Minions - Kids Korner review - There is a reason they are sidekicks - 2.5 stars (Including: Caroline's review)
Popcorn, M&Ms and a large drink. Roll the film... The jury is out on Minions. We weren't too happy with Penguins of Madagascar. Will this side kick outing be any different?
Kid's Korner rating: 2.25 stars
Caroline's Rating: 3 stars
What do sidekicks need? A hero to follow. In the case of the Minions, they need a super-villain to lead this bulbous bunch. In the third film from the makers of Despicable Me, the story goes back to the beginning of time. From the inception of the world, the minions have been searching for a super-villain to serve. The little yellow creatures have been the indentured servants, comic relief and the downfall of many villains throughout history from Tyrannosaurus Rex to Napoleon. Their existence is an innocent, but continual, parasitic search for the ultimate villain to serve. During a respite between leaders, they find a supposed Minion-topia where they find sanctuary from all who despise them. Yet, during this time they become listless and depressed without fulfilling their villainous purpose. During this dark time, three minions rise from within their yellow homogeneous existence and decide to go out to find a new leader. Kevin, Stuart and Bob travel to 1960's America in their search for their leader and think they find her in Scarlet Overkill (Sandra Bullock), the self-proclaimed female super villain. She takes them on as her new villainous entourage and whisks them away to London to steal the crown and monarchy from Queen Elisabeth where things go bad quickly. The trio must determine if this is the right leader for the Minions.
Entering the theatre where the median age seems to be five years old, there was a buzz about the new Minions adventure from Kyle Balda and Pierre Coffin. The Universal marketing team nailed their pre-school target audience. The Minion fan base was energised by excessive sugar intake and the anticipation of the little yellow men. From the Minion evolution to the indistinguishable dialogue and the pervasive slap stick humour, all parents would have to acknowledge that this will be the DVD on perpetual play in the homes of toddlers for years to come. It did not take too long to realise that this film was meant to capitalise on the popularity of the this citron gang, but unlike Despicable Me it did not have the same connection with parents. The original film was inventive and strangely endearing, providing as much for parents as for children. Minions does not meet the same standard. The storyline barely lifts itself above Saturday afternoon cartoons and the disjointed narrative only has appeal for the young ones in the cinema. In Despicable Me, the transition of Gru from evil villain to a loving father of his lovable orphans provided something for the whole family to enjoy. In the first two films, the minions provided the story filler and comic relief, but in this outing they prove why they were the sidekicks. Even en masse, they do not have the depth to carry their own film. Their farcical style quickly diminishes in drawing laughs and becomes tiresome after the initial sequence. There was hope in the inclusion of Sandra Bullock as Scarlet Overkill, but she never proves to be convincing as a super fem-fatale. In the tradition of capitalising on the marketing appeal of the plucky sidekicks Minions met it's goal, but ultimately this canary-coloured tale is misguided and proves to be a weak outing for Illumination Entertainment. Buy the Happy Meals and the cute t-shirts, but it is probably worth waiting for this tale to come out on DVD.
Entering the theatre where the median age seems to be five years old, there was a buzz about the new Minions adventure from Kyle Balda and Pierre Coffin. The Universal marketing team nailed their pre-school target audience. The Minion fan base was energised by excessive sugar intake and the anticipation of the little yellow men. From the Minion evolution to the indistinguishable dialogue and the pervasive slap stick humour, all parents would have to acknowledge that this will be the DVD on perpetual play in the homes of toddlers for years to come. It did not take too long to realise that this film was meant to capitalise on the popularity of the this citron gang, but unlike Despicable Me it did not have the same connection with parents. The original film was inventive and strangely endearing, providing as much for parents as for children. Minions does not meet the same standard. The storyline barely lifts itself above Saturday afternoon cartoons and the disjointed narrative only has appeal for the young ones in the cinema. In Despicable Me, the transition of Gru from evil villain to a loving father of his lovable orphans provided something for the whole family to enjoy. In the first two films, the minions provided the story filler and comic relief, but in this outing they prove why they were the sidekicks. Even en masse, they do not have the depth to carry their own film. Their farcical style quickly diminishes in drawing laughs and becomes tiresome after the initial sequence. There was hope in the inclusion of Sandra Bullock as Scarlet Overkill, but she never proves to be convincing as a super fem-fatale. In the tradition of capitalising on the marketing appeal of the plucky sidekicks Minions met it's goal, but ultimately this canary-coloured tale is misguided and proves to be a weak outing for Illumination Entertainment. Buy the Happy Meals and the cute t-shirts, but it is probably worth waiting for this tale to come out on DVD.
Caroline's review: Dad asked me, 'Did I like the movie?' It was okay. The little boy sitting next to me really liked it and laughed throughout the whole movie, but his Mum kept looking at her mobile. Minions seemed like it was made for little kids. I did like it, but not as much as the first Despicable Me movie. I think I liked Minions more than Dad. I liked Inside Out much more than Minions. (Contributing writer - Caroline Matthews - age 9)
Reel Dialogue: What are the bigger questions we could ask our kids?
1. Why do we like good leaders? (Psalm 24:4, Galatians 5:22)
2. What does it mean to live with a purpose? (Romans 8:28, Philippians 4:13)
2. What does it mean to live with a purpose? (Romans 8:28, Philippians 4:13)
Kid's Korner are reviews written by Russell Matthews' with his kid's perspective and based on a five star rating system @ Russelling Reviews #russellingreviews #minions
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