Review: ‘Minions’ offers the laughs but doesn’t have a very deep story

Posted on July 17, 2015

By MARK VIOLA

Well, the Minions do finally have their own movie, aptly called “Minions,” directed by series regular Pierre Coffin and co-director Kyle Balda (“The Lorax”) with a story from Brian Lynch (“Puss in Boots,” “Hop”).

Sure the Minions are funny and Illumination has proven it can produce quality animated films, but I still went into this prequel with one major unanswered question: could the lovable yellow goofballs really hold their own for a feature-length story?

And having now seen the movie, I can say, they probably can’t, but fortunately they weren’t really asked to do that here, thanks to several hilarious new characters and some wild antics through 1960s London. While the story doesn’t have the emotional depth of the “Despicable Me” films, “Minions” does provide quite a bit of fun and will surely entertain younger audiences who have been enthralled by the funny-talking horde since their arrival in 2010.

“Minions” is a funny movie and packs enough action to keep even most adults entertained. Still, I was left with a  feeling that there could be a better story told with these characters and the final product here does not live up to the standard set by the “Despicable Me” movies.

The film is rated PG for action and rude humor.

(This is a shortened version of the full review available in our printed or e-edition papers.)

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