Minions do find ways to delight. The tensions between our original trio - Kevin, Stuart and Bob - against newcomer Otto provides some fun humor and tension to what often seems like an elongated cartoon short. By breaking up Gru and the Minions, we get to bounce between storylines so the minions always feel like a bit of comic spice, rather than overbearing, constant nonsense.
A bad guy can look like anything.The design of the Vicious 6 is an inventive nod to the era in which the film is set. Taraji P. Henson does a great vocal job as the new leader of the pack, Belle Bottom, a Foxy Brown-esque leader. Other than Belle Bottom, none of the other Vicious 6 members are more than sight gags. Nunchuck (Lucy Lawless), a nun with nunchucks, is funny upon introduction, but that's all there is to it. The character of Jean Clawed, a man with a claw coincidentally, only works if you remember he’s voiced by Jean Claude Van Damme. There’s little else to distinguish Svengence (Dolph Lundgren) and Stronghold (Danny Trejo), besides their roller skates and metal hands, respectively.
Minions: The Rise of Gru has just enough heart and just enough ingenuity to get by. Unfortunately, it never transcends its admittedly low ambitions. For families, the film works as a fun way to pass the time and keep the kids occupied. If you aren’t a Minions fan already, though, this won’t change your mind. C+
Minions: The Rise of Gru opens in wide release on Friday, July 1st from Universal Pictures.