User reviews

In 2010, Illumination Entertainment released its first animated feature film, "Despicable Me", about an evil genius named Gru who was struggling to stay on top of the evil genius business, with the help of his pint-sized henchmen known as minions. That film made over $250 million in the U.S. alone (almost quadruple what it cost), so, naturally, there was a sequel. In 2013, "Despicable Me 2" made over $368 million domestically and was rated by audiences as even better than the original. The minions were a small big reason for all that. They were a hit in the first film and they played a larger role in the second film, which performed even better than the first, so, naturally, they got a movie of their own.

The minions are child-sized, yellow, pill-shaped creatures whose sole purpose in life is to serve an evil master. Some are a little taller than the others, they have slightly different styles of (sparse) hair, some have two eyes and some have one, but all wear goggles and they speak in a kind of child-like babble which combines English, Spanish, French and possibly bits of a few other languages too (it's kind of hard to tell). Oh, and one more thing – they're simply and completely ADORABLE! In spite of their evil inclinations, these are simple-minded, child-like innocents who mainly want to have fun and fulfill their potential as minions. And they are front and center in "Minions" (PG, 1:31).

This sequel to the "Despicable Me" movies is really a spin-off and also a prequel, which takes us back to the beginning of the minions' story – ALL the way back. We see how the minions originated and, through a short series of vignettes, we observe their well-meaning, but hilariously botched attempts to serve a wide variety of ill-tempered masters throughout history. Finally, they are driven into exile in an ice cave in Antarctica. They build a civilization and do their best to entertain themselves, but without a master to serve, they're unbearably bored. So, in 1968, Kevin (voiced by co-director Pierre Coffin, who does all minion voices), a tall(ish) minion, tells his tribe he's going on a quest to find them a new master. With only the extremely child-like minion (even by minion standards) named Bob, and a "volunteer" named Stuart to help, Kevin begins his journey.

The three minions end up at Villain Con, a secret convention of super villains and their fans, where the minions meet and get hired by Scarlet Overkill (Sandra Bullock), the first female supervillain. Scarlet is taking her typical girlish fantasy of being a princess a little too seriously. She wants her newly-hired helpers to steal the British crown jewels so she can be Queen of England. Scarlet's husband, Herb (John Hamm) sets up Kevin, Stuart and Bob with a variety of his evil inventions and they embark on their mission. Of course, this being the minions, nothing goes according to plan, one thing leads to another, Scarlet feels as if the minions have betrayed her, and she sets out to get revenge on Kevin, Stuart and Bob, while still trying to accomplishing her goal. Meanwhile, the rest of the minions have received word that Kevin has found them a new master in the U.K. and the entire tribe is working to get there ASAP.

"Minions" has a slightly different target audience than the "Despicable Me" films and feels like a little too much of a good thing. Don't get me wrong – I LOVE me some minions, but they're schtick can wear thin. Even their powerful minion cuteness can't sustain an entire film. Plus, while the "Despicable Me" movies seemed to appeal nearly equally to kids, teens and adults, the minions' spin-off is more squarely aimed at kids. The animation, voice work and story are all as strong as the previous films in which the minions appeared, but the humor in this one aims a little lower. The adults will enjoy the soundtrack and there are plenty of cute, clever, and funny moments. "Minions" works well as a family movie, but I think the little yellow guys should stick to being fun, naughty side-kicks. It's what they do best. "B+"

Minions was a pretty good film, I mean the animation was top notch, and the jokes were very good (at some points). The main minions in the film Kevin, Bob and Stuart were fairly funny at times, and the fact that they couldn't speak English added another funny mark to it. If you have seen the Despicable Me franchise, then you probably know who the minions are, but if you haven't seen the Despicable Me franchise, then before you watch Minions, I recommend you see Despicable Me 1 and 2, As that is where they were first introduced to the world. Moving on, some villains in the film, seemed a bit rushed just to get on with the movie, and some of them were unnecessary, but overall they each had their own funny scenes. The main villain Scarlett Overkill, had a crazy personality, and had some good humor which added a nice ring to the film, as well as that the Minions were always there to mess with her, So it was an action packed- family fun film :)

Overall: I recommend you watch this, it has some funny moments and is a perfect spin-off to the Despicable Me franchise. I hope you enjoy the film :)

Quickie Review:

Minions from the dawn of time have always searched to serve the most despicable masters in the world. After failing to keep their masters numerous times, the minions feel without purpose. That's when three brave minions, Kevin, Bob, and Stuart set out on a journey to find their new master. Despicable Me franchise has done a lot of things right, one of which that clicked with all ages were the adorable little minions. This film could've been very basic, continuously rehashing a collection slapstick comedy, and just simply depend on the popularity of the minions. Instead, the creators of this film added heart to the characters, delivering a movie that kids will love and adults will have fun with.

Full Review:

As much as I love the minions in the Despicable Me movies, I was quite pessimistic on how good Minions was going to be. It just felt like a cash grab. Of course, all movies aim to grab some cash but this movie in particular felt like the studio was just capitalising on the popularity of the characters. Gratefully, the movie got me to set aside my pessimism.

One of my biggest concerns was whether a collection of side characters can really carry an entire movie. Short answer as it turns out: yes they can. It works because we are focusing on just three minions for the majority of the movie. Each of them have their unique personality that shines through without a single word of comprehensible dialogue. That in itself is an amazing feat, the minion-gibberish is all non-sense and yet I am able to empathise with them. I can't even say the same for actual human actors in other movies sometimes! So in that sense, job well done animators. I also liked the small story arc that was given to the villain of the movie, Scarlett Overkill (Sandra Bullock). She wasn't a villain just for the sake of it, which added another dimension to what could have been a generic character. There is relatable back story to her that made us understand where she was coming from, while still retaining the unpredictable evil-ness.

The movie is not without flaws. There are times where the jokes might be too slapstick for adults to enjoy. These scenes are obviously aimed for the kids. They don't completely alienate us grown-ups but it is still noticeable. On top of that, I have to say I felt the absence of Gru and the kids from the Despicable Me movies. What I love about the minions is their relationship with Gru's family, the pranks, the shenanigans, the care they have for each other, is all so delightful to watch. This absence was bound to happen since we are concentrating on the minions. At the same time, aside from Scarlett Overkill there are no other memorable supporting characters.

Even with the problems, I really did enjoy my time watching Minions. It was a great light hearted, charming, fun movie. If you have little kids, nephews or nieces, don't hesitate to take them to the cinema. They will have an awesome time. Together you too will find some amusing entertainment.

"Minions" doesn't really have anything new to offer, aside from crassly commercializing the yellow side players in the "Despicable Me" movies. You sort of accept that going in. Personally, I've always been fond of the little pill-shaped bastards, which is why I enjoyed this movie. It's 90 minutes of exactly what you'd expect from them and it turns out that's enough to sustain a whole movie. The cast is great, despite the miscast Sandra Bullock (not a slight, I like her) and the humor is just right for a light-as-it-gets Summer movie. The '60s setting also worked surprisingly well.

Honestly, as toy commercials go, you could do a whole lot worse.

7/10

This animation tells the story of the minions trying to look for an evil master in order to keep up their morale. They find a villain called Scarlet Overkill, and the minions are tasked with stealing the crown from the Queen.

I saw the trailer and I thought the "Minions" was so cute. After watching the film, I thought it was even cuter than I expected! The plot is silly but fun. The minions are simple in design, and simple in their thoughts, but they manage to create the funniest situations. There are some jokes that made me laugh out loud, such as the usage of a teapot inside a police car. I also just realised that the minions are not talking unintelligible gibberish - it is actually a mix of languages, which I spotted Spanish, German, Mandarin and Bahasa. I enjoyed watching this animation, it is 90 minutes of brain-off entertainment.

I don't usually write reviews but this was such a disappointment that I felt I had to put something. Most of the good jokes were shown in the trailers, so if you've seen the trailer then it's probably not worth the money. There were 3 of us watched this and although we all loved the despicable movies none of us enjoyed this. My son (11) said it felt like it was 2 hours long it was so boring. I can't really explain why it came across as so poor - but it just seemed really lazy and without Gru to play against the Minnions were just to simple. It was slapstick with no soul. The music although quite good didn't really seem to fit the film - just seemed to be tacked on at bit were they felt they should have a soundtrack and a famous song. Buy yourself a copy of despicable me and watch it again and again. Much better value for money! This just felt rushed, with loads of stock jokes, maybe hoping enough of them would hit the mark - they didn't.

Like the title of my review states, this movie is the love of my life. The limitless amount of perfection in this movie blows my mind till this day.

I watched this movie on the day it came out, I had my doubts because the first despicable me movies were decent, but as the story progressed i was driven to the edgy of my seat, waiting on the funky little yellow men their next moves. Stuart Kevin and Bob have kept making my day everytime I rewatch this movie, which has been a total of 13 times so far.

I love how the movie starts of with showing how the minions came to be, and. It gave me alot more insight into the minion lore, the way these tiny little yellow men cannot properly survive without the most evil and despicable leader to follow to the point they were driven to depression, was something truly remarkable to see. Kevin's braveness to go into to the world and help his fellow minions to find a boss, gives me hope and motivation to this day. I love how Bob and Stuart join him because it truly makes for a quite hilarious trio.

I love how we were able to see where they got their adorable little outfits from after they landed in New York. The introduction of the Nelson family was also amusing to watch! But if we're talking about good introductions I think Gru at the end of the movie takes the spotlight.

And how can I not talk about Scarlet Overkill, she took the place of Vector as my favourite Despicable Me franchise villain. Her introduction!! Amazing!! Choosing Sandra Bullock as her voice actress was a fine choice too, she truly brought the character to life.

I will continue to recommend this movie to people around me, as will I continue to enjoy this masterpiece. I cannot wait for the second movie, my calender is already marked!

Having mostly gibberish for script, this movie is a prove that visual antics and a few timely noises go a long way to induce laughter. In a throwback to classic setting and comedy, this spin-off might not be bigger than most animations in recent time, but it's still an enjoyable foray. The style of 60s world and era appropriate soundtracks enhance the atmosphere as these peculiar creatures dabble in feeble mischief.

Story follows three particular minions on their way to find the most dreadful villain there is. The journey takes them across the globe until they meet Scarlet Overkill (Sandra Bullock). Graphic-wise Minions is presentable. Though not all of the set pieces are magic, some of the displays, such as the rainy night or monarch architecture are still engaging and presented with nifty details.

The mostly simplistic nature works well, bringing visual cues and lots of squeaking mumbles. It doesn't use elaborate word plays, but this is actually an advantage as the humor is readily accessible for any casual viewer. Several of the jokes are distinctly amusing, though it doesn't fall flat even when a couple of them don't hit the high note.

It also boasts notable pop references of the time, from the ironic quips and its zippy tunes. The human characters can be a bit stereotypical or over-the-top, since these are mostly spoof version of action flick baddies. Its actual villain portrayal might take the name Overkill way too seriously for comical purpose.

The presentation for visual humor is fine and the references are easily relatable. Minions is not a cerebral endeavor or emotional adventure, though these awkward yellow simpletons are notoriously delightful.

The popularity and the huge profits of Despicable Me franchise has driven the eagerness of Illumination Entertainment to produce a minions spin-off solely to entertain the fans. Caught in variations of the same scenarios, the decision to put more focus on the three minions - Kevin, Stuart and Bob might remind audiences about Alvin and the Chipmunks or the three daughters of Gru. While the animation does remain the fun, hilarious and ridiculous behaviors of the characters, the theme of the scores and the nonsensical language of the minions, it does not have a strong villain to support the three, also it lacks of character development, warm emotional engagement and moral values. The cuteness of the minions is the main element for entertainment rather than the dialogue itself in which the jokes aren't as funny as Despicable Me's series. Nonetheless, it is still energetic, actions packed, visually stunning and colorful for family audiences even its creative mistake drags its overall quality, proving that these banana lovers are far more effective and surprising to be supporting characters just as in the main franchise.

Having read bad reviews I went with low expectations. But as the movie started my laughter overshadowed my expectations.

Kevin, Stuart and Bob go on a journey to find a super villain to be their tribe's boss.

Yes, the story was predictable and it may not have been as good as Despicable me 1 and 2 but to be honest it really didn't matter. It was amazingly funny and there was not a single moment in which I got bored. Also the jokes were not at all kiddish and would make a person of any age laugh. 3D was also pretty good.

So i would recommend you to leave the serious part of your brain at your house and watch this hilarious and light hearted movie of the adorable minions.

P.S If you haven't watched the trailer, don't.You will enjoy the movie much more.

So, this movie disappointed me a bit, but not that much.

Minions Stuart, Kevin and Bob went on a journey to find a super-villain, which will they serve. On their journey, they went to VillainCon (I think it was called like that) and they started to serve one of the best villains in the world (America), Scarlet Overkill. They helped her to steal a crown.

This movie is not that good as Despicable Me, but it's better than Despicable Me 2. In the first one, minions are funnier than in this one called Minions, which is a shame. Of course, this movie is funny, but there are some jokes that are here for the kids. The movie's ending is great. After I saw young Gru and when his theme song started playing, I was being like:"OK, I think this is one of the most awesome movie (animated) I ever saw." The funniest joke in this movie is when minions came to the VillainCon (again, don't know if it's called like that), and Scarlet came at a stage with her awesome dress, dude dressed like her screamed:"I love you, Scarlet!" I mean, that was hilarious. Also, I really liked that moment when Scarlet told minions a "bed-time story" (which was cruel), Bob fell asleep. Characters (Bob, Stuart and Kevin) are done well in this movie. They have a lot of chemistry together. They are always all together and they are different. Kevin is brave and he is a chief. Bob is like a child. He is playful and scared. And Stuart, nahh... He is just hungry.

At the end, this was a really short review, but I have nothing else to say. I mean, jokes were mostly funny, characters have a good chemistry, ending is badass and... That's it. This movie is not that good as I was thinking it'll be, but it was good.

Alive since the beginning of time, Minions live to serve the biggest, baddest, and most evil. After a series of unsuccessful masters find a way to perish, the Minions no longer have someone to work for, a purpose to live and they all being to grow depressed. But one minion finally decided to do something, Kevin, along with Bob and Stuart venture into the world to find their people a new evil boss to work for. Their search culminates in them meeting Scarlet Overkill (Sandra Bullock), the world's first ever evil super villainess.

Let's be honest, there wasn't really a need for this movie other than an excuse to put Minions in a movie. This movie will inevitably make lots and lots of money. They're cute, they talk funny, and they act funny. Kids (myself included) loved them from the 2 Despicable Me films and they (and I eventually will) probably have all of the related merchandise. Kids will want to see this one too and get all the eventual merchandise that will come from it.

Now to the film! Even though I am an adult, I liked it. I mentioned that I liked the 2 Despicable Me films and the thing I liked the most from them was the Minions. Despite all of these years, they still haven't gotten old for me. But the question is could they carry a movie? The answer is no. Don't get me wrong, I like the Minions and the movie is called Minions but it did not have to focus on them as much as it did. There are other human characters in the film like Scarlet Overkill and her husband Herb (Jon Hamm) and also this family of bank robbers. I felt that they were a little underused and a little more of them would have provided some balance. Another thing that was underused was the narrator. He was used in the beginning of the film just so the viewers can understand what was going on. It could sometimes be difficult to understand what is going on when all you see is a bunch of Minions speaking gibberish. There were moments later on where more explanation would have helped. The story is simple enough. The film is a prequel to the 2 Despicable Me films so it takes place in the 60s so you'll get all the time-appropriate references and a soundtrack with 60s music so you'll get your Beatles, your Who, etc. The slapstick humor will keep the kids entertained and the 60s references will entertain the adults. Some of the reviews have mentioned that the plot is not compelling but I was fine with it. I would have liked it if some of the writing for some of the human characters was a little better. It wasn't terrible but I what I liked about the Despicable Me films was how the human characters interacted with the Minions. If I had to compare this film to the Despicable Me films, this one would place third behind 1 and then 2. I personally can't wait until their next film which will be Despicable Me 3 which comes out in 2017.

It is an awesome movie especially for minion fans. Go Minions! The minions is a hilarious movie. For some, it may be better than Despicable Me. The whole plot is a twisted movie which is great! Scoot some time off your schedule to watch this movie. Great family movie!!!!Sandra Bullock was great and Scarlet Overkill was my favourite. I know big surprise. The ending is sooo surprising I NEVER saw it coming(which is superb!). Every human on this planet should watch this movie because it blows minds(not literally). Whoever thought of this idea is a genius ; better yet the new Einstein(joking).The theatre will be full because like who wouldn't want to watch it?!?!

Nowadays, when I see an animated movie like this, I pretty much expect it to entertain me as much as the target audience of children. The bar has been set that high. Unfortunately (at least for me), this one is pretty much just for the kiddies.

For a basic plot summary, "Minions" tells the story of, well, the Minions! While the little mischief- makers were well established in the Despicable 1/2 films, this one explains how they came to meet Gru. For thousands of years, they wandered the earth looking for the meanest bad guy to serve, from cavemen to dinosaurs to Yetis. In more recent times, they fall in with Scarlet Overkill (Sandra Bullock), who is intent on stealing the Royal Crown (quite literally) from the Queen of England (Jennifer Saunders). As per usual, the Minions' frantic antics make this an almost impossible task, with one even being crowned King himself (King Bob!).

Simply put, "Minions" is a fun romp for any audience of children. The gags will elicit laughs, and just the concept of Minions in general is still enough to hold interest. Kevin, Bob, & Stuart (the main three Minions featured) will enthrall kids for the whole 90 minute runtime.

Because of how high the animation bar has been set, though, I can't help but rate "Minions" a pedestrian 3-stars by my own standards. Maybe that isn't fair to the film, but it is from my own personal perspective. This one doesn't have, say, the wry humor of a "Toy Story", and emotional punch of other Pixar efforts, or even the sincere sweetness of its two predecessors. It's just silly, goofy fun.

So, if you have kids, put this on and it will be a rollicking hour and a half of laughter. Just don't expect to become invested in the cartoonish fun like you probably have been in the past.