Minions & Monsters (Christian Movie Review)
The minions manage to serve up some good laughs and chaotic fun, and the movie’s tour through the history of cinema is an unexpected treat, but the minions themselves seem less amusing this time in a story that feels like an animated short stretched into a full-length film.
About the Film
As Pixar and DreamWorks push their animated storytelling into more mature and sophisticated directions, Illumination’s loveable minions remain a throwback to the chaotic slapstick days of Hollywood’s “Looney Tunes” past. In Minions & Monsters, they bring their trademark crazy antics, gibberish talk, and unhinged mayhem, even as the series takes a slight detour into new and—dare we say–more mature territory. It feels different from the previous entries, begging the question—do we actually want a more mature Minions movie?
The minions manage to serve up some good laughs and chaotic fun, and the movie’s tour through the history of cinema is an unexpected treat, but the minions themselves seem less amusing this time in a story that feels like an animated short stretched into a full-length film. I think Minions & Monsters is a better “Minions movie” than a great “Minions movie.”
The movie has received high praise from some movie critics, which is understandable since the film is a heartfelt love letter to cinema. Its expedition through the various eras and key moments in movie making history is charming and provides a thematic thread to the otherwise disjointed series of comic sketches. It’s endearing, lovingly done, and perfect fodder for adult film critics and cinephiles. But, I’m curious whether it will work as well for younger viewers (the presumed target audience) who won’t be as jazzed about a homage to Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, or The Great Train Robbery (1903).
The advantage of the spin-off Minions series, existing outside of the mainline Despicable Me films, is that the minions can be fully unleashed. Instead, the minions feel surprisingly subdued here – almost as if they’ve been inserted into another movie – rather than Minions & Monsters being a fully conceived Minions film. They seem much more “human” than usual, which mutes some of the joy of the characters in the first place.
Of course, “subdued” is relative, and there’s still some delightfully wacky chaos here. The opening sequence – featuring little dialogue other than the gibberish “minionese” – is delightful, and a wild third act will have audiences grinning from start to finish. Antidotally, despite seeming unresponsive while watching, both of my 11-year-old sons claimed to really enjoy it afterwards.
Between that entertaining beginning and climax, however, much of the film’s middle portion flounders. I frequently found myself wondering, “Where is this going?” The film often appears to be setting up a joke or a crazy scene only to move on without much (or any) payoff. A spacesuit wearing overlord named Dort (voiced by Jesse Eisenberg) is the worst culprit, an annoying character that’s never as fun as the film seems to think he is, and his excessive screentime constantly brings the story to a screeching halt.
From a Christian perspective, the prominence of magic is noteworthy. On several occasions, the minions conjure supernatural monsters from a spell book to use them in their film (a case of literal “movie magic”). At the end, it’s ultimately revealed that the entire movie has actually been an in-world minion-made film, and that nothing on screen represents the “real world” (although the end credits suggest that perhaps the magic spellbook is real after all). The magic is used more as a classic movie trope than anything sinister, but audiences sensitive to the inclusion of any fictional magic may be uncomfortable with it.
In the end, I commend Minions & Monsters for its attempt to be a meaningful story about something more than just mindless minion slapstick, but I would have traded some of the classic Hollywood references for a just few more laugh-inducing moments. I never thought the day would come when I wanted “more minion,” but I also never expected one of the best tributes to classic cinema to come from this franchise! Still, regardless of whether it’s among the best or worst in the series, the minions remain the minions, and as has been proven over and over, that’s probably all that matters.
For Consideration
On the Surface—(Profanity, Sexual content, violence, etc.).
Language: There is one surprising profanity (“get lost you handsome b—ard”). Also, one minion’s name is “Dick.” It’s not an uncommon name, but the film clearly uses it as a joke.
Violence: Most of the violence is of bloodless Looney Tunes variety. The most extreme case comes when a human queen is inadvertently decapitated (a moment featured in most of the film’s trailers). A human wizard is turned into dust by a laser.
Sexuality: There are various naked minion or monster rear ends, and one minion wears only a thong. A large monster, who is clearly a male, oddly wears a seashell bikini top that he frequently adjusts throughout the film. Also, while never explicitly established in the film, it’s possible to interpret the close friendship and connection between two of the male minions through a lens of a budding attraction, with a few suggestive moments, although the friendship may well be merely platonic. There are also several moments where human females seem attracted to the minions (including some fictional scenes as part of the in-world movies being filmed).
Other: In several scenes, the minions drink beverages that look like cocktails.
Engage The Film
Why Movies Matter
The film is a clear love letter to cinema. It even works to set the minions within the context of Hollywood’s history, as a sort of spiritual successor to the era of the silent, physical comedy. Minions & Monsters shows the ways that movies can inspire and bring people together. The minions spend much of their existence searching for their purpose and trying to find an evil new “big boss” to serve. By the end, however, the movie they create sees these minions banding together to defeat evil and save people, a stark contrast to their previous ambitions.
Some Christians may take a cynical position and find it fitting that after a lifetime of looking for the evilest overlords to follow the minions end up in Hollywood! But the film is a reminder of the positive role cinema and “movie magic” plays in our lives. Jesus taught primarily through parables (Matthew 13:34). There is power in a well-told story, and cinema is the area where many of the most impactful and inspiring stories are told these days.
Minions & Monsters also offers a positive message about the creative community. The main cast of minions feel out of place among the less imaginative and more pragmatic larger group. Not all the minions recognize or value their creativity, but they find strength in their smaller friend group, working together to create a film. Whether applied to creative pursuits, or merely swimming upstream of the crowd, there are some positive takeaways for younger (and older) viewers.
