Minions and Monsters movie review by Movie Review Mom

MOVIE TITLE: Minions & Monsters

This cute installment in the popular Minions franchise is now playing in theaters, but available for pre-order on Amazon at https://amzn.to/4viFUm9

RATING: PG

LENGTH: 1 hour 29 minutes

Movie Review Mom GRADE: B (if you can handle it)

Featured Product About This Movie:

Halloween is coming! Just saying…Yellow Minion goggles and blue overalls for dress-up fun! You can find this cute costume and other adorable Minions merch on Amazon at: 

https://amzn.to/4ft64ho

IN A NUTSHELL:

This cute animated prequel takes us back to 1920s Old Hollywood, where a fresh tribe of Minions accidentally becomes silent film stars. But when “talkies” arrive, their hilarious Minionese speech causes them to lose their fame. Determined to keep their filmmaking dreams alive, two creative Minions named James and Henry use an old spellbook to summon real mythical monsters to star in their own monster movie, unleashing delightful, planet-saving chaos.

Two-word summary = Cuteness and Chaos. Surprisingly, this could be a stand-alone movie without knowing anything about the other Minions movies or Despicable Me!

The film was directed by Pierre Coffin, who also co-wrote it with Brian Lynch. Pierre Coffin also voices some of the minions.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

• Peril and Action: There are giant monsters, slapstick battle scenes, and a character getting swallowed by a creature (though safely rescued). This just might be the gateway drug to getting your kids interested in monster movies. There are a lot of different monsters, but none of them are too scary.

• Language: Safe and clean for the whole family, full of gibberish Minionese and harmless cartoon sound effects. We hear someone say, “Poo!”

• Subtitles/Sign Language: The character Ed is deaf and communicates using sign language, which offers a wonderful teaching moment for kids.

• History: The story takes us back to the origins of Hollywood. There is even talk of Women’s Suffrage in the early 1900s in the USA.
• Kids vs. Adults: There is a lot of humor that will appeal to adults, but the chaotic frenzy of most of the scenes will appeal to kids. There is, however, an odd scene with minion nudity. We’ve seen that before in previous films in the franchise, but I’m just giving parents full warning.

THEMES:

• Follow your creative passions.

• Adaptability in a changing world.

• Teamwork and sticking together to fix your mistakes.

THINGS I LIKED:

• The 1920s Golden Age of Hollywood setting is absolutely charming for parents and film buffs, featuring fun homages to silent cinema and historical pop culture figures.

• Including Ed, a deaf Minion who uses sign language, adds a fantastic layer of inclusive representation.

• The incredible voice cast features powerhouses like Allison Janney, Christoph Waltz, Jeff Bridges, Jesse Eisenberg, Zoey Deutch, Bobby Moynihan, and Trey Parker. I adore all of them. We also get a cameo voice by Star Wars filmmaker George Lucas!

• It’s fast-paced, colorful, and packed with the signature slapstick humor that young kids love.

• Because I adore movies, it was fun to watch the history of filmmaking unfold through the eye of minions. ha ha It’s a cute satire of the magic of movies.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

• Franchise fatigue might be setting in for some older viewers, as the plot formula feels very familiar, especially in the early sequences that show the minions searching for a villain to serve. (I thought they were still cute, though.)

• All of the noise and mayhem may feel exhausting for parents who aren’t big fans of the franchise. The movie is extremely frenzied and loud.

• Because it focuses on a completely new tribe of Minions in the past, fans missing Gru might feel a little disappointed.

• The title suggests a lot more focus on monsters. We do see a variety of monsters, but it’s just different from what I had imagined. The focus is more on movie-making.

FUNNY LINES:

• “Stop manhandling me, you big weirdo!” – Goomi

• “Bello! Banana… monster?!”

INTERESTING LINES:

• “They drop in popularity. It turns out they can’t follow the script when all they speak is Minionese.” – director

MOVIES LIKE THIS YOU ALSO MIGHT LIKE:

• Minions (2015)

• Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022): https://moviereviewmom.com/minions-the-rise-of-gru-movie-review/

• The Artist (for a grown-up look at the transition from silent films to talkies!)

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Dr. Trina Boice is a university professor, author of 36 books, professional author coach, YouTuber, podcaster, film critic, and mom of 4 awesome sons.