Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022) User Reviews

Good for a few laughs, but don't expect the originals

[balthesaur · 6/10 · 19 July 2022]

'Minions: The Rise of Gru' follows 11 3/4 year old Gru (voiced by Steve Carrell) trying to make a name for himself and join the ranks of an elite villians group, the Vicious 6. With humble beginnings as a troublemaker in his mother's basement, the minions (voiced by Pierre Coffin) are determined to help him succeed in his mission.

The film is a sort of origin story for Gru, despite having elusions to his childhood in the 1st and 3rd movies. The wacky and wonderful minions carry the film, but sadly, the plot seems haphazard. The henchmen, Jean-Clawed (voice by Jean-Claude Van Damme), Svengeance (voiced by Dolph Lundgren), and Stronghold (voiced by Danny Trejo) all seem to be second-string compared to Belle Bottom (voiced by Taraji P. Henson) and Wild Knuckles (voiced by Alan Arkin). The animation is fairly standard of the earlier movies, the flow is solid, and the film's ending kind of makes sense, but the plot in general is a bit of a hodgepodge.

Worth a watch with the kids.

Great fun.

[battlecrusadersgames · 8/10 · 3 August 2022]

I'm not sure why this movie doesn't have a higher rating, because i found it really enjoyable and much better than the first outing.

Lets start with the few negatives i have to say, because there aren't many. First the head female villain is a little annoying. Also there could do with a little bit more emotion so we appreciate the humour even more. These things are nitpicky though, as for the most part this is great fun.

Lets now take it for what it is; a comedy animation aimed mostly at kids. So, is it animated well? Yes, it's one of the clearest most colourful animations i think i have ever seen. Is it funny? Yes, in fact it's very funny. I laughed many times throughout, proving you don't have to eve use proper words to be funny. Mr Bean is a prime example of that, and so here are the minions. Lastly will kids get bored? Absolutely not. The story, (although with limited payout) moves along at such a great pace, the movie felt really short and the minions are so consistently funny, kids will never get tired of it and actually neither will the big kids (adults).

Finally i still maintain, there is nothing cuter in this world than Bob and when he does his pleading face, is like a puppy X100.

A last though is that if they want to keep this franchise alive though, i think they need to move onto shorts, because that will it will stop it becoming too repetitive and boring.

Watchable effort, not bad, but getting a bit tired

[aidanratesmovies · 6/10 · 8 July 2022]

It may feel in total like this franchise is running out of steam, or at least fresh and creative ideas- but Minions The Rise of Gru does manage to be decently entertaining and charming enough to be worth at least a one time watch. A lot of people, critics included, bash the 2015 film Minions for a lack of a true plot among many other things- but in my personal opinion I actually enjoyed the first minions movie and may even find it better than this one. Although both films are flawed, Minions had a very clear although frantic vision set in mind for ts characters- and never felt like a combination of two completely different films like this one did. So what is it about this film that makes it worth watching? Well the animation for one is absolutely fantastic, gorgeous visuals that are easily the best to ever come out of Illumination in their company's entire run. Kid Gru is also a fun and charming lead, and i'll be darned if the minions silly gags didn't charm me from time to time and even earn a chuckle or two (the airplane scene most of all). Its plot is truly all over the place, much like the first film, and its focus on characters feels very divided- as well as its focus on future characters come to be in the franchise considering and reminding the audience how this is a prequel- in case the 70's vibes wouldn't tell you otherwise. I don't know, its entertaining it has its moments and I found some fun in it. Its an uneven little flick but its use of colorful visuals and fun characters make it decent enough for a pleasant experience- and certainly trumps the third Despicable Me film and latest franchise release before this one almost 5 years ago. It's hard to believe this franchise is still going, and how it still manages to propel itself forward, but in this age of commercialization and franchises- Minions the Rise of Gru can be more tolerable than most.

My Rating: 6.2/10.

Very average!

[Chillu · 6/10 · 5 July 2022]

Nothing too impressive or new.. Te scenes look contrived. Learning kung-fu scenes were an utter waste of time. Too slapstick even for kids. Hope there will be a better storyline next time.

Fun Movie with Lots of Fart Jokes

[cawoodbury-94825 · 7/10 · 6 July 2022]

The movie did have some solid laughs, but they really overdid it with the butt jokes and fart jokes. That just doesn't appeal to me (although I know who it does appeal to, so I'm somewhat sympathetic). Otherwise I would've given it an 8. Still, a fun short watch.

OH THOSE CUTE YELLOW PIECES OF PLAYDOH ARE ADORABLE...!

[masonfisk · 7/10 · 26 July 2022]

The latest from Illumination Studios is another adventure, actually a prequel this time, as we follow how Gru, still voiced by Steve Carrell, tries to get in the door to join the Vicious Six (voiced by Alan Arkin, Taraji P. Henson, Jean Claude Van Damme, Lucy Lawless, Danny Trejo & Dolph Lundrgren) after they have betrayed Arkin during a sacred stone heist. Dismissing him as being too young & distracted by another potential try-out, Gru manages to steal the stone sending the baddies on his tail but due to one of the accompanying minions trading the stone out for a pet rock, the race is on to get the rock back before the Vicious Six (really five at this point!) get their collective mitts on it. Sure the film is threadbare plotwise (being an excuse to have a bunch of minion antics running throughout the story like socks on a laundry line) but the film is nothing but fun & unlike the Shrek films which acted as an alternative to the Pixar output, at least the Illumination team keeps pushing the envelope on perfecting their visuals (standouts include the textures on the minions' goggles & Gru's realistic expressions when he's upset or challenged). Returning champs to the franchise include Julie Andrews as Gru's mom, Russell Brand as Mr. Nefario (he's not a doc yet) w/Michelle Yeoh as a kung fu master the minions get lessons from & the Rza as a biker who gives a minion a much needed ride to San Francisco.

Um, No, It is Not The Best Movie Ever Made. PLEASE STOP

[christopherjvissing · 7/10 · 4 July 2022]

It is not the best movie ever made. Reviewers who post that are frauds and are ruining this and other sites. It is also not the best Despicable Me / Minions movie ever made. Maybe, MAYBE, 3rd best. Again, please stop. It is also not a 10. STOP ALREADY.

Solid 7.5. It is cute. Worth seeing if you are already a fan.

If you are already a fan, it will not disappoint. No need to elaborate on the plot, editing, lighting, etc.

The Morbius of Animation

[jesseryman-55565 · 10/10 · 2 July 2022]

Going to watch "future best animated picture winner" Minions:Rise of Gru I had high hopes. I was not however expected the experience that I had. The Story was crisp and emotional, the animations though fake felt realer than ever,I say this with no exaggeration.....IT WAS BETTER THAN MORBIUS. It's Morbin time...More like It's Minion Time.

It was OK

[lancealanfisher · 6/10 · 5 July 2022]

I think it is time to end this series. I was really entertained by the others, but I found myself looking at my watch multiple times. I did not laugh as much at this one. Bored.

Fun For Young Children Maybe

[Zac_La_Porte · 5/10 · 5 July 2022]

The reason The Rise of Gru feels like such a let down is because it lacks creativity, there's not enough of minions, but there's not enough of the young Gru either. That's not to say it isn't a movie families with young children will have fun watching, but compared to this movie's predecessor and all the Despicable Me movies so far, The Rise of Gru is probably the flattest of each of them.

Directed by Kyle Balda from a story written and co-thought by Matthew Fogel, this Minions movie brings back Steve Carrell to voice the child-version of the "superbad-superdad" Gru and Pierre Coffin as the minions to a setting during the 1970s and behind the Despicable Me movies. If you are a Despicable Me fan or just appreciate the original movies, this film offers a delightful set of hilarious references and other jokes that'll have the whole family laughing. The typical requirements for animated movies such as voices, animation and other things all work out well in this movie.

However, for a Despicable Me prequel titled Minions: The Rise of Gru, this film sure lacks a fair amount of time to laugh with the minions, and the child Gru doesn't have enough of a story or motive behind him that keeps us fully appealed to the story. This film also follows the predictable Despicable Me basis of having protagonists working with their own lives, but then there's the threat by the villain/s. And this movies group of villains may be funny, but they're completely unoriginal, leading to the plot to be quite bland.

If you liked this review, check out the full review and other reviews at aussieboyreviews.

Minions never disappoint, Loved it!

[divmathur · 10/10 · 26 June 2022]

Its a fun movie. Minion scenes are more than Gru and thankfully so. The chemistry between minions characters is epic. Love Kevin, Bob and Stuart.

There is no deep meaning or higher message, a simple carefree movie which is supposed to be seen that way.

More Loveable Minion Madness

[Rachael-Harper · 7/10 · 9 July 2022]

I laughed out loud several times during this movie. The kids loved it too. Was a really great family movie for everyone to enjoy and wasn't too long either. Would recommend.

Great animation... Mediocre kids movie

[skylermoore · 4/10 · 6 July 2022]

All trolling aside, this movie was very average and below average as far as kids movies go. The animation is top notch but at this point the minions pretty much have the same jokes in every movie. You know what to expect here, there's nothing new. Kids will love it and parents will probably still hate it, although it might bring out a couple chuckles with some sly adult jokes. The animation carries this film.

Criminally charged!

[bombbadcharly · 14 July 2022]

Rise of gru. He has risen. Morbius had its time but the king has returned. 2009 was the start of everything we know now. Pretty sure this is how Martin Scorsese dreams. This is how a animation should be created. Toy story and into the spider verse are dirt compared to this masterpiece. Suit and all, I will be watching this again.

Good but not great like before

[SyamRawk · 6/10 · 19 July 2022]

Honestly I more like previous minions sequel. This is funny movies for kids and adult laugh. The story quite straight forward predictable. Have a boring scenes after first half of movie. However overall this movies is watchable and suitable for family.

A disappointing copied cartoon

[mailtaskservice · 6/10 · 8 August 2022]

The start of story is still copied from previous series. The whole part very predictable.

The kungfu part is lame. The storyline is lousy. Boring movie! Only a few slight funny things but too minor.

I dont recommend to pay to watch, waste money.

Overall 6/10 even though cartoons are easy to score points.

Over 60 years old

[dockirby · 10/10 · 2 July 2022]

This movie has so many references to the sixties and seventies that I don't think people under twenty will understand the puns, innuendos and jokes. The children in the theater will still laugh at the slapstick jokes.

Why did this exist

[gruffaloslayer · 7/10 · 3 July 2022]

Overall, it didn't make sense at all, the Chinese lady had nothing to do with the plot, there was no screenshot of young Vector, Gru should have introduced himself to Nefario, it's too rushed, but the animation is pretty good.

Not a great sequel... just ok I guess.

[prberg2 · 5/10 · 11 July 2022]

Was pretty excited about this one after seeing the trailer. But it was just disappointing. Me and my kids went (and also to the original Minions 1 movie) and it was just ok. They had fun... but their standards for movies is pretty low.

It looked great.. but the story and characters just felt so boring and flat. Jokes were just ok.. mostly flat here as well. Just felt a bit all over the place and didn't click for us. They could have done so much better with this movie.. just disappointing.

Visually stunning and absolutely hilarious

[FeastMode · 9/10 · 1 July 2022]

For reference, here are my ratings for the other movies: Despicable Me - 9 stars. Despicable Me 2 - 8 stars. Minions - 6 stars. Despicable Me 3 - 7 stars.

I am so pleasantly surprised that this is the best one since the original. It fires on all cylinders: comedy, story, visuals, action scenes. It starts out fast and never lets up. The movie flies by. And it has tons of great new characters.

This movie is absolutely hilarious. I was literally in tears in some scenes. The minions are at their very best with so many memorable moments. The story is surprisingly unpredictable and keeps you invested. The visuals are stunningly beautiful. I was mesmerized. And the action scenes are pretty epic, the best of the entire series.

I had a blast with this movie. It's definitely worth seeing on a premium screen, greatly enhancing the visuals and action scenes.

P. S. I'm not sure what's up with all these sarcastic 10 star reviews. I assure you this is not one of them. (2 viewings, opening Thursday IMAX 6/30/2022, IMAX 7/6/2022)

Enjoyable family friendly film

[nscoby93 · 7/10 · 3 July 2022]

Well this was a genuine surprise, I did not expect this to be as good as it was.

Great animation, great voice acting, a fun story, great writing, funny jokes for both children and adults. Just all in all an enjoyable film.

Perfect run time, not to long not to short. The family seated behind me had a great time. An actual family friendly film with no political agenda how refreshing.

IMDb: 7/10 Letterboxd: 3/5

Watched in Theaters.

Quite Frankly I Was Bored!

[martimusross · 5/10 · 2 July 2022]

Minion: The Rise of Gru

What a disappointment this was, and quite frankly I was bored from start to finish!

Yet again the script writers have failed to glean from the original movie what was the magical element that made this franchise a success. Clearly is was the strength of story, brilliant and inventive animation, and well drawn and memorable characters. Here the story was tissue thin, Gru's family was all but missing, there was little reason for things to happen, and the animation was largely uninventive with just repetition from earlier movies.

What was key in the original movie what the strong relationship ties between the characters, at best they were casual acquaintances in this movie.

Nobody liked it except the children who seem mesmerised by the Minions, clearly easily pleased.

For me this is a 5 outta 10, barely a screensaver!

Pretty Mediocre

[Vithyn · 14 August 2022]

In terms of the actual storyline and plot its fairly mediocre with some high points such as the in-jokes but also many low points carried over from previous instalments. The original Despicable Me is still in my books by far the best of this franchise and likely even the best illumination film. THAT BEING SAID the memes and laughs the internet has had off this movie is one of the best in years so for that reason I've got to have it a 10/10. Closing statement: its meh but its a masterpiece.

Kids gave it a '6'

[FixedYourEnding · 6/10 · 8 August 2022]

Really nothing special here, 70's theme based and nice soundtrack but story is meh, laughs are small giggles at best, it's really just a time passer.

Kids enjoyed it but definitely wouldn't watch it again. Coming to think of it, I don't even remember what actually happened, Gru is a kid and he gets to be a villain, something like that. I would give it a pass unless watching yellow munchkins on the screen does it for you.

Exact score: 58 / 100.

Good film

[dasa108 · 7/10 · 12 July 2022]

This film has great rhythm, jokes that are homages to many films (we have gags from Airplane to the Three Stooges), there are appropriate references to the first and second films in the movie and it is a film that despite not being extraordinary at least meets its function of entertainment. I was able to see its version in 3D and it is a well-achieved film on a technical level (great French animation) and with pleasant music and a script.

It is an ideal movie for adults and children. In a world where the big producers insist on presenting questionable scripts for their films intended for the general public, this film stands out for far exceeding any negative expectations.