Paco Reviews: "Minions: The Rise of Gru"

Can I just state for the record that the Minions are adorable? Well, I'm stating it. I've enjoyed them in the four previous Despical Me/Minions films in the series, and they do not disappoint in the new Minions: The Rise of Gru.

Yes, the Minions are back, with their pseudo-Italian babbling and all of their hijinks. The year is 1976, bell bottoms and disco music abound, and Gru is a 12-year-old kid who doesn't fit in with the others at school. In fact, he tells his classmates that his life's ambition is to grow up to become a supervillain. Naturally, he is laughed at and mocked.

Gru also has the Minions, and he's already wreaking havoc on local people and businesses. But a job interview to join the Vicious 6 goes badly, and when Gru steals a talisman that the V6 had previously stolen, it becomes a cross-country race for the Minions to rescue Gru and bring him home. (Yeah, I may have skipped a few things, but that's the best summary I can come up with.)

If you've enjoyed previous Minions movies, you'll enjoy this one as well.

Paco's rating: 8 out of 10

The Good: It's a relatively clean (except the occasional fart gun) family flick, and it's appropriate for kids of almost all ages. It's funny. Julie Andrews (yes, Mary Poppins herself!) is great in a brief supporting role, as are Michelle Yeoh (last time I saw her was in Shang-Chi) and Alan Arkin, who assumes a role as Gru's mentor. The V6 cast is rounded out by Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren (yes, really—the Universal Soldiers reunite), Danny Trejo, Lucy Lawless, and Taraji P. Henson.

The Bad: Not much to pick at here. Perhaps the only question for kids may be why the main characters are actually "bad guys" of sorts. Of course, we know from the later movies that Gru becomes a "good" bad guy when he grows up.

The Ugly: That Julia Roberts/George Clooney comedy shown in the previews looks painfully bad. Prove me wrong, kids.