WRITER'S NOTE: The following is a collection of reviews posted on my Instagram page @film_freeq. They’ve been organized by their initial release dates and have been slightly edited.
Here's a brief look back at what may be Universal Pictures' most popular animated franchise. Minions assemble!
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Despicable Me (2010)
The debut feature film from Illumination Entertainment was a surprise smash at the turn of the decade. In an era of computer-animated juggernauts by Pixar, DreamWorks, and Blue Sky, it was surprising to see an original story about a wanna-be supervillian (amusingly voiced by who else but Steve Carell) who attempts to pull of the greatest crime of all-time: stealing the moon.
When he mischievously adopts three orphaned girls to help him, they soon grow on him and eventually change his outlook on life for the better. In short, what begins as a clever and consistently-funny action-comedy (the pill-shaped henchman Minions steal the show) slowly becomes a heartwarming adventure about family. How's that for a surprise?
FUN FACT: This would've been fun to see in theaters in 3D, if only for the theme park and end credits sequences.
Despicable Me 2 (2013)
There's no denying the Despicable Me film series is a crowd-pleasing affair. The zany, yellow pill-shaped Minions have since become a staple in pop culture. The catchy tune "Happy" (from the 2013 sequel) has since made prolific music artist/producer Pharrell Williams a household name (just as Disney's Frozen did for Idina Menzel that same year). And the quality in animation courtesy Illumination Entertainment has competed fairly well with the likes of DreamWorks and Pixar. But the 2013 megahit is actually a more significant film than most people give it credit for.
Again, the animation has improved greatly since its 2010 predecessor. (Illumination had made only three films by this point.) The laughs keep coming, and they're consistently hilarious. Even though the Minions steal more of the spotlight this time around, Despicable Me 2 is a very worthwhile story of family and parenting. Former supervillian Gru adjusts to his new role as a father figure and keeping his former days behind him. Things get exciting when he's called by an "anti-villian" spy organization (including Kristen Wiig's quirky agent Lucy Wilde) to stop an old nemesis.
This was the first time the studio had changed their marketing strategy, as early trailers played like extended clips from the movie. Even though that strategy has generally shifted to "what you see is what you get" for subsequent releases, it really paid off with Despicable Me 2. A few crude moments (including a questionable "fake death") are a bit much in what is otherwise an accessible and universal comedy. This is Illumination's best film, and one of the greatest sequels ever made. I'll even go so far as calling it one of the best animated films of all-time.
Minions (2015)
The inevitable prequel to Despicable Me chronicles where those Twinkie-shaped, gibberish-talking henchmen came from and what they did before they met Gru in the 2010 surprise hit. The story (though that's not really the film's main concern) follows Kevin, Stuart and Bob, as they venture out into the world to find the "biggest, baddest villain" for their tribe to serve. They find one in Scarlett Overkill (voiced by Sandra Bullock), but only just.
Set primarily in the late-1960s, there are plenty of fun nods to trends and music of the time for adults to catch. Interestingly, 2015 was also an exceptional year for 60s-inspired blockbusters, particularly spy films, including The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Mission: Impossible--Rogue Nation, and Spectre. For everyone else, the sheer silliness of these characters' antics recalls the classic slapstick mayhem of Three Stooges films and Looney Tunes cartoons. Plus, the aforementioned gibberish language has made them accessible and cute around the world.
But perhaps that's also the film's greatest weakness, making it more about style and comedy than substance, as well as a little more questionable in its elements of "rude humor" than the previous Despicable Mes.
Two things I find the most fascinating: 1) how the filmmakers were able to craft a unique and plausible language for these characters (three other recent movies that did something similar were Avatar, with its Na'vi people; Shaun the Sheep, with its farm animals; and WALL*E, with its robots), and 2) how they creatively sustained that for a 90-minute feature. A bold risk, I'll give them that. More importantly, just as Marvel movies represent the Saturday matinee serials of the 21st Century, the Minions are this generation's Looney Tunes/Three Stooges.
TRIVIAL FACT #1: The weekend of August 28-30 that year, this Illumination-produced flick became the third animated film in history to cross the $1 billion global mark, following Pixar's Toy Story 3 (2010) and Disney's Frozen (2013).
Despicable Me 3 (2017)
After two hit films and a blockbuster prequel, the Despicable Me franchise started to lose some of its luster by the time Illumination got to this second sequel from 2017.
One of the major elements that doesn't work is its primary subplot of superdad-turned-superspy Gru (Steve Carell) discovering and meeting his twin brother Dru (also Carell). The materialistic sibling (as well as the Minions, headed by new rebel leader Mel) further tries to persuade the former-supervillain to go back to a life of crime, especially after Gru and fellow agent Lucy lose their jobs. Lucy adjusting to her new role as a mom, as well as the Minions serving jail time, work much better.
Many will agree that Despicable Me 3 is the weakest in the series. But it still have its moments, including Pharrell Williams' catchy music, a highlight song-and-dance rendition of Gilbert & Sullivan in all of the Minions' typical gibberish vernacular, and a hilarious foe (voiced by, of all people, South Park co-creator Trey Parker). The 80s-centric and spoiled former-TV-child-star Balthazar Bratt is a great example of the main "villain" stealing the show, and may be the franchise's best by far.
TRIVIAL FACT: This was the first DM installment (and Illumination project) to be produced in an anamorphic wide-screen format (2.35:1).
Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022)
If I may be candid, I theorize that animation studio Illumination has been playing it safe with various franchises in its now-decade-old filmography. Granted, they have branched out with other entities like The Secret Life of Pets (the 2019 follow-up deserves another look) and Sing (the star-studded song-and-dance musicals with animals), as well as a couple of Dr. Seuss adaptations (see 2018's The Grinch). That being said, they seem to be making some improved steps with an upcoming version of Super Mario Bros (starring Chris Pratt), as well as an original comedy called Migration (written by School of Rock scribe Mike White).
As for their most popular franchise (and iconic yellow mascots), the company seems to have been doing something of a retcon of Despicable Me since 2015 and/or 2017. The second installment in the prequel series mostly succeeds in standing on its own without treading familiar territory. Set in the mid-1970s (groovy bellbottoms and disco music in tact), Minions: The Rise of Gru has funnyman Steve Carell reprising one of his greatest roles, this time as a pre-teenage (and naive) wannabe supervillain hoping to join his favorite bad guys. A turn-of-events--and more Minion madness (with Kevin, Stuart, and Bob headlining once again, but almost upstaged by newcomer Otto)--lead to loads of crazy shenanigans that kids will instantly love but adults can enjoy, too. (Remember, this is a cartoon. But an event cartoon, at best.)
Taking a cue from Marvel's current phase, this film incorporates ancient magic along with its creative techno-gadgetry. The filmmakers even went as far as casting Michelle Yeoh as a former kung-fu instructor. Even Otto's google-eyed pet rock shares another connection with this year's Everything Everywhere All At Once. Hmm.
If there's an underlying theme, it has to do with characters (young and old) trying to prove their worth and value, even though their objectives are misguided. As far as going back to the movies again, maybe a little zany humor is what we need.
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