- MINIONS: THE RISE OF GRU
- Staring the voices of: Steve Carell, Alan Arkin and Julie Andrews
- Directed by: Kyle Balda, Brad, Ableson and Jonathan del Val
- Rated: PG
- Running time: 1 hr 27 mns
- Universal
Ah, the Minions. Since their debut in “Despicable Me,” they have brought joy to moviegoers all over the world. They have also multiplied in my inflatable Christmas yard display each year. But where did they come from? And how did Gru become such a bad guy – albeit one with a big heart?
If you’ve wanted to be an evil genius since you were a boy, who do you admire? In the case of Gru (Carell), it’s a highly publicized group of villains so popular they have their own toy line. Of course you have to be evil…correction…EVIL, to even get an invitation to join and Gru, accompanied by Minions Bob, Stuart, Kevin and Otto, will stop at nothing to be recognized. The prank I personally enjoyed most was setting off a stink bomb during a sold out showing of “Jaws,” causing the theatre to empty and leaving our quintet their choice of seats and refreshments. When a vacancy opens up on the Villain Squad, Gru feels he’s a shoe-in to fill the seat. But not all evil is judged the same.
A fun treat for the whole family, “Minions: the Rise of Gru” is another in a string of successful and well made animated films starring these Twinkie-looking oddities and their hook-nosed leader. It’s great to hear Carell back as Gru, and the film lets us in on how he met some of his closest associates, including Dr. Nefario (Russell Brand).The main Minions are a joy to watch…like a yellow version of the Three Stooges. If the film has one drawback, it may be that it’s too busy, an unusual feeling from a film that’s under 90 minutes long.
Still, the animation is top notch and reason enough to see this film.
