2010’s Despicable Me introduced audiences to master villain Gru (voiced by Steve Carrell), his darling three adopted girls, and, most importantly, to the Minions. The all-yellow-bodied, seemingly indestructible, unserious, devoted assistants to Gru’s villainy took the world by storm and, well, we’ve yet to see a drought. Now four Despicable movies, several shorts, and two Minion-centric outings deep, audiences are invited to yet another wacky adventure in Minions & Monsters, solo-directed by Pierre Coffin (Despicable Me; Minions) and written by Coffin and Brian Lynch (Minions; The Secret Life of Pets films). We’ve seen them in the time before Gru and in their first adventure with young Gru, but, now, Coffin and Lynch take a brand new gathering of Minions (and us) on a cinematic adventure filled with peril, adventure, imagination, and monsters wherein the key to success is embracing the self.
In their quest to find the perfect villain to support, a group of Minions travel across the globe trying out different masters, each one with their own set of quirks and compatibility issues. In their latest attempt to find a suitable villain to serve, the Minions find themselves in Hollywoodland during a fine 1920s pre-war July and accidentally transition from foot soldiers to actors. For two of them, James and Henry, making movies becomes the means of making concrete their desire for crafting their own story, a monster film unlike any other! Faced with the problem of being unable to afford to construct costumes or to utilize machinery to build their monsters, they do the next best thing, they conjure one. What could possibly go wrong?
First things first, to allow for a proper context, Minions & Monsters, like all the titles in the Despicable universe, is intended for young audiences. In that vein, the children in my theatrical audience responded quite vocally (positively) and rarely a cry was heard during the more tense moments with the monsters. With the dearth of family films releasing into theaters, Minions & Monsters may well be the thing that allows families a safer opportunity to get out of the heat and unplug for a little bit.
The fascinating thing about Minions & Monsters is what the film may spark as a result — an opportunity to explore cinema history once the credits roll. The script by Coffin and Lynch wisely sets the film in an era of cinema when the image was everything and sound was added later, allowing for physical performance to reign in comedy, action, and drama (among other genres). The era is perfect for the rambunctious Minions who, time and again, will cause a little havoc through their own missteps and/or miscalculations, resulting in quite a bit of silliness that is, itself, inspired by the likes of Harold Floyd (Safety Last!), Buster Keaton (The Cameraman), Marion Davies (The Patsy), and Charlie Chaplin (City Lights). Not only are there quick nods to Floyd and Keaton, but the entire structure of the film is a celebration of movies with references to a number of modern and classic titles from the last 46 years before even touching on the period of silent film-to-talkie transition. Not only is this era rife with opportunities to create hilarity, it also has a baked-in obstacle that history demonstrates is difficult for some actors to overcome. As if drawing similar inspiration from the films of the era, much of Minions & Monsters seems structured as a series of vignettes tied together by a thin thread, as seen in titles like City Lights (1931) or The Cameraman (1928). This works wonders in maintaining the attention of younger audiences who are looking for the quick burst of setting, setup, conflict, resolution, and repeat as the Minions jump into and out of trouble. This is important because the trailers and marketing for the film are all about Goomi, the monster voiced by Trey Parker (South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut; BASEketball), and his buddies, but they are late arrivals to the adventure. Monsters are teased and James and Henry’s need of them is baited, but this isn’t like other tales in the Despicable universe in which the antagonists are introduced early and often while the protagonists work their way toward a confrontation. This is both on-par with the silent films that Minions & Monsters is emulating and somewhat frustrating as not all of the vignettes are engaging in the moment, despite their delightful payoff in the end.
But this is why the film creates a fascinating opportunity. If audiences find themselves curious about Dort, the character voiced by Jesse Eisenberg (Zombieland; A Real Pain), one will track down The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) and meet Klaatu. Perhaps the kids find Goomi and his friends cute, then you may track down The Blob (1958) or The Golem (1920) until they’re ready to explore the cosmic horror in writing (born in the 1920s). Certainly, if comedy is what piques their interest, then grabbing anything by the aforementioned masters of silent film will delight them or, perhaps, grab something more modern to satiate their curiosity (Hundreds of Beavers). Regardless of whether or not the young audience gloms onto the narrative structure, Minions & Monsters is such a celebration of film that it (a) demonstrates just how much work and research the team did to get the references down and (b) may just inspire the next creative to look beyond what is and into what was to create something new.
Because the screening was in IMAX, it’s worth noting that the film doesn’t receive the kind of benefit that may warrant the premium cost. This matters for families looking to pick up a series of tickets at a time when prices are rising and funds are not. (Seems a bit extra on-the-nose when the pre-World War II Hollywoodland makes a comment about how things are so prosperous and will never fade, but I digress.) IMAX is certainly larger than standard screens which allows for the greater sense of size when Goomi’s friends arrive, but it’s not so striking that one will feel like they missed something if viewed in a standard theater. Obviously, your local theater’s IMAX is most likely better maintained than a standard in video and audio, but, if you’re analyzing cost, it’s not going to feel worth the investment.
Frankly put, Minions & Monsters is a kid-friendly version of Damien Chazelle’s Babylon (2022). Using James, Henry, and the other Minions as our entry point, audiences go on a wild ride through 1920s Hollywoodland, seeing all the excess of success, the fall for those who can’t make the transition, and all the history that we look back on with awe, just through the specific lens of unserious chaos the Minions bring. Surprisingly meta, surprisingly loving of cinema, and surprisingly constructed, Minions & Monsters may not summon all that you desire, but it’ll certainly entertain you for 90 minutes.
In theaters July 1st, 2026.
For more information, head to the official Illumination Minions & Monsters webpage.
Final Score: 3.5 out of 5.
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Categories: In Theaters, Reviews
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