To a large extent, the Universal Studios introduction to the Minions movie captures the entire nature of the film. Never before has a cinema laughed collectively at the otherwise mundane productions introduction, until now. Why? Because the Minions harmoniously and adorably sing the notorious fanfare theme tune, transforming this humdrum necessity into a quirky, cheeky tune. Whilst this splash of 'Minions humor' was an easy touch, albeit a very silly one, it more than satisfies the audience's Minions appetite. This method of direction carries throughout the film and is in large the main reason why this film is such a success: the directors know exactly why people love their little yellow tic-tac heroes and know exactly how to deliver it to them. The Minions themselves at the end of the day are utterly silly but utterly loveable, which is precisely what this movie is.
The plot behind the movie focuses on three Minions who are in search of a leader for the rest of their 'tribe'. The main Minion protagonist is Kevin, the 'Bradley Cooper' of the three Minion Wolfpack. He is blessed with initiative, bravery and sensibility at times of danger. His closest sidekick is Stuart, the guitar welding, cheeky Minion who only accepted the quest based on his popularity. Finally, there's Bob. Bob is the cutest and most adorable Minion by far. Shaped like a fat jaundice baby, he is undoubtedly the 'Galifianakis' of the three-man wolf pack, who provides nothing to the team except from sheer hilarity.
The film goes to great lengths to place the Minions in as many cultures and historical moments as possible. Collectively, we see the Minions faced with the dinosaurs, cavemen, Dracula, Napoleon, polar bears, grizzly bears, kangaroos, Indian dancing, the Moon landing, 60's New York and London. Their encounters with each are creatively hysterical. As a born and bred Brit, I personally loved the Minions' touch on British culture. Admittedly, beneath the policeman sipping tea whilst on pursuit whilst unabashedly mocking the monarchy system lies an embarrassingly harsh reality. Having the Minions charmingly shouting 'mind the gap' whilst hopping off the underground was hilariously endearing.
Unfortunately the film is without flaw. Sandra Bullock's character, Scarlett Overkill, was certainly overkill. As the 'world's most evil villain', Bullock's character is neither funny nor interesting. Her role becomes relevant when the Minion wolf pack desires to work for her and agree to steal the Crown jewels to prove their worth. As the story progresses, Bullock's character turns against the Minions and the film turns into a Minions vs Overkill battle, As a result, the Minions' charm is given a backbench and the audience are left with an ordinary cartoon climax. Plot-wise, this is of course understandable, but unlike Gru, Scarlett Overkill simply has no charm and her antics are over exaggerated, verging on irritating.
In my own opinion, the Minions movie would have been strong enough without the dependence on human characters. Classic cartoons such as Tom and Jerry are perfect because the characters are so strong and the direction of the animation is so creative that dialog because unnecessary. Indeed, the first half of the film that depicted the Minions struggles across time, worked perfectly without any human characters.
Nevertheless, the Minions movie is certainly worth a watch. Kids will love it and adults will undoubtedly find themselves guiltily chuckling along to the creatively charming nature of the film.