In a world increasingly rife with difficulty, it’s nice to take a break every once in a while. And if you’re indeed world-weary, perhaps it’s time to hit the cinemas and let a bunch of banana-loving, gibberish-speaking yellow critters entertain you with nonsensical antics.
Yes, the Minions are back, in “Minions: The Rise of Gru”, the fifth and latest film in a line of flicks set in the “Despicable Me” universe.
While this is hardly the best instalment of the series – that honour is bestowed on the movie that started it all – it’s inoffensive and will likely elicit a chuckle or two out of adults.
As for the kids, it definitely gives them all they want: madcap, cartoonish energy with bright colours splashed across the screen in a plot that doesn’t take itself seriously… at all.
As the title implies, this film is an origin story for Gru (Steve Carell), future supervillain and Minion employer, who in 1976 is a 12-year-old with ambitions of villainy and an Eastern European accent.
Desperate to make a name for himself, he attempts to join the Vicious Six, a supervillain cabal, which recently threw out its former leader and founder, Wild Knuckles (Alan Arkin).
Rejected due to his age, Gru ends up robbing the Six of their magical Zodiac Stone, hoping they might be impressed. Instead, their new leader Belle Bottom (Taraji P Henson), whose outfit and theme ooze disco fashion, declares a manhunt against Gru, sending him scurrying for his life.
The cast of villains is star-studded, with Jean Clawed (Jean-Claude Van Damme), Stronghold (Danny Trejo), Svengeance (Dolph Lundgren), and Nun-Chuck (Lucy Lawless) taking to the stage.
It certainly helps that these characters and their designs are funny and immensely likeable, especially with Nun-Chuck’s appropriately crucifix-shaped weapons.
In a turn of events, one of Gru’s Minions ends up trading away the Zodiac Stone for a pet rock, creating a race between Gru and the Six for the magical stone.
The Minions are memorable characters, but their previous solo outing proved they are better as supporting characters than the main players. Thankfully, with the caring but exasperated Gru balancing them out this time around, the film ends up working better than expected.
Meanwhile, the familiar Minions that kids adore – namely Bob, Kevin and Stuart – end up on an adventure of their own, travelling to San Francisco’s Chinatown.
There, Malaysia’s very own Michelle Yeoh voices Master Chow, who teaches them the art of kung-fu. Shame she doesn’t teach them about multiverse-jumping!
Needless to say, endless shenanigans and silly moments are aplenty throughout, with barely a serious moment to be found.
It’s noteworthy that, despite their dreams of villainy, Gru and his Minions never do anything that is worth describing as evil. At worst, they mildly inconvenience their fellow citizens by encasing them in cheese.
Then there’s the scene where the yellow Tic-Tacs end up piloting a passenger airline, which will definitely earn laughter from kids and adults alike.
Also, pay close attention to what the Minions are blabbering. While mostly inspired by Spanish, their language contains dashes of Malay, which you might pick up on if you listen hard enough.
Furthermore, the animation is stellar, with some scenes breathtaking in terms of detail and design.
With the film being set in the ’70s, it leans into the aesthetic a lot and the soundtrack follows suit, with covers of songs from that era. Indeed, the characters feel alive, which is quite a feat in a movie with such cartoonish elements.
With gags, puns, and harmless violence at every turn, “Minions 2” is certainly an entertaining watch for the young and the young at heart.
Even if you have outgrown your love for silly cartoons, remember that adulthood can be punishingly tough, so there’s nothing wrong with being a kid once in a while.
‘Minions: The Rise of Gru’ is playing in cinemas nationwide.