Minions & Monsters review – Love letter to Hollywood features stellar voice cast | Films | Entertainment

Not since the days of their classic monsterverse have Universal Studios had creations with the broad appeal of the Minions. The inept yellow creatures have proved a global sensation since they first appeared as secondary characters in 2010’s Despicable Me. The affection with which the characters and their movies are held is proven by the excellent voice cast here – all huge stars in their own right. The character’s creator, director and voice Pierre Coffin is back. Also lending their dulcet tones to this outing are Hollywood heavyweights Trey Parker, Allison Janney, Christoph Waltz, Jesse Eisenberg, Jeff Bridges and Zoey Deutch.

This is the Minions’ third solo big screen outing, but it is actually more of a prequel as it is set in 1920, 48 years before the events of their first movie, released in 2015. Surprisingly, it doesn’t feature the Minions fans have become familiar with, such as Kevin and Bob, but rather a different tribe featuring new characters called James, Henry and Ed, bringing their own brand of animated anarchy.

They inadvertently become involved in the early Hollywood movie industry when they stumble across a train robbery, and chase after the perpetrator hoping to become his henchmen.

However, the heist was actually a staged performance for a film and having got their foot in the door they become a global phenomenon, appearing in several silent films, and enjoying all the trappings of movie stardom.

In a rather meta take on what really happened to silver screen stars when sound arrived, the Minions are unable to adapt to the new audio technology when it becomes the norm, due to their language being incomprehensible

Undeterred, they decide to make their own movie by summoning the monsters of the title using a spellbook from a former Warlock master. Of course, this being the Minions, it isn’t quite as straightforward as shooting a flick with their creation, and chaos ensues, leaving The Minions to, yet again, save the world.

Obviously, this isn’t War and Peace. The Minions movies are just a series of constructed scenarios to showcase the little guys’ ineptitude. However, what gives this more depth than most similar flicks is its affection for old Hollywood.

You can sense the love the creators have for the classic films that shaped the industry. It is fitting it is distributed by Universal who have been a feature in the moviemaking city since 2012.

By resisting the temptation to simply continue the story of the characters we had already met, Coffin has expanded the Minionverse and opened the door to even more storytelling opportunities. Unlike many animated offerings, there is no deep message here. It won’t take you on the emotional roller coaster of a Pixar Movie. It is simply delightful fun.

This movie won’t change the world and isn’t going to leave you pondering your existence. But it will solidly entertain you for 90 minutes and sometimes that is all you need.

Minions & Monsters is in cinemas on July 1.