After centuries of following the biggest and more ruthless baddies in history for numerous centuries, the Minion species has been in something of a limbo without a boss, leading to a species-wide case of depression. So three Minions (all voiced by director Pierre Coffin) decide to go out and find themselves a new villain to find. From there, all sorts happens, ranging from a standard exploration of 1960s America, to the ingenious Villain Con and then to London to inadvertently become part of royalty following an incursion set up by #1 bad guy Scarlet Overkill (Sandra Bullock) and husband Herb (Jon Hamm). It's a somewhat messy story with plot threads being stretched to intertwine with one another, all while having the odd Minion-ised musical number and a whole lot of slapstick comedy. As a concept it's a fine plot, with some ideas being surprisingly well thought of, but unfortunately those moments get bombarded by a quick change of story prospect and newer ways to interpret the typical comedy.
The comedy is something which is dependant on tastes. Going by the screening I was in, it's something which the majority enjoys - meaning I'm in the minority by barely laughing. The jokes are pushed front and centre in many cases - with a few of them being eyebrow-raising because of the line they're close to crossing - as they delay the already overlong plot for a small handful of sight gags and a whole lot of Minion mayhem. If that's your thing, then you'll enjoy it. If not, then you may only have a few moments of enjoyment.
As side characters, the Minions are somewhat enjoyable. As leads? No different. Whilst their language - which at times consists of French and Spanish - can be a little overbearing during moments between others of their race, the contrast with the humans makes it a tad more bearable, and the three leads (Kevin, Bob and Stuart) are distinguishable by both their designs and characteristics. However, those characteristics do occasionally become sidelined for comedy. Stuart is introduced as a musical type, but only has a couple of moments revolving around that. Bob is the child-like innocent one, and is by far the most consistent, while Kevin as a character gets pushed aside altogether midway through to make way for a Muppet Movie-esque finale. The first main humans, the Nelson family, are also sufferers of this in both their big main scenes from the second trailer and their occasional glimpses during the rest. Michael Keaton's breadwinner is fine but in his later appearances is a tad overdone; Allison Janney's mother looks like she's been taken out of The Lorax and plays a typical mother; while the son is practically non-existent and the girl can't make up her mind. As for the big bad herself, Bullock's voice doesn't really carry out as well as expected. She fits the character design, but the zaniness of the role is, at times, too far from her reach. Hamm is a typical lackey by comparison, while other appearances by the likes of Jennifer Saunders and the narration by Geoffrey Rush can be rather distracting.
As for character designs, there's nothing particularly new compared to the Me series. Some characters seem to be standard retreads of pre-existing characters from other films like The Lorax, and in some cases crowd scenes consist entirely of pre-made characters, even if they aren't even involved in the scene itself. The 2D animation at the start is quite nice, and the film is filled with such bright colours that the designated audience will be captivated by it, but those craving more will be dissatisfied.
Minions is like a bouncy ball. Throw the bouncy Minion characters into a scenario, and children will enjoy watching it bounce around its surroundings until it begins to slow down - before throwing that same ball into a new scenario. It's a film good for primarily its target audience, but for those above the age of 8 may be disappointed against the family friendly fare of its counterparts. 5/10.
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