Gru’s Origin Story Is a Sidekick Comedy That Never Lets Its Leads Shine

The Minions return in Minions: The Rise of Gru, and the film spends its running time trying to prove that the yellow blobs can carry a full-length adventure without the Despicable Me characters who made them famous. It mostly fails.

Trailer, via Universal Pictures UK.

The Premise

The movie picks up years before Gru becomes the villain we know. It follows the three titular minions as they search for a master to serve. Their quest leads them to adopt a young Gru, who is already working toward a career in crime. The setup is simple and direct, and the film leans on it heavily throughout the picture.

Ivan Drago And Young Gru

Ivan Drago plays young Gru, and he commits to the role fully. He sells the transformation from awkward teenager to aspiring criminal with genuine energy. His scenes are the strongest in the film, because they give the story a human anchor that the minions lack, which is a real strength given how thin the rest of the picture is.

Steve Carell’s Return

Steve Carell returns as the adult Gru, providing the film’s main voiceover. He is a steady presence, but his role is limited to narration. Taraji P. Henson voices Valentina, Gru’s rival, and Leslie Jones voices a new character named Edith. None of the voice talent gets enough screen time to justify their involvement, and their parts feel more like cameos than full contributions to the story.

The Minions Problem

The problem is that the minions are built to be sidekicks. They are funny in small doses, but they do not have much personality beyond their signature noises and their general incompetence. The film tries to stretch them into a full cast, but the result is a group of characters who feel interchangeable, and this is the central weakness of the entire production.

What Works

• The action sequences are energetic and colorful, even if they rely on cheap gags rather than genuine tension.
• Drago’s performance as young Gru is the highlight of the film.
• The film’s commitment to its setting, from the 1970s New York streets to the villain convention, gives it a visual identity.
• The music is lively and well-chosen, though it rarely rises above the film’s overall tone.

What Doesn’t Work

• The minions themselves become a chore to watch after a while, especially when the film asks them to carry scenes on their own.
• The plot is thin, and the villain convention subplot feels like padding rather than a meaningful part of the story.
• The pacing drags in the middle, with long stretches devoted to the minions wandering around aimlessly.

The Verdict

Minions: The Rise of Gru is not a bad movie, but it is a forgettable one. It has moments of charm, particularly when it focuses on young Gru, but it struggles to sustain that charm across its full runtime. The film is better suited as a fun diversion than a serious entry in the franchise.

animation · Despicable Me · Gru · Minions · movie review