Minions & Monsters: The Lovable Creatures Are Back with a Delightful Homage to Cinema (Blu-ray)

The Film:

Who would've thought that the little yellow Minions, first introduced as Gru's helpers in the original "Despicable Me" in 2010, would become so popular that not only would they be a prominent part of four films in that series, but also go on to star in two solo outings of their own. The reviews may not have been great for all of them, but that's hardly stopped each of these films from being a box office juggernaut, with a couple of them crossing the billion-dollar mark (and others coming pretty close). On that score, it's no surprise that we now come to a third entry in the Minions-focused franchise entitled "Minions & Monsters," where the studio hopes that the love for these lovable creatures will continue, but is it possible that, after six previous films of varying quality, the audience's interest might start to wane a bit?

As the film opens, we learn about the history of the Minions, whose primary goal is to find the most evil master they can and serve them. However, through various mishaps, they end up killing or horribly wounding the ones they find. When they just happen to come across a robbery, they decide to chase the robber so that they can serve him, though this lands them right in Hollywood where they discover that it was all for a 1920s silent movie. This greatly annoys the director, Max (Voice of Christoph Waltz), who shoos them away, but after his bosses end up enjoying their antics, he quickly finds them and makes them stars of the big screen.

However, this all comes to a halt when sound is introduced, putting them out on the street once more. That's when James, a Minion with a passion for storytelling, comes up with an idea to make his own movie, an idea rejected by their tribe leader, Dick. Joined by his close friends Henry & Ed, he breaks away from the group to pursue his dream of making the film, using a camera gifted to him by Max. Will he and his chums be able to make his dream come true?

When it came to the first two solo "Minions" films, they may have been massive box office hits, but the reviews weren't exactly glowing, so the trick here was going to be finding a way to inject some freshness into the series, something that would make it fun, exciting, and worth spending more time with these little guys. With "Minions & Monsters," screenwriters Brian Lynch and Pierre Coffin appear to have done just that by turning this latest outing into a love letter to the movies, with a focus on the early days of Hollywood. We get to see the Minions become entangled in the business, making it big in the silent era, but also feeling the impact of the ground-breaking introduction of sound (a similar problem faced by characters in the classic "Singin' in the Rain").

It's references & similarities like this that make this entry a delight to watch. Sure, kids aren't going to get a lot of the references, such as when they show us Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, and Buster Keaton in quick succession, but they'll likely find the story to be just as engaging as the adults do regardless. To make it even more interesting, not only does it show the Minions getting involved with the process, but its primary story also includes the dream of becoming a filmmaker, which only serves to make the theme more compelling & captivating.

That said, with that being the main story of the film, one which only involves a handful of the characters, that left the writers with the task of giving the rest of the Minions something to do. Sadly, this leads to a rather clunky B-story involving a robot named Dort (Voice of Jesse Eisenberg) that they randomly run into. Dort is looking to invade the planet, with the Minions wanting to serve him, but then he just as randomly gets involved in a romantic entanglement, with this whole uneven part of the story only finally getting connected at the end of the film.

However, even with this filler material thrown in, the film is quite a pleasant surprise that will likely please both kids & adults with its charming story & gorgeous animation. There's definitely a reason why this latest entry was received considerably better than its predecessors, for it appears that a little more thought & effort went into it this time around, ultimately giving us an entry that's more memorable and stands out pretty well on its own as a delightful homage to cinema, which any movie-lover can surely appreciate.

Video/Audio:

"Minions & Monsters" comes to Blu-ray in a 2.39:1, 1080p High Definition transfer of outstanding quality, presenting a beautifully sharp picture throughout its entire 90-minute runtime that perfectly highlights the film's vibrant animation. Likewise, the Dolby Atmos audio track is wonderful, giving you all of the dialogue, sound effects, and music in excellent quality. Overall, Universal has done a marvelous job in both departments for the film's physical debut.

Special Features:

Minions Take on Hollywood (11 Minutes): A look behind the scenes at the how the film came together.

Casting Minions & Monsters (12 Minutes): A featurette that explores the film's vocal ensemble.

Hollywood Sound (4 Minutes): A featurette focusing on the music.

How to Make Your Own Irene Blob Monster Slime (3 Minutes)

Movie-Making Minions Style (6 Minutes): A flipbook tutorial.

How to Draw (9 Characters, 12 Minutes)

Conclusion:

Pierre Coffin's "Minions & Monsters" is a delightful homage to cinema that has the lovable yellow creatures getting entangled in the early days of filmmaking, with one of them pursuing a dream of making a movie of their own. It may get held back a bit by its filler B-story, but overall it's a rather pleasant surprise that will likely please viewers of all ages with its charming story & gorgeous animation.

Score: 3.5/5

Available on Blu-ray starting tomorrow.

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