Minions: Rise of Gru Movie Review

One of the most beloved animated franchises in recent memory has been the Illumination entertainment ‘Despicable Me’ and ‘Minions’ releases. These films have made over a combined $4 billion at the worldwide box office. Whether you're young or old, there is something to love about the Gru and the Minions. After a 3 year hiatus from the franchise, and multiple delays of the latest film ‘Minions: Rise of Gru’, we finally got this film in 2022. ‘Minions: Rise of Gru’ shows the origin of one of history’s greatest villains, Gru, as he teams up with the loveable, yellow, banana loving, Minions. As mentioned, I’m a fan of the Minions. They are always fun to watch and the rapport they have with their fearless leader, Gru is fun and adorable. So with all of that said, how was ‘Minions: Rise of Gru’?

‘Minions: Rise of Gru’ was exactly what I was wanting out of a Minions film, fun, clever and hilarious. The film had all the heart you could want as well from a Minions film, with Gru showing his endearing and thoughtful nature, very early on in the piece. Steve Carrell returns as the voice of Gru once again, for the fourth time. He slightly alters his performance here to cater for the fact that Gru is just 10 years old. He remains a great character in this series of films. The stand outs though are the Minions: Bob, Stuart and Kevin. They’re all so likeable and provide an energy to the franchise that makes it so memorable. This is one of the franchise's strongest points and remains the case after five installments, with a sixth on the way in the form of 'Despicable Me 4'.

A new addition to the film is the introduction of the villainous group, the 'Vicious 6', which is made up of: White Knuckles, Belle Bottom, Jean Clawed, Nunchuck, Stronghold and Svengeance. This group is a lot of fun and expands upon the worlds of Despicable Me and The Minions. We see a different group of villains here that rival any villainous group ever put to film. Gru's love for the group is reminiscent of our own love and fandom for superhero groups in film and pop culture and in a way very relatable. It is endearing to see Gru's friendship with White Knuckles, voiced by the great Alan Arkin, expand over the course of the film. 

'Minions: Rise of Gru' was a lot of fun. The film may not reinvent the wheel in terms of family entertainment, but it is certainly a worthy entry in the franchise. The characters are fun and endearing and the messages of acceptance, provide a good moral compass for its young viewers. It's definitely worth your time and will provide the young ones with entertainment these coming school holidays. 'Minions: Rise of Gru' arrives on DVD, Blu-Ray and 4K UHD this Wednesday, September 14. Be sure to head to your local Sanity or online to secure your copy.

Buy the Minions Rise of Gru and Despicable Me Movies here!

Christopher Pattison wrote this blog post for Sanity. See more from Chris here