The minions are back! And this time they are bringing mayhem and monsters to Hollywood in Minions & Monsters.
As with all Minions movies, it starts with the minions on a quest to find the most villainous boss to serve.
In this instalment, we are introduced to James, Henry and Eric. James is a creative dreamer, who rows with his feet so that he can doodle in his sketchbook. Henry is his ever-willing sidekick, happy to partake in all of James’ plans. Eric rounds out the trio as the quiet observer. Eric is deaf and rather than token minority inclusion, we get a lovely scene where all three of them are communicating in sign language. It’s a big plus from me, that kids will see them all using sign language instead of relying on Eric to write down all his thoughts.
The trio (aka James) are the reason why every attempt to secure a boss long-term fails. After a series of hilarious flops, including a lego-like accident gone horribly wrong, the Minions find themselves in Hollywood.
But this isn’t just any version of Hollywood. This is the Golden Era of Hollywood, when film studios reigned supreme and business was booming. To be specific, it’s the late 1920s when the silent era is on its way out. It is an interesting time period choice for a kid’s movie but one which works perfectly.
Firstly, the Minions are the perfect characters for the silent era.
This might seem counterintuitive, seeing how the Minions are known for their distinctive language that blends gibberish and random words from different languages. In fact, part of the appeal of Minion language is that beyond sounding adorable, it provides tidbits for adults to have a giggle over. (Keep an ear out in the first half of the movie when James has to get rid of a monster he summoned).
However, they are equally known for their over the top, highly visual brand slapstick humour. Turn the sound off for any of the comedic sequences and you will still be able to follow the madness. The kids get to experience this first hand, watching the Minions in a silent movie.
Seeing these older film forms also makes for a great segue into the mechanics of moviemaking.
Most children have access to phones. If given free rein, they can easily start filming content and creating their own vlogs. Consequently, movies may not seem as grand to this generation’s children. Minions & Monsters introduces the concept of directors, silent film accompanists, splicing celluloid film and storyboards. It makes for great post-movie discussion. In fact, the next time my son asks why a sequel is taking so long, I might reference this movie.
The film industry setting also offers the self-referential Easter eggs that pique adults’ interest, including a surprise cameo from a Hollywood legend. I’m a sucker for pop culture, so the opening scene of a guide showing a tour group around a studio lot triggered a few chuckles.
But the film studio setting isn’t just an ornamental background. While they are initially cast in silent movies, their signature gibberish is disastrous for the new talkies. Some minions are satisfied with giving up the silver screen but James turns his attention and creativity to moviemaking.
While the rest of the Minions soldier on in their quest for a new master, the trio focus on making their first feature film – this splits the movie into two concurrent plotlines. It seems illogical at first but, without giving too much away, it comes together neatly in the final act of the movie.
The main plot involves an adorable, Flubber-looking, mini-Cthulhu called Goomi. Conjured from a stolen spell book, he seems like a friendly little guy who is keen to help the minions create the ultimate monster movie. They go on an adventure to recruit more monsters. It carries the same slapstick humour, the monsters’ demeanours and witchcraft just give it a darker edge.
That said, I wouldn’t necessarily warn families of these scary monsters. The highly comedic franchise turns these otherwise scary beasts into caricatures – so even if they don’t look cute, they don’t look particularly threatening.
The only thing I would warn audiences about is the toilet humour. While this is another signature of the Minions franchise, I feel a couple of the jokes in this instalment teeter closer to the crude end of the scale. Every family is different, but consider yourself warned of the bums and naked Minions. As a mum of a seven-year-old boy, suffice to say that fart jokes are a staple of our daily lives.
Nevertheless, Minions & Monsters does a splendid job of balancing seemingly contradictory elements into a crowd pleaser. There is toilet humour but this is a small side dish in the comedic feast of the movie. You’d think the kids would be bored of the silent movie recreation but it got just as many hearty laughs as every other bit in the movie – proving again the calibre of the slapstick on screen. There are scary monsters but Goomi and a pink bunny spectre are too adorable to take as a serious threat – I’d totally buy a plushie of either if they were available. A family film that caters to everyone both in general feel and niche moments is a rare find.
To paraphrase a character in the movie – there’s no greater joy than watching a movie in a theatre full of people. It’s certainly a sentiment I could get behind after watching the preview of Minions and Monsters. The communal joy from laughing with the rest of the audience was infectious. If you love the Minions/Despicable Me franchise, Minions and Monsters ranks among the best of them. This is a strong contender for the top spot this school holidays.
Minions and Monsters is now showing in theatres.
PS: Do stick around after the main story has finished. There are 5 mini scenes that will tickle your funny bone.