MINIONS: THE RISE OF GRU – Review by T. J. Callahan
Minions: The Rise of Gru is NOT an X rated version of the popular franchise.
Those banana loving little yellow Tylenols are back, finally. Minions: The Rise of Gru was delayed two years due to Covid, but now the 5th installment in the Despicable Me franchise, the sequel to the spin off prequel, Minions 2 is only in theaters and ready to make you laugh.
After 10 years of these animated antics, this entry really should be going straight to streaming, but, like Toy Story, audiences love to follow the Minions and Illumination Studios doesn’t slack off on the story or the production value.
Set in the 1970’s, The Rise Of Gru is the untold story of a suburban 12 year old loner who’s obsessed with becoming a super villain, and how his future gang of Minions befriend him and try to make his dreams come true. Gru, still voiced by Steve Carrell, is dead set on becoming a member of the Vicious 6 squad of do-bads made up of Belle Bottom, Jean Clawed, Nun Chuck, Svengeance, Stronghold and Wild Knuckles who are on a mission to steal the Zodiac Stone and control the world.
This Minions is more GRUvy than GRUsome. It’s full of our favorite tunes and take offs of fondly remembered TV shows and movies of the psychedelic times. Fast paced and funny like an old Looney Tunes cartoon for the kids, and full of nostalgia and plays on words for the bigger humans. Look for homages to Cheech and Chong, James Bond, Mission Impossible, The Mod Squad, Airplane and Indiana Jones if he were a thin, hip hugger-wearing Bernie Sanders being chased by deadly tchotchkes.
The audience I watched this feature with enjoyed every minute of the PG hour and a half. They applauded and cheered at the end. My husband, Ricky, on the other had, was asleep within 15 minutes. Nonetheless, Minions: The Rise of Gru is family time well spent. It gets a 6.5.
