Minions and Monsters Review: The goobers' magic returns
This series has always been such a finicky, hit-or-miss set of films for me. The first film is one of the greatest animated films of all time, and while Despicable Me 2 and Minions 2 are seriously solid, the other three are just genuine misfires for me. This movie was practically a chore in my mind; I only went because I had to write this review and let my little cousins know they should skip this one. No Gru, Bob, Stuart, and Kevin? Not a follow-up to Rise of Gru? I was so cynical, which is crazy to say about a kids' movie about yellow goblins who love bananas, but... I digress. Thanks for joining me today, and I hope you enjoy this review and your time on the site!
I'm going to tackle each aspect I was skeptical about and examine whether this film's pivots were for better or worse. First of all, is the humor any better than the excessively juvenile, unwitty stuff on the last few? Absolutely. This may just be the funniest film Illumination has ever put out. That's because this film finally attempts to venture away from potty humor, relying instead on more intellectual jokes about how the Minions navigate the 1920s. This obviously includes the movie industry, but that's not its entirety—this is not the case of a pretentious film critic wanting to see yet another industry-referencing movie. If anything, the trope is getting pretty old. No, the wit comes from more than its wonderful reverence for Golden Age Hollywood. It comes through the Minions becoming women's rights activists. It comes through the Minions being train-chasing mock-cowboys and practitioners of dark magic. The humor is the Minions' humor at its absolute best, to the point that this film finally convinced me that the Minions don't need Gru to have a successful movie, as the original Minions led me to believe—they just needed a much more earnest script.
Secondly, the glaring problem that made me worry about the film: the new trio. Outside of some credits scenes with the old characters, it’s just James, Henry, and Ed here. And, honestly, they’re awesome. I’d say they’re almost as good as the OG trio! James is the heart and the main character who wants to make the movie. Henry is definitely the weak link—and the reason why I say this trio is slightly worse—but he’s still a good and loyal buddy to his friends. Ed is a huge highlight, being a deaf Minion who uses sign language to communicate. It’s so wholesome to see how kindly the other Minions treat him! While Ed is unfortunately underutilized throughout the film, I’m really hoping he’ll be back again for at least one more movie.
The main highlights were honestly the other characters, though! Minions always need some human or human-adjacent friends to associate with to really work their magic. Here, we’ve got awesome, eccentric characters like Max Monster, Goomi, Howard, Irma, and Phillips! The latter are the really funny characters that the Minions have to film and beat by the end of the film (in a series of scenes that are surprisingly violent, like the rest of the movie), and the former is the whimsical, supportive mentor to James. Some of his scenes with James made me a tad emotional!
But the best character here—and probably my new second-favorite character in the series behind Agnes—is Dort. A robot bent on conquering the world, Dort recruits the Minions for domination... but Dort is far too kind, and instead ends up in a sweet romance with Debbie. I really could ditch Gru and the Minions for a decade or two and just watch Dort spin-offs; he’s that awesome. The character cast in this film is honestly nearly as good as the OG's!
The plot is heartwarming and is up there with the first film in its balance of humor, heart, and crime. Many people have criticized the pacing and plot structure, but I wouldn’t change a thing, as I thoroughly enjoyed its unique nature. The only thing I love about this franchise that I miss here is the role of a funny villain and a proper crime organization. By comparison, Goomi just felt less conniving and unique. I also think the film could've used about ten more minutes of Dort; it was practically a war crime that we didn't get ten straight minutes of him and Debbie just making out.
The Reel Ranker Verdict
Reel or Unreel? - Reel
The Reel Ranker Score: 88%
Letter Score: S-
Star Ranking: 4.5 out of 5
Minions & Monsters isn't just another cute, fun, forgettable, and juvenile entry in this series. This one has a soul. With incredibly memorable characters, the wittiest humor in Illumination's filmography, and a pure, beating heart, this movie finally recaptured the series' magic, reminding me why these little yellow goobers are so special.
Interested in checking out some recent reviews for some other animated films? See them below!
Brighton NelsonEnjoy this review? Stay tuned for more articles from The Reel Ranker! Enjoy video games, music, or books? Check out our sister site, RPG Ranked, Mr. Maestro, and Brighton's Bookshelf, respectively!
