Susan Granger’s review of “Minions: The Rise of Gru” (Illumination Entertainment/Universal Pictures)
For fun, familiar entertainment, families are ready to come back to theaters. The unexpectedly strong debut of “Minions: The Rise of Gru” proved that. Previously, the original “Despicable Me” (2010) spun off two sequels in 2012 and 2017 and a prequel in 2015.
In this installment of the madcap cartoon franchise, Gru’s story begins in 1976 as the Vicious 6, a group of super-villains (voiced by Lucy Lawless, Taraji P. Henson, Dolph Lundgren, Danny Trejo and Jean-Claude Van Damme…a.k.a. “Jean-Clawed”), oust their legendary leader, Wild Knuckles (voiced by Alan Arkin), after acquiring a mystical medallion known as the Zodiac jewel.
Although Gru (voiced by Steve Carell) is only a 12 year-old, living in suburbia, he already has hundreds of tiny Minions (all voiced by Pierre Coffin) at his beck-and-call. Yet when he’s invited to join the Vicious 6, they mock his youth. So he simply steals their newly acquired supernatural stone to prove he’s ready, willing and able propagate their evil endeavors. And that’s actually Julie Andrews’ voice as Gru’s mother.
But one of his blundering henchmen loses the gem and Gru is kidnapped and taken to San Francisco. Then, a martial arts master/acupuncturist, known as Master Chow (voiced by Michelle Yeoh), teaches loyal Minions Bob, Stuart and Kevin the skills they need for a rescue. So much for plot.
Simplistically scripted by Matthew Fogel and, once again, directed by Kyle Balda, along with Brad Abelson, and Jonathan De Val, it’s got lots of sight gags and physical humor from those energetic, titular, yellow, pill-shaped, subserviant creatures, clad in blue denim overalls and goggles, babbling incomprehensible, high-pitched gibberish – a.k.a. Minionese – comprised of multiple European languages.
On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, “Minions: The Rise of Gru” is a sweetly satirical, slapstick 7, playing in theaters – with Minions merchandise flooding stores.
