Minions: The Rise of Gru

It may feel in total like this franchise is running out of steam, or at least fresh and creative ideas- but Minions The Rise of Gru does manage to be decently entertaining and charming enough to be worth at least a one time watch. A lot of people, critics included, bash the 2015 film Minions for a lack of a true plot among many other things- but in my personal opinion I actually enjoyed the first minions movie and may even find it better than this one. Although both films are flawed, Minions had a very clear although frantic vision set in mind for ts characters- and never felt like a combination of two completely different films like this one did. So what is it about this film that makes it worth watching? Well the animation for one is absolutely fantastic, gorgeous visuals that are easily the best to ever come out of Illumination in their company's entire run. Kid Gru is also a fun and charming lead, and i'll be darned if the minions silly gags didn't charm me from time to time and even earn a chuckle or two (the airplane scene most of all). Its plot is truly all over the place, much like the first film, and its focus on characters feels very divided- as well as its focus on future characters come to be in the franchise considering and reminding the audience how this is a prequel- in case the 70's vibes wouldn't tell you otherwise. I don't know, its entertaining it has its moments and I found some fun in it. Its an uneven little flick but its use of colorful visuals and fun characters make it decent enough for a pleasant experience- and certainly trumps the third Despicable Me film and latest franchise release before this one almost 5 years ago. It's hard to believe this franchise is still going, and how it still manages to propel itself forward, but in this age of commercialization and franchises- Minions the Rise of Gru can be more tolerable than most.

My Rating: 6.2/10.

'Minions: The Rise of Gru' follows 11 3/4 year old Gru (voiced by Steve Carrell) trying to make a name for himself and join the ranks of an elite villians group, the Vicious 6. With humble beginnings as a troublemaker in his mother's basement, the minions (voiced by Pierre Coffin) are determined to help him succeed in his mission.

The film is a sort of origin story for Gru, despite having elusions to his childhood in the 1st and 3rd movies. The wacky and wonderful minions carry the film, but sadly, the plot seems haphazard. The henchmen, Jean-Clawed (voice by Jean-Claude Van Damme), Svengeance (voiced by Dolph Lundgren), and Stronghold (voiced by Danny Trejo) all seem to be second-string compared to Belle Bottom (voiced by Taraji P. Henson) and Wild Knuckles (voiced by Alan Arkin). The animation is fairly standard of the earlier movies, the flow is solid, and the film's ending kind of makes sense, but the plot in general is a bit of a hodgepodge.

Worth a watch with the kids.

The movie did have some solid laughs, but they really overdid it with the butt jokes and fart jokes. That just doesn't appeal to me (although I know who it does appeal to, so I'm somewhat sympathetic). Otherwise I would've given it an 8. Still, a fun short watch.

Minions: Rise of Gru is a step up from the last time we've gotten a Despicable Me prequel, but actually create the origins of Gru himself. It may have a mediocre story and some of the jokes can end up a bit and miss. But it does find a way to develop a story for Gru and how he became a villain. Along with upgraded animation that stands out from the previous films, engaging action scenes, and entertaining additions with the Vicious 6. I know that the fans of the franchise are gonna enjoy this. But mostly for the kids to see the Minions' funny antics. I won't say it's the best of the franchise, but this is the prequel we needed all along. Now the timeline is complete, I guess this is it for Despicable M- I'm sorry, what? There's gonna be a fourth movie next year? Why do we need a fourth film? The third concluded the franchise nicely.

Nothing too impressive or new.. Te scenes look contrived. Learning kung-fu scenes were an utter waste of time. Too slapstick even for kids. Hope there will be a better storyline next time.