“I want to become a super villain”, proudly assures the young Gru to his mistress in front of the whole class. An answer that earned him the mockery of his comrades. Gru is very different from other children of his age, dressed in his black suit and his gray scarf, he is already at the head of a horde of Minions. These little yellow creatures have only one goal: to serve their “miniboss” 11 years in his ascent to evil.
Gru dreams of becoming the baddest of all bad guys. To achieve this, he intends to join his favorite group of supervillains, the Vicious 6. The little boy then passes an interview at the clan’s headquarters to become its newest member. Finally rejected by his boss, Belle Bombe, Gru is determined to prove to her that he “can be very naughty”. And to do this Gru steals their most precious treasure, a Chinese amulet, “The Zodiac Stone”, enclosing monsters with magical powers. This theft will earn him a chase across the United States with those of whom he has become the first enemy. But the Vicous 6 are not the only ones who want to recover “la stona” (in Minions language). Wild Knuckles, or Mr. Karnage, Gru’s idol, is also on the spot. In this war of gangsters, the Minions will have to play a decisive role and rescue their master.
In this new opus directed by Kyle Badla, a new kid joins Kevin, Stuart and Bob, the hilarious trio of Minions and Gru’s sidekicks: Otto, a chubby Minion with braces. Very talkative and a bit of a bootlicker, Otto tends to annoy his “miniboss” and his three other companions. The plot is also partly linked to one of his big blunders, the consequences of which he will have to bear…
After the Swinging London of the first film, this flashback retracing the evolution of the yellow characters and their hook-nosed leader takes place in the hippie and seventies setting of San Francisco. The colorful vans, psychedelic flowers, retro and flashy looks, bell bottoms and disco vinyls from the 1970s blend subtly into the frame. The cartoon displays more and more elaborate graphics, with pretty visuals and a wacky universe. The story is much less Peace and Love than the setting – even if the bad guys aren’t that scary.
This second part does not change formula, at the risk of repetition. But with the Minions, the bigger it is, the more it goes. Even when they are at the controls of an airplane, everything always ends well. So nothing new under the sun concerning gags: childish humor that plays on repeated laughter. And it’s not just kids laughing.
The strength of Minions 2it’s also a nod to the trilogy Me, Despicable Me. The story returns, for example, to the meeting between Gru and Doctor Nefario, mad scientist gadget creator became his right arm. Another passage in the film shows Kevin, Stuart and Bob learning kung fu; dressed in yellow and black jumpsuits, they remind us of the characters from the movies Shaolin Soccer and Kill Bill. Musical references also abound: Born to be alive by Patrick Hernández, Turn Up The Sunshine by Diana Ross, funkytown by Lipps Inc, or even the Minions’ takeover of the tube You Can’t Always Get What you Want of the Stones.
Once upon a time Gru offers many action scenes, punctuated with gags. Quickly caught up in the film, we do not see the time passing. But if the whole animated comedy is fluid, leading to an explosive final scene, it is sometimes difficult to follow the rhythm as the actions are linked together.
In the end, a charming duo forms on the screen. We follow Gru and his antagonist, who has become his vice mentor, teaching him the techniques to be a real villain. They will not hesitate to rob, together, the famous Bank of Evil. Bonds will be woven and create a touching pair. “You can aim for the moon”, he will say to Gru. Advice that the young anti-hero seems to have taken literally…
Gender : Animation, Action, Comedy, Family
Director: Kyle Balda
Country : United States, France, Japan
Dubbing: Gad Elmaleh, Steve Carell, Gerard Darmon
Duration : 1h28
Exit : July 6, 2022
Distributer : Enlightenment Entertainment