Film Review: "Minions: The Rise of Gru" (2022).

"A villain will rise" in Minions: The Rise of Gru. This computer-animated action comedy film directed by Kyle Balda, Brad Ableson and Jonathan del Val, written by Brian Lynch and Matthew Fogel, based on the characters created by Sergio Pablos, and produced by Illumination. It is the sequel to the spin-off prequel Minions (2015) and the fifth installment in the Despicable Me franchise. In the heart of the 1970s, amidst a flurry of feathered hair and flared jeans, Gru is growing up in the suburbs. A fanboy of a supervillain supergroup known as the Vicious 6, Gru hatches a plan to become evil enough to join them. Luckily, he gets some mayhem-making back-up from his loyal followers, the Minions. Together, Kevin, Stuart, Bob, and Otto - a new Minion sporting braces and a desperate need to please - deploy their skills as they and Gru build their first lair, experiment with their first weapons, and pull off their first missions. When the Vicious 6 oust their leader, legendary fighter Wild Knuckles, Gru interviews to become their newest member. It doesn't go well (to say the least), and only gets worse after Gru outsmarts them and suddenly finds himself the mortal enemy of the apex of evil. On the run, Gru will turn to an unlikely source for guidance, Wild Knuckles, and discover that even bad guys need a little help from their friends.

In January 2017, Universal Pictures and Illumination announced the sequel to their 2015 animated spin-off, Minions. In July, the film began production commenced with Balda, Ableson and del Val as co-directors. In May 2019, the film's title was revealed as Minions: The Rise of Gru. In December, it was announced that Pierre Coffin and Steve Carell would be reprising their roles as the Minions and Gru, respectively. Taraji P. Henson, Michelle Yeoh, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Lucy Lawless, Dolph Lundgren , Danny Trejo, Russell Brand, Julie Andrews, Alan Arkin and RZA rounded out the film's voice cast. The production shifted to remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic, following the temporary closure of Illumination Mac Guff. The film was originally scheduled for a July 3, 2020 release date, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and their incomplete status with Illumination Mac Guff's temporary closure in response to that event, it was pushed back to July 2, 2021, and later to July 1, 2022.

The film features the voice talents of Carell, Coffin, Henson, Yeoh, Van Damme, Lawless, Lundgren , Trejo, Brand, Andrews, Arkin and RZA. The cast and their endless roll of jokes ensures this is sublime dumb-but-smart entertainment.

The film has a hard time holding up as a story on its own. Although the antics of Gru, Kevin, Stuart, and Bob keep the laughs coming, the story fizzles out in the middle. Rarely attempts to appeal directly to a grown-up audience, instead concentrating all efforts on colorful, sophomoric spectacles and rambunctious escapades. Let's start with what the film gets right: It's a mercifully short eighty-eight minutes long. But even at that length, it still feels padded.

Simon says Minions: The Rise of Gru receives:

Also, see my reviews for Despicable Me 3 and Sing 2.