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James Mottram

3.5/5 stars
The yellow, gobbledygook-spouting Minions may have lost the battle with Star Wars’ youngling Grogu as the most oversaturated cute film mascot around, but that has not deterred regular director Pierre Coffin from marching on with the series.
After four Despicable Me movies, in which they were introduced as the sidekicks to super-villain Gru, and two scattershot stand-alone adventures, the dungaree-wearing mischief-makers are back for Minions & Monsters, one of the more pleasurable outings in this animated franchise.
A nod to old-school Hollywood, the new film follows James and Henry, two Minions who “changed the world” back in the 1920s. Their global search for a new evil master leads them to Los Angeles.


After the Minions stumble onto the set of the latest opus by diminutive director Max (voiced by Christoph Waltz), it does not take long before they are roped into the film business.
In the silent era, the Minions’ weird dialogue – Coffin once again provides their guttural sounds – hardly matters. But as anyone who has seen Singin’ in the Rain knows, many stars fell by the wayside when the talkies arrived.
James and Henry, though, have other ideas and begin to pull together a script for Minions & Monsters. Although Max lends them a camera, they still need to find a way of creating believable creatures. Thankfully, one of their number has the perfect solution.
With an avalanche of cinematic references – everything from The Matrix to Charlie Chaplin’s Modern Times and, of course, Universal’s classic monster flicks – Minions & Monsters is a film nerd’s delight.
There is even a bizarre moment with George Lucas locked inside a glass case as a living exhibit, alongside a clever gag where various Minions adopt the first names of classic directors: Steven, Quentin, Federico and so on.


Voice-wise, this might be the strongest Minions movie yet. Jeff Bridges brings gravitas as a movie executive, while South Park co-creator Trey Parker pops as Goomi, a squat, green-hued critter involved in James and Henry’s plans to conquer Hollywood.
Jesse Eisenberg voices Dort, a nod to the robot in The Day the Earth Stood Still – although this plot strand goes slightly awry.
The lean story arguably lacks the emotional weight of the Despicable Me films, which benefited so much from Steve Carell’s deft voicing of Gru. But in its place is a neat streak of self-aware humour, particularly when the Minions become Hollywood stars and launch a merchandise range.
As the newsreel announcer says: “What will they think of next?” What indeed.
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A still from Minions & Monsters (category I), directed by Pierre Coffin and Patrick Delage, and starring the voices of Pierre Coffin, Christoph Waltz, Jeff Bridges and Jesse Eisenberg.

(From left) Dick, Ed, James, Henry and additional Minions in a still from Minions & Monsters.

(From left) Ed, James, Henry and additional Minions in a still from Minions & Monsters.

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Pedro Pascal as the Mandalorian in a still from Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu. Photo: Lucasfilm Ltd

Pedro Pascal (left) as the Mandalorian and Sigourney Weaver as Colonel Ward in a still from Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu. Photo: Justin Lubin/Lucasfilm Ltd

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Everyone’s favourite Despicable Me sidekicks are back, this time in Hollywood in the 1920s, with plenty of nods to films and culture


Everyone’s favourite Despicable Me sidekicks are back, this time in Hollywood in the 1920s, with plenty of nods to films and culture.


.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Everyone’s favourite Despicable Me sidekicks are back, this time in Hollywood in the 1920s, with plenty of nods to films and culture

Everyone’s favourite Despicable Me sidekicks are back, this time in Hollywood in the 1920s, with plenty of nods to films and culture