The Film
With both of the installments in the Despicable Me franchise, we were given a pretty hearty dose of Minions. You know, those little yellow guys who help their master Gru (Steve Carell) with everything from fiendish plots to housework?
Yes, they were very cute and funny. They're quite popular as well. After all, I never see anyone wearing a Gru T-shirt, hugging a Gru plush, or sleeping in Gru pajamas. Given their popularity, it was only a matter of time before Universal gave the Minions their own movie, which is appropriately titled Minions.
If you thought Gru was the creator of the Minions, well... you haven't seen Minions. This is the backstory of those cuddly creatures, who are basically evil wrapped in Twinkie-style packaging. It turns out that they've been around forever, serving (and accidentally killing) evil masters ranging from dinosaurs to Napoleon. Maybe they're not so evil after all?
Well, the Minions do have a purpose, which is to be minions. However, the film finds the Minions in the late '60s without a master, so Bob, Stuart and Kevin (all voiced by Pierre Coffin) embark on a journey to find someone sinister to serve. One night while watching TV, the Minions find out that popular villain Scarlett Overkill (Sandra Bullock) will be at the Villian-Con in Orlando, Florida. Road trip!
It takes about a third of the movie to get our first real look at Scarlett, who is supposed to be the world's first female super-villain. After winning her over, Scarlett takes the three back to England to meet her husband Herb (Jon Hamm) and have the three swipe St. Edward's Crown from Queen Elizabeth II. It sounds like a plot is in there, but most of the movie is really just Minion gibberish -- and sometimes that can be funny.
However, the first 30 minutes of Minions is where we see some of the film's best moments. It's also all of the moments you saw in the theatrical trailer. From there, the Minions' non-stop babbling can get a little annoying. Still, the film does have a few funny moments and a ton of famous voices, including Michael Keaton, Allison Janney, Geoffrey Rush, and Jennifer Saunders. It just doesn't have a lot of substance. Oh sure, the characters are cute and will appeal to the kiddies, but not too many others. The Despicable Me movies featured character development, a theme of how love can triumph over evil, and plenty of jokes. Minions is just pretty mindless.
Still not getting enough Minions? Check out Matthew Passantino's theatrical review of Minions.
The Picture
It's so fluffy! Okay, the Minions are more smooth than anything, much like this 1.85:1 transfer. The 3D is bursting with gorgeous imagery and great depth. It has so much depth, you'll want to reach out and grab yourself a Minion that you can snuggle as your very own. However, the film does have a few pop-out moments that should have its target audience ooh-ing and aah-ing. With and without the 3D, this animated blockbuster's image is pretty perfect. The detail is stellar, with plenty of textures visible throughout the film. However, the biggest standout here is the color palette, which is just a bright, bubbly feast for your eyeballs. Enjoy.
The Sound
Universal has given this film a Dolby Atmos track, which is awesome and also sort of disappointing. Despite the mayhem, Minions doesn't really use those height channels like you want it to. There are a few flashes of sound hovering overhead, most notably in the shopping mall and a quickie moment in Herb's lab. Otherwise, the film left me wanting more immersive sound. I can't fault the track because I think this is just the nature of the film. And like the subject matter, the audio here is pretty fun, with plenty of surround sounds and a ton of classic rock songs to depict the time period, including The Who, The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, The Turtles, and more.
The Extras
Bello? Despite putting all of the special features on the 3D disc, none of the Minions extras are actually in 3D. That said, there's a decent amount of goodies here, most notably the three Minion shorts. Of course, getting these was a little more special when there wasn't an entire feature-length film with all of the Minion gibberish, but anyone who enjoys the movie will certain enjoy these mini movies. Otherwise, there's one deleted scene, a Minion-ized Christmas song, an interactive Minions map, and a peek at next summer's The Secret Life of Pets. There's also "Behind the Goggles," a series of five featurettes that cover the writers, Illumination boss-man Chris Meledandri, the animation, the music, and the Minions.
Final Thoughts
In my opinion, these little yellow guys are best consumed in small doses. However, if you're looking for a cuteness overload and don't really care about anything else, you may enjoy Minions. It's definitely kiddie fodder, but this Blu-ray does have a killer image, a decent audio track, and a hearty collection of extras.
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