Lovable scene-stealers
They were lovable scene-stealers in the past two Despicable Me films. Their hilarious antics inevitably became popular so they merited their own, fulllength animated comedy feature.
The bright yellow-colored, pillshaped and cute Minions topbilled their eponymously titled spin-off that continues to break box-office records. To date, Minions has grossed over $400M worldwide, making it the second highest animated movie release for Universal Pictures next to Shrek Forever After (shown in 2010).
Kevin, Bob and the one-eyed Stuart, the three lead characters, clearly soared in the Minions prequel that traces their origin. Initially, the three found themselves without a boss. Eventually, however, they landed in the conference of Villain-Con in Orlando, Florida, where they met their new master, Scarlet Overkill.
Oscar winner Sandra Bullock plays a first-time villainess in Minions. That sounds rather unthinkable, considering her good lead roles in her movies. But Sandra apparently wants a different kind of substance to her assignments. As the ultimately bad lady boss Scarlet, with Jon Hamm as her inventor hubby, Herb, Sandra brings Minions into a different, yet thrilling ride.
From the US, the plot takes viewers to London, England, where Scarlet hatches an evil plan to steal Queen Elizabeth’s crown and conquer the world, to no avail. Scarlet is irresistibly bad.
Geoffrey Rush is the narrator for the movie. It was wise to have him document what’s happening onscreen. Otherwise, some will find it hard to understand the multi-lingual Minions, who inadvertently blurt out their dialogue, from English to Spanish to French.
The film also highlights the adventures and misadventures of the adorable and playful Minions, from their encounters with Dracula and Napoleon to their meeting with the Queen of England, who rewarded their brave effort of preventing Scarlet from having global rule.
The filmmakers made sure there’s loads of music in the movie. The soundtrack consists of 32 cuts. Hence, aside from the new and original tracks, there’s familiar music from The Who and The Kinks (You Really Got Me).
Aside from the movie, Minions are in all sorts of every imaginable marketing collateral — from glasses, cups, candies, bread and cookies to toys, stickers, snacks, clothes, name it. In the US, Minions are marketed even in bananas, which the gang, especially Bob, super loves to eat.
Do we anticipate a sequel? Not far from happening. Never mind the shallow storyline, Minions have become such a craze largely with the young viewers who trooped to the cinemas to catch the latest box-office winner.