The little, yellow, and different Minions are back in theaters with a brand new adventure. However, in this particular story, these Minion characters are not directly connected with Gru of the Despicable Me movies. This time, the creatives behind the Minion franchise have decided to give their beloved characters a stand-alone adventure. For this movie, the Minions are taking on the Golden Age of Hollywood, particularly the cinema of the 1920s, as film studios began switching from silent movies to those with sound. The result is a silly, goofy, cartoonish movie, but with its heart warmly wrapped around classic cinema.
Minions & Monsters tells the story of two special Minions named James and Henry. James and Henry are two unique individuals with creative passions. Unlike the others in their tribe, who are mainly driven to find a supervillain to serve, James and Henry discover that they are artists in need of an outlet to express themselves. Well, they get the opportunity when their crazy, chaotic antics get the attention of filmmaker Max (Christoph Waltz) and studio heads Frank and Elwood Bright (Jeff Bridges).
During the silent era, James, Henry, and their tribe became huge Hollywood stars; however, when the movie studio transitions from silent films to “talkies,” the Minions discover that their language barrier inhibits their success. Abandoned by their studio, James and Henry decide to take matters into their own hands and make a movie on their own. Nothing has the same impact on cinema as a good old-fashioned monster movie. Considering that the Minions have an old spell book from a former master, they get the bright idea to conjure some scary monsters to star in their film. Led by the squid-like Goomi (Trey Parker), monsters Phillips (Bobby Moynihan) and Howard (Phil LaMarr) reluctantly agree to assist the Minions. However, Goomi eventually reveals that the monsters have an agenda of their own.
Written and directed by Pierre Coffin, who co-wrote the screenplay with Brian Lynch, Minions & Monsters is a very amusing and entertaining love letter to cinema. It is a celebration of artistic creativity and the passion that drives filmmakers to do what they do. This aspect of the story should appeal to cinephile adults, while the goofy, silly, cartoonish humor will keep children in stitches. There is plenty of humor for the grownups to enjoy, but some of the gags and jokes can wear thin after a while.
The movie features an outstanding voice cast performing the supporting characters. As usual, Pierre Coffin voices all of the Minion characters, but the real standouts here are actors Christoph Waltz, Allison Janney, Trey Parker, Jesse Eisenberg, Jeff Bridges, and Zoey Deutch. Every one of these actors brings much joy, excitement, and fervor to their characters.
The story never gets too deep, but I wouldn’t exactly call this movie shallow. The filmmakers obviously have much love for the golden age of cinema and express this adoration with this amusing Minions installment. I wouldn’t recommend that people annoyed by loud, bombastic cartoons see it, but if it’s totally your jam, have at it. I do sincerely believe that adult cinephiles will appreciate the homages, and the children will eat everything up like a sweet dessert.