7--Good for the Kids, Not so Much for the Adults

Rating: 7/10 (17 July 2015)

It's an animated spin-off film starring creatures that talk gibberish. Obviously you shouldn't be asking for much with a movie like that. But that shouldn't be an excuse for this film to be average. I really liked the first Despicable Me movie, and the second one was OK to me. (In my opinion, it didn't live up to it's predecessor). With "Minions", I was cautiously optimistic.
This movie made me think of another animated spin-off that came out a while ago, "Penguins of Madagascar". They both suffer from similar issues. Both films feature the antics of (previously-supporting) cast members who mostly provided comic relief. While the minions just mess around and spout nonsense, there still was opportunity to maybe tell a story with them. Unfortunately, the filmmakers failed to do this as best as they could have.
The Nelson family were an amusing bunch of characters, but I think their roles should've been expanded. As they're the first humans Kevin, Stuart, and Bob meet, they should've had more importance and influence on them. The minions are so impressionable, yet the Nelson's don't leave any lasting influence or mark? Scarlet Overkill (Sandra Bullock) and her husband Herb are both fun characters, but neither of them are ever fully developed or made unique in any way. The minions themselves are what you'd expect.
The plot of the movie revolves around villains attempting to steal the Queen's crown. Herb's gadgets make this relatively easy, but if he had them all along, why didn't Scarlet use them to steal the crown earlier? She's very capable, but for some reason lets the minions do the work for her. Why?
I think one of the main reasons this movie exists is to sell merchandise--particularly toys. "Minions" is ultimately a dumb, but harmless kid film. It doesn't live up to the first two Despicable Me movies. It's definitely not as good as Inside Out, which came out a few weeks ago. But if you want to watch it, I recommend renting it or seeing it on Netflix.
I have reviewed 40 movies (on Metacritic and IMDb), some recent ones, including: Inside Out, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Fast and Furious 7, The Divergent Series: Insurgent, Taken 3, and more. I also review TV shows.
Notes: The minions' submissive nature and tendency to have a villainous master was actually a pretty interesting concept IMO. It had never occurred to me that the minions had actively sought out masters; in 'Despicable Me' they are all just shown to be employed by Gru and their origins are never really explained.