‘Minions & Monsters’ is a Fun for All Ages, Perfect for Cinephiles (Review)

When a franchise is six films deep between direct sequels and spin-offs, it often feels like there’s only so much left to do before audiences dismiss the property as a cash grab. Thankfully, however, Minions & Monsters, the seventh entry in this beloved property, reinvents the wheel. While the film still features standard gags and slapstick humor from the little guys in blue overalls, this adventure genuinely appeals to all ages. And packed with clever homages to classic films and actors, this entry is one where film lovers might just argue they enjoyed it more than the kids. By tweaking the formula that made these characters so iconic over the past decade, the film achieves an adult appeal rivaling another major franchise that just launched its fifth entry (looking at you, Toy Story).

Minions & Monsters follows a duo of Minions named James and Henry, who, along with their tribe of fiendish yellow compadres, scour the globe in search of new villains to serve. Just as they find their groove, something inevitably goes wrong, sending them off to the next master. But at long last, they land in Hollywoodland during the Golden Age of cinema. It’s here where James and Henry use their love for storytelling to forge their own path to success in the movie business. However, in their desperate attempt to secure their place in the city of dreams, they accidentally conjure up the worst kind of trouble, which puts everything in peril: real monsters.

Following an opening sequence at a film history museum, you might think you’re in for more of the same. The early slapstick certainly delivers the silly laughs that kids expect. But once the narrative firmly plants its feet in Hollywoodland, Minions & Monsters truly takes flight. It becomes a deeply detailed meta celebration of cinema, overflowing with Easter eggs and surprisingly dark jokes tailored specifically for adults. Whether spoofing the silent era or the introduction of talkies, the amount of detail from films and characters that helped shape cinema is terrific and are ones that won’t lose the interest of kids viewing the film; let’s not forget that the film on the whole is still rightfully aimed at kids. And when the film eventually shifts into monster territory, that in and of itself keeps things fresh, ensuring that its brisk 90-minute runtime never ceases to entertain audiences of every age.

The worlds the Minions inhabit have always been colorful and packed with the kind of humor that draws in younger audiences time and time again. But six films in, this franchise needed to do something different. With Minions & Monsters, writer-director Pierre Coffin delivers exactly that, crafting an entry that stands tall as the best installment since the original Despicable Me. While the iconic yellow henchmen—and their beloved bananas—have been pop-culture staples for over a decade, keeping the magic alive required a pivot of sorts, and that is exactly what this seventh entry provides. It’s such a good time that cinephiles will rightfully argue it was made specifically for them. If anyone thought this franchise was nearing its expiration date like three-day old bananas, Minions & Monsters proves otherwise, showing there is plenty of fuel left in the tank for the franchise as a whole.