Minions: The Rise of Gru review: madcap mayhem mostly for Minions maniacs

Gru is on the Rise: MinionsLow expectations can bring benefits. Arriving in movie theaters just two weeks after Pixar’s high-profile, frustrating new science fiction epic Lightyear, the latest extension of Illumination Entertainment’s most popular franchise doesn’t have to be groundbreaking, memorable, or even particularly hilarious to make a splash. In a dry summer that’s light on big blockbusters, Gruel is on the Rise — the fifth feature highlighting gibberish-spouting, indestructible, blobby henchmen the color of bananas (which happen to be their favorite fruit) just has to do its business, get out, and not dawdle in the mind for very long. This is the key. Gru is RisingIt does its job. It’s neither an extraordinary film or a tooth-gnashing horror. It’s OK in the moment, and it evaporates as soon as the end credits roll.

Gruel’s RiseThis movie is strange for two reasons. First, though this is ostensibly a movie about the Minions, from odd-couple leaders Stuart and Kevin to childlike Bob and others, they’re closer to supporting players in what amounts to Despicable me 0.5As Gru, their villainous overlord (voiced as usual by Steve Carell), takes the center stage, he plays the role of a savior. Even more strangely, Gruel’s Rise The plot is full of details. However, the main focus of this story is on Gru the preteen living in mid-1970s. The young Gru is overflowing with Minions who long to be a boss. (For now, Gru is their “mini boss,” a phrase that gives him plenty of grief.)

Image: Illumination Entertainment

Gru is determined to prove his worth, and the Minions are desperate to prove themselves to Gru. HisHe is worth the famed Vicious 6 – a bunch of villains led by Wild Knuckles (Alan Arkin), an old hippie. Wild Knuckles wants revenge on the Vicious 6 now headed by Belle Bottom (TarajiP. Henson). Belle Bottom was left for dead when he took a Chinese totem which imbues wearers with animalistic abilities. This is what it looks like. Gru’s Rise: MinionsRespectfully ends in 90 minutes. stuffThis is what happens. It can feel chaotic, like you’re hopping from one action-packed set to the next.

The storytelling could feel more episodic if either Kyle Balda, or Matthew Fogel allowed it to breathe. (You Can Have Everything at OnceStar Michelle Yeoh’s role as an acupuncturist in San Francisco is completely lost. She moonlights as a kung-fu master, helping Stuart, Kevin and Bob to learn some martial arts skills. Instead, Gruel’s Rise is Illumination’s usual weird, frenetic, toppling balance of chases, slapstick, pop-culture references, and quick attempts to create pathos and emotion amid visual cacophony.

Gruel is on the RiseIt manages to be both tolerable, and also full of missed chances. Often in the same scene. Some of the adult-friendly references, like an opening credits sequence with Gru and the Minions in silhouette meant to evoke an old-school James Bond credits scene, are funny precisely because they’re so random. Yet casting choices meant to appeal to adults — like Jean-Claude Van Damme, Dolph Lundgren, Danny Trejo, and Lucy Lawless voicing the rest of the Vicious 6 — don’t go beyond the concept phase: Wouldn’t it be funny if JCVD played a guy named Jean Clawed, who inexplicably sports a lobster claw?Yes, provided the character has very little dialogue or no action, other than randomly using the claw. It is possible to use the claw for some other purpose. Rise of Gru’s quick pace is admirable, it moves so quickly that none of the B-plots masquerading as A-plots can stick with viewers.

Image: Illumination Entertainment

Surrounding all of this are references and cameos that tie into other Despicable Me films. Many are blink-and-you’ll-miss-it, but they’re also present enough that they’ve probably been inserted to placate die-hard Minions fans. The creators aren’t foolish enough to demand viewers remember details from previous films in the series, but any parent who has rewatched these movies enough with their kids may spot an in-joke or cameo from the likes of Steve Coogan and Russell Brand for a dollar-store version of a reward.

Though the Minions — including a newbie named Otto whose chattiness bothers even his verbose brethren — are more than enough to keep this movie moving, the two brightest spots are Carell and Arkin, in what amounts to a particularly odd Little Miss Sunshine reunion. Arkin’s grouchiness is charming, and Carell (whose voice was presumably sweetened in post-production to make him sound more kid-like) is a fun foil as he personifies Gru’s boundless energy.

The final seconds of Gru’s Rise: Minions, the vast array of Minions sing a garbled version of The Rolling Stones’ “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” which is perhaps a bit too much, creatively speaking, in a summer when the family-movie options have been both infrequent and unsatisfying. Gru is on the Rise: MinionsIt is a fine brand deposit. This spinoff does give more detail about how a child with Boris Badenov accent transformed into a supervillain. Like the song implies, the film doesn’t give grown-ups what we want, in that Gruel is on the Rise isn’t notably entertaining or hilarious. It isn’t really what we need, either. But in a summer movie season with paltry pickings, it’ll do in terms of a providing brief balm from the outside heat, even if it’s just a very quick fix.

Gru is on the Rise!Theatres open July 1