(Review) “Minions & Monsters” is a hilarious celebration of movie magic and not much else
Universal and Illumination’s latest animated adventure, “Minions & Monsters,” is packed with gags, slapstick comedy and Minion mayhem. But beneath all of the silliness is something I wasn’t expecting—a genuine appreciation for the art of filmmaking itself. This spoiler-free movie review is meant to be helpful for parents, Minions fans and theme park enthusiasts too.
Rating: 4 out of 5 bananas
There are plenty of family movies that aim to leave audiences with a heartfelt lesson by the time the credits roll. “Minions & Monsters” has a much simpler goal: make people laugh. It succeeds.
A celebration of the movies themselves
“Minions & Monsters” is another fast-paced Minions comedy. This time there are some outlandish monsters, though nothing massively horrifying. In fact, the first half of the movie is rather pleasant and a tribute to the early age of Hollywood.
Throughout the first half of the film, there are affectionate nods to Hollywood’s Golden Age, classic monster movies, elaborate studio productions, and the creative people behind the camera who make movie magic possible.
Related: Wendy’s reveals ‘Minions & Monsters’ Meal and toys
Parents: Here’s what to expect
Despite featuring movie monsters, “Minions & Monsters” is much less scary than I expected. There is one genuine jump scare involving the shark sequence that has already appeared in the trailers and television spots. Once that moment passes, the movie stays firmly in family-friendly territory, though at the height of the final act of the film there is lots of action and monster moments, but nothing dark and insidious.
During my screening, I didn’t notice any families leaving early because children were frightened or overwhelmed. A few younger kids became a little squirmy during some moments—as you’d expect during any feature-length movie.
Photo by Dani Meyering
By the end of the film, several school-age children around me were enthusiastically calling it “awesome” and talking about how much fun they had.
To help kids know what to expect, it may be fun to show them some of the movie theater merchandise from Regal and Cinemark, which show a variety of characters and looks from the film.
Plenty of laughs, but not many life lessons
Many family films eventually arrive at themes about friendship, courage, perseverance, or family. “Minions & Monsters” never really goes there, though friendship is prevalent in the character establishment.
Instead, it focuses almost entirely on entertaining audiences through nonstop comedy and visual spectacle. Sometimes that’s exactly what families are looking for. For some moviegoers, something is refreshing about spending 90 minutes simply laughing together.
Strong cast, memorable characters
The voice cast is entertaining throughout, though two performances occasionally reminded me a little too much of the actors behind them.
Jeff Bridges’ unmistakable voice sometimes pulled my attention away from his characters because an effect or affect was utilized. While Trey Parker‘s sarcastic Goomi frequently reminded me of Cartman from “South Park” since he’s played that character for decades. Neither performance hurts the movie, but both were recognizable enough that I occasionally found myself thinking about the actors instead of the characters.
Photo by Dani Meyering
A movie that belongs in Universal’s parks
As I watched the film, I couldn’t help but imagine how naturally it fits within Universal’s theme parks.
Universal Orlando Resort and Universal Studios Hollywood already have dedicated Minions experiences, but “Minions & Monsters” embraces Hollywood’s Golden Age in a way that feels tailor-made for the Hollywood areas of the parks.
I’d love to see pieces of this film incorporated into those existing Hollywood streets, further celebrating the company’s nearly century-long relationship with filmmaking.
Final thoughts
If you’re looking for pure fun and are okay with chaos and over-the-top antics, this movie is an easy recommendation. If your family is choosing between this and “Toy Story 5,” you will find more emotional depth and lasting life lessons in Pixar’s addition to the box office lineup. But if what you need most right now is 90 minutes of carefree laughter together, “Minions & Monsters” delivers exactly that—and judging by the conversations I overheard after the screening, families were leaving with smiles on their faces.
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