Review | Minions: The Rise of Gru movie review – Steve Carell, Michelle Yeoh and Jean-Claude Van Damme enliven enjoyable second prequel to Despicable Me
- Linda Ronstadt, Simon and Garfunkel, The Rolling Stones – the soundtrack is as appealing as the voice cast featuring Steve Carell, Alan Arkin and Russell Brand
- The Minions are at their cutest and funniest in this Despicable Me prequel that adds martial arts, Blaxploitation and a fantasy element to the mix
3.5/5 stars
That film took the yellow, pill-shaped henchmen on a half-baked adventure to London before they met their master. But the core of the Despicable Me films has always been Gru (Steve Carell), the would-be evil genius with a soft centre.
Thankfully, he’s back here – as a youngster in the 1970s, who dreams of joining the Vicious 6, a gang of super-villains, after they betray their leader Wild Knuckles (Alan Arkin).
While they invite Gru for an interview, held beneath a vinyl record store run by Dr Nefario (Russell Brand), the gadget inventor who later teams up with Gru, this young hopeful is laughed out of the building when they realise that he’s just a “tubby” kid who should still be in school.
Incensed, Gru steals a powerful amulet the gang have captured, and a crazed adventure gets under way. Really, though, the 1970s setting is an excuse for wall-to-wall music from the era, including Linda Ronstadt’s You’re No Good, the secret password to get in the Vicious 6’s hideout.