Minions (2015)
★½ — Minions (2015)
A spinoff rather than a direct sequel, Minions arrived in 2015 as Illumination's bid to capitalise on the runaway popularity of the yellow creatures introduced in Despicable Me (2010) and its 2013 follow-up. Pierre Coffin, who had co-directed both previous entries, returned alongside Kyle Balda, whose credits at the time were largely in animation shorts and second-unit work. The film's $74 million budget was modest by blockbuster standards, though the gamble paid off spectacularly, with a worldwide gross north of $1.1 billion making it one of the highest-earning animated films ever released. Sandra Bullock leads the voice cast as the villain Scarlet Overkill, joined by Jon Hamm and Michael Keaton in supporting roles.
Minions isn’t so much a film as it is a 90-minute advertisement for yellow plastic toys. Spun off from the Despicable Me franchise, this prequel follows a tribe of hyperactive, gibberish-speaking Minions as they bounce through history in search of the most evil boss to serve. The concept was already wearing thin as comic relief; stretching it into a full-length feature feels less like a creative decision and more like a boardroom calculation. And that’s exactly what it is, a pure, unapologetic cash grab. There’s no real story, no stakes, and barely a coherent plot. One villain is replaced by another, the Minions cause mindless chaos, they learn a hollow lesson about loyalty, and then it’s over. The humour is relentlessly basic (slapstick, fart jokes, exaggerated faces) with nothing aimed at anyone over the age of six (which is clearly the intention, I admit). Even the animation, usually a strength of Illumination’s work, feels cheaper, flatter, more like a Saturday morning cartoon than a cinema release. Sandra Bullock voices the villain, Scarlet Overkill, with evident effort, but she’s stranded in a role that goes nowhere. The 1960s London setting is underused, the side characters forgettable, and the whole thing drags despite its short runtime. It’s hard to imagine anyone over the age of seven getting more than five minutes of genuine enjoyment out of it (again... which is fine). A soulless spin-off that exists to sell merchandise and pad a franchise long past its prime. Barely qualifies as a movie. Just noise, colour, and brand extension. One of the laziest entries in modern family cinema.
Rating: ★½ | Year: 2015 | Watched: 2025-08-04
Where to watch (UK)
Stream: Amazon Prime Video · Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Rent: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Amazon Video · Sky Store
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Physical: Amazon UK
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Related on Movies With Macca
More from Kyle Balda: Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022) · Despicable Me 3 (2017)
More with Sandra Bullock: Bird Box (2018) · Gravity (2013) · Demolition Man (1993)
More from the 2010s: Wonder (2017) · Beautiful Boy (2018) · The Witch (2015) · What We Do in the Shadows (2014)
More family: Alice in Wonderland (1951) · Wonder (2017) · Kirikou and the Wild Beasts (2005) · Anastasia (1997)
More animation: Fantastic Planet (1973) · Alice in Wonderland (1951) · Mononoke the Movie: The Phantom in the Rain (2024) · Mononoke the Movie: Chapter II - The Ashes of Rage (2025)
