‘Minions’ More Fun Than It Ought To Be

Every movie needs a scene that hooks you, that draws you in and lets you know what kind of movie you’re watching. For example, the hook scene in “Star Wars” occurs early on in the film, when that immense Star Destroyer barrels in from out of frame and keeps going and going into the star-filled background. “Minions” has a scene like this, too. It’s a joke involving a time-travelling scientist and the Grandfather Paradox. (No time to explain, Google it.) It’s slow going up to that point, but once “Minions” gets to that point, it has no trouble being an unexpectedly fun little romp.

Spun off from the “Despicable Me” movies, “Minions” traces the origins of Gru’s little yellow henchmen. Minions’ sole purpose for being is to serve the biggest, baddest baddie they can find. After centuries of failure, the Minions decide to settle down.

But something is missing from the Minion’s lives, and one of their number named Kevin decides he needs to set out in search of a boss for his fellow Minions to serve. He takes Minions Stewart and Bob with him, and they embark on a quest that sees them run afoul of Scarlett Overkill (Sandra Bullock), the world’s premiere super villainess.

”Minions” is predictable, silly, and simplistic. Somehow, none of that matters too much. The writers and animators have done a brilliant job to get a film carried by three little yellow dudes who speak a bunch of jibber-jabber to work. Though you can’t understand most of the words Kevin, Stewart, and Bob speak, you always understand what they are saying. That’s no small feat. The jokes don’t always work, but when they do, they are really quite funny. And the film avoids becoming too heavy-handed or message-driven. It’s comfortable just being fun.

The voice work is solid but unremarkable, although Jon Hamm sounds like he’s having a blast playing Herb Overkill. The visual scope isn’t overly impressive. But, the filmmakers know the focus should always be on the antics of the three lead Minions, and they thankfully don’t get sidetracked. “Minions” gets a lot less interesting when Kevin, Stewart, and Bob aren’t onscreen, so the filmmakers wisely keep them front and center.

”Minions” could have been, and perhaps should have been, crummy. It’s a kiddie movie filled with slapstick antics and characters who babble gobbledygook. But thanks to good character animation, smart writing and surprisingly deft humor, it’s a pretty fun flick. If your kids are bugging you to take them to see “Minions”, you can rest assured that you’ll get a few good chuckles out of the experience.

3 Indy Fedoras out of 5

MPAA Rating: PG