Whether you love them or hate them, the Minions have been pop culture icons ever since the original Despicable Me film in 2010 by Illumination. They have delivered many laughs with their clumsy antics and slapstick comedy, often causing misfortune for each other and for their leader, Gru, and have even had their own spinoff films that served as prequels. The Minions are back once again, and this time they’re taking on Hollywood in Minions & Monsters, now stumbling in cinemas worldwide.

A tribe of Minions has served many evil leaders throughout history, all over the world, and while searching for their next leader in the 1920s, they end up in Hollywood, becoming movie stars and filmmakers. When the movie industry shifted from silent films to full sound, it became detrimental to the Minions, who were unable to speak properly.

Among the Minions, James and Henry, in an attempt to save their careers, pitch a new movie about a giant monster terrorising a city, but they have to find a way to make that giant monster appears on screen. They use an old sorcerer’s spellbook to make it happen, but accidentally unleash a horde of real monsters into the world. 

Pierre Coffin once again reprises his voice as the Minions, including James and Henry, for whom he has been their voice since the original Despicable Me film. Even though they mostly speak gibberish with a few actual words, the Minions have always been able to convey their emotions and tell stories on screen using their facial expressions, body language and mannerisms. Pierre’s voice work is as good as ever, having to cover so many different Minions and give a select few distinct personalities to set them apart from other Minions.

In this film, the story focuses on James and Henry, who are the clumsiest and most unreliable members of the tribe throughout history. They’re treated as outcasts by everyone else, but develop a friendship with each other and give the film some wholesome moments. James, Henry and all the other Minions are shown to have hearts of gold, but always find themselves getting caught up in mischief, running amok, and causing chaos throughout different periods of history and on every film set.

Trey Parker provides the voice of Goomi, a little green monster whose name is an acronym for his full name, Gary Orcam Oliver Magma Ichabod the Deceiver. When the Minions are searching for a giant monster for their movie, Goomi helps them out and frees two other monsters, Phillips and Howard, who are voiced by Bobby Moynihan and Phil LaMarr, respectively. Trey Parker’s performance as Goomi makes him a loveable, seemingly innocent creature, whom gullible Minions instantly trust.

Jesse Eisenberg voices Dort, a supposedly alien robot (a parody and homage to the character Gort from the 1951 film The Day the Earth Stood Still). To the audience, he seems like a delusional regular person in a robot costume, but to the Minions, Dort is viewed as their new evil leader, despite living in a messy apartment with an unambitious roommate.

He seemed like he was going to be a more important character, but he isn’t in the film as much as you’d expect, which is a shame because Jesse’s voice performance was quite entertaining and hilarious. He may not be in the film as much as we’d like, but he still has his fair share of memorable and hilarious moments as audiences keep guessing if he’s just a human in a costume or if he might actually be who he claims to be.

The film features a star-studded cast lending their voices to various human characters who help tell the story and add to the comedy. Christoph Waltz voices Max, a film director whom the Minions inadvertently help become a successful filmmaker, at least up until the end of the silent movie period.

Jeff Bridges voices both Frank and Elwood, the twin bosses of the film studio where the Minions stumbled into. Zoey Deutch voices Debbie, a strong-willed suffragette who protests with a group of other women to promote Women’s Rights. Allison Janney voices Olivia, a tour guide at Universal Studios, who showcases Hollywood’s history, which features a surprise cameo by a legendary director.

The majority of the film takes place at the Hollywood studios, as the Minions build their careers and attempt to make their monster film. It’s clear that Minions & Monsters is a love letter to Hollywood history, featuring various references to the black-and-white movie era. Audiences will see homages and fun parodies to Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, Citizen Kane and various iconic movie scenes recreated with the Minions. Seeing familiar scenes from classic films, with other nods and references from the 1920s, provides a fun trip down memory lane.

The Minions are known to not take many things seriously, and people in real life will either find them amusing or find them annoying, even by just the sound of them. They certainly have their own mannerisms that help define their personalities and make them stand out in pop culture. After four Despicable Me movies and now three Minions spinoff films, plus every other media they’ve appeared in, it might feel like they’ve overstayed their welcome by now.

Minions & Monsters provides a fresh new outlet for these yellow creatures to cause chaos on screen, but also allows them to have heartfelt moments to show they’re more than just giggling and clumsy beings. It also has a fair share of adult-themed humour that is certainly funny, but a few really ride that fine line, so parental discretion is advised.

Most Illumination films struggle with pacing and move through the story quite quickly, but this film seems well-paced and allows enough time for audiences of all ages to take in all the big moments. It manages to pack in the right amount of over-the-top slapstick comedy, some wholesome moments and storytelling in 1920s Hollywood studios setting, which itself helps create many interesting scenarios.

One of Illumination’s best qualities is its animation, and Minions & Monsters is another excellent example of their incredible work. All the characters are expressive and full of personality. The Minions convey their emotions and use body language to get their points across, while the human characters help fill in the gaps, making things clearer for the audience, thanks to the talented voice cast. The film’s music was composed by John Powell and has something for every occasion, whilst fitting the 1920s Hollywood theme and the comedic moments happening on screen.

With how popular the Minions became after the first Despicable Me movie, allowing them to star in their own spinoff films created many interesting scenarios for characters who have to rely on their body language and mannerisms to do the talking for them. Their latest venture on the big screen without Gru stands out not only as another film in the franchise but also holds its own against other movies currently in cinemas.

It provides the right amount of comedy without overdoing it and without feeling forced. Minions & Monsters is the perfect family movie just in time for the upcoming school holidays that kids will love, adults can enjoy the nostalgia trip, and everyone can laugh together hysterically. 

Written by: Sammy Hanson