Film Review: Illumination’s ‘Minions: The Rise Of Gru’

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The Minions have risen to astonishing heights since Sergio Pablos birthed what would become the franchise some 12 years ago — if you’ve lost count, their progeny includes three feature sequels (one due two years hence), two prequels, more than a dozen shorts, a TV special, video games and the inevitable theme park attraction.For parents who might have lost track (kids don’t tend to forget such things), Despicable Me gave legitimate birth to its first offspring, Minions, five years ago, and while it’s hard to argue that it was worth the wait (its debut was postponed by two years due to Covid), this set-in-hippie-era San Francisco sequel serves up reasonable amusement for roughly the first hour, only to rather overstay its welcome thereafter.

All the same, it will keep kids tolerably amused upon its opening via Universal on Friday.Among many other factors it has in its favor, this is yet another Illumination creation that adults will not just put up with but can actually enjoy up to a point, thanks in large measure to the cheeky counter-culture jokes, hilariously tweaked wardrobes, riffs on biker culture and a ’70s-era soundtrack; at one point, a major villain pops into a booth at a record store to restore his self-worth by listening to Linda Ronstadt’s “You’re No Good.”But while amusement such as this is amply sprinkled around throughout the film, which is also strikingly well designed and animated, there is also a gathering sense of running on fumes here, of continuing the exploits of some highly remunerative characters just because it’s financially worth it, not because inspiration demands it.