Random Movie Review: Minions

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So, being a Slytherin, I have to say... I like villains. I like bad guys. I like the people that are dispicable... But what's a bad guy without their minions? SPOILERS!
Here's the interesting thing, by all accounts, this film shouldn't work for adults. This film should not be that entertaining for us. Realistically, it should not be that entertaining for anyone older than age 10.

But it is.

Like Despicable Me, there are a few more adult jokes scattered about, though for the most part this doesn't ruin it's charm, nor does it stand out (save the topless joke, which was thankfully short-lived. But, really, there are references like the "Hair" segment and a few Beatles references (it was 1968) that elicited a few rounds of laughter from the audience. But this wasn't why I liked the movie. It was something I appreciated, but it wasn't the real star, nor the draw.

It was Loony Tunes.  The film was basically an extended and well done Loony Tunes film. Kevin, Stuart and Bob were basically a Bugs, Daffy and Porky-esque character trio that did well with slap stick humor. Really, this was the best thing in the film. Slapstick, the humor was funny because people were suffering, and usually for good reasons. The opening bit with the minions, while a bit long, was hilarious. Master after master was tormented and killed usually due to the minions' "inexperience." A pharoh was crushed, Dracula scorched, a caveman eaten, really most of the minions' masters met unfortunate ends as they were well... despicable! After a long line of masters, the main trio of minions manages to impress Scarlet Overkill (and on the way manage a few laughs, temporarily teaming up with a family that stops to "stretch their legs" by robbing a bank. Though truly, it's this first part of the movie that sort of lags. The slapstick isn't as good, partially because few people genuinely deserve it, and the pain is kept a little two short for the most part, and after landing in New York it's just slow till the Villain Con segment comes up. When that happens and the Minions make their way south to reach the convention, that's really where the laughs begin to pick up and the plot truely takes off.

So about Scarlett, she's wonderful, and perfectly complements her husband Herb. she is very much a great villain as well as antagonist. You can sort of tell how evil she is with the projected confidence, and the slight "mothering" she does with the minions prior to threatening them. In this scene she does carry an axe, though the moment ends just a bit too soon for the joke to be entirely sold,  too short to be uncomfortable, too long to be just a "maybe." So from this, the slapstick takes off and carries the rest of the movie. In their quest to get the crown for Scarlet, the hiest goes TERRIBLY wrong, and through strange circumstance, Bob becomes the King of England, infuriating Scarlett and setting her on a slow but steady warpath, as she loses her temper. They could have done a bit better here, had Herb talk, try and calm her, but he was just too goofy for it (which worked to their advantage) and Scarlett didn't immediataely shoot at and try and kill the minions to prompt the turning over. She did threaten some violence but it was no where near as unhinged as she was later on in the film.

Really, from the point Bob is made king onward it turns out poorly for Scarlet, sure she's going to be corinated, but she sends herb to torture the minions, with none of the machines working out well, and Herb instead taking pictures of themselves on the machines. However, there's one thing that I would have changed at this point... I would have loved it if he accidentally locked himself in the stockade, but he didn't and instead left the minions to their own devices.

This of course plays out poorly, and the Minions steal some flowers from a funeral (for Scarlet) andthen run to the coronation, getting on a chandelier to escape a bee, and in their attempt to run from the bee, they nearly kill Overkill, sending her off the deep end and resulting in her plans thwarted, with a child at the end beating her by stealing the crown from her after a massive showdown with the minions.

Really, it's Scarlet's suffering that makes this movie. If she wasn't such an unlikable villain, certain parts of the film would have played poorly. The minions in their innocence continually screwing over Overkill worked great, and because you had that slow temper burn, it made the payoff even better, and THIS is why I would compare it to Loony Tunes. Scarlet is the Wiley Coyote or Elmer Fudd in the film. And it is SO much fun to watch her get her comeuppance and see her scream and snap over trying to become princess Queen (FINALLY A WOMAN THAT CHOOSES THE RIGHT TITLE). The film just wants to have fun! And it wants Overkill to suffer. There were moments straight out of Rocky and Bullwinkle, and others that were just out of a classic cartoon. But this is probably just my view here. If you didn't like the classic cartoons, or just weren't interested in minions, this probably wouldn't be a good film for you, because well, it's filled with gags and slapstick, and I could tell that if I didn't LIKE slapstick, some of it would be a bit annoying, because well, its 90% of the movie's best qualities. The story isn't complex. The characters aren't deep. The movie is not this challenging thing. But it is FUNNY.

So if you like minions, or you're a fan of classic slapstick, stooge-ery or Loony Tunes, check out Minions. It is worth it, and it will have you and your kids laughing along.

So listen, and enjoy