Alex Gryciuk
*WARNING! CONTAINS SPOILERS TO THE MOVIE!!
With a 80 million USD budget, a cult-like support from TikTok, and loveable characters, could Minions: the Rise of Gru be the highlight of the Despicable Me franchise? I, included in the millions of Americans that not only dressed in elaborate business formal attire and sold out bananas at Walmart, but also contributed to a record breaking $125 million opening weekend in theaters, asked that same question. Is Minions: the Rise of Gru Gen-Z’s Titanic, Lion King, or Forrest Gump? Is this the movie that defines the 2020’s?
In all honesty, no. No, it is not. In fact, Minions: the Rise of Gru is quite terrible.
To start, the movie falls short on what it promises to the world with its title. Cognitively, The Rise of Gru should at least set the stage for the first Despicable Me movie. More importantly, it should shine a light on the mysterious character that makes these movies so popular. What drove this young super-villian with a soft spot to turn to evil in the first place? Why did he aspire to become a supervillain rather than a superhero? When did he make that decision? What effect does his emotionally absent mother have on his life? All these questions are disappointingly left unanswered. Instead, audiences receive a story about the minions (which already have their own expository movie called Minions) and their first mission under Gru’s leadership: finding and returning the stolen amulet. With the majority of the movie following Stuart, Steve, and Bob’s journey through San Francisco, there is no other mention or storyline centered around Gru and his character besides viewing his first evil heist and when this villain learns to become so devious. A huge let-down, the movie should not be called The Rise of Gru but rather, the Rise of the Minions because of the colossal shift in character development and focus. Utterly disappointing.
Additionally, the movie fails to make any logical sense or follow a good plotline. Following a trend in the movie industry that dumbs down movies, a large chunk of the screen time was taken up by brainless fighting and action scenes. It seems quite out of place for a cartoon or children’s movie to contain about 30% of random martial arts and Kung Fu “lessons” when most children’s movies have a meaningful story about friendship or being a good person. If I wanted action, I’d watch the latest Marvel movie—not the newest minion movie. The rest of the movie, when not in an action sequence, follows a random plot of minions stumbling through town. One second they are on a motorcycle, the next in Chinatown learning kung fu, and the next fighting giant animals. The plot and movie seem like a jumbled mess of random scenes with only one thing in common: minions. Confusing and messy.
Furthermore, the audience is also introduced to new characters, breaking continuity of the Despicable Me franchise. Following a logical timeline, the plot of Minions: The Rise of Gru takes place after the Minions movie and before Despicable Me 1,2, and 3. Yet, we never hear or see any of these newly introduced characters ever again. One of the main characters essential to the plot, Otto the awkward minion, is never once mentioned in any other movie despite his influential role in this movie. Additionally, towards the end of the film, after a fight scene, one of the minions lays an egg and another chicken minion is created. We never hear or see any of these interesting characters before or after the movie takes place. It seems that the movie was rushed and character continuity was not kept in mind. Yikes.
While there is a lot to hate, there are also definitely some positive aspects to this new film. Compared to older movies that have been produced by Illumination, Minions: The Rise of Gru presented a better animation quality. More details, crisper images, and more realistic movements contributed to a higher production value. While watching the film, I also noticed “Easter eggs” that referenced characters and plots in other Despicable Me movies. Scarlet Overkill on a lunch box, Vector’s Dad as a banker, seeing a young AVL agent, and meeting a young Dr.Nefario: all exciting details that one can view. In addition, there were also exciting, detailed references to 70’s thorough music and background animation. Attention to animation details, cute Easter eggs, and overall better picture quality contribute to the list, though rather small, of what I enjoyed in this movie.
Overall, though it was exciting to dress up in FBI-esk fashion and participate in a minion-obsessed trend, I wouldn’t rank this movie highly. Expecting excellence, seven years after the Minions movie and five years after Despicable Me 3, I would have hoped that the newly released film would trump all previous despicable movies with flawless execution in more than just animation. But, with a misleading title, terrible plotline, little substance, and random characters, the movie seems rushed; making the movie seem like a money grab. It had so much potential, yet instead of the sunshine that would part a cloudy day, it fell short and made me certainly leave a bad, bad review. I would rate this movie, out of ten bananas, a three. Hopefully, Despicable Me 4 will be much more enjoyable.