Critic’s Rating : 2.5 Stars
 
Cast: Pierre Coffin, Sandra Bullock, Jon Hamm, Michael Keaton, Allison Janney, Steve Coogan.
 
Direction: Pierre Coffin, Kyle Balda
 
Producer: Chris Meledandri, Janet Healy
 
Written: Brian Lynch
 
Genre: Comedy.
 
Duration: 91 Mins.

The minions, who added much to the frenzy of the Despicable Me series, get their own spin-off which details their life and (mis)adventures before Gru. Emerging from single-celled organisms, these banana-aficionados seek to serve the most villainous master of their time. After bungling up most of their tenures, they live a life of listless, despondent isolation in the Antarctica.

When their aimless existence becomes overbearing, Kevin, Stuart and Bob (all voiced by Pierre Coffin) set out to find the next evil mastermind by first landing on the shores of New York in 1968 and then at the Villain-Con in Orlando. Over there, they stumble upon the enticing super-villain Scarlet Overkill (Sandra Bullock), who has a particularly trying mission to entrust to the three minions which takes them to the Tower of London.

Their journey through the America of the Swinging 60s is peppered with political and pop-cultural references like Richard Nixon’s campaign (“Finally, a name you can trust”), the hippie movement and some classic TV shows. In Britain, the references pertain to the iconic cover of The Beatles’ Abbey Road album and The Excalibur, other than the lampooning of the monarchy. These are all little nuggets of adult appeal thrown into a film with a plot as asinine as the bumbling trio and others of their ilk.

It tries hard to be funny, yet after a decent first half and a great narration of Geoffrey Rush, the film is guilty of an overkill, which has nothing to do with the super-villain. There is too much randomness in the song and dance sequences that emerge out of nowhere. It is less amusing and more startling, above anything else.

The appeal lies solely with the young uns, who trooped into the hall in decent numbers, wearing their Minion fandom on their t-shirts. Unfortunately, Minions only goes to prove that the supporting characters of one film, no matter how engaging, would not necessarily make the best main protagonists in their very own spin-off.

Coming in the wake of the phenomenal Inside Out, the film barely delivers the laughs, even though it does have some interesting moments among the whole bunch. But it caters to its limited demographic and no further. Regardless of one’s preferences, it cannot be negated that the Minions have had a tremendous opening at the box office, indicating that the makers are doing something right.