Even The Best Supervillain Needs Help Every Now And Then
Published: July 9, 2022
By: Miguel C., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 12
In the heart of the 1970s, amid a flurry of feathered hair and flared jeans, Gru is growing up in the suburbs. A fan boy 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 backup 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 Alan Arkin, 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 himself, and discover that even bad guys need a little help from their friends.
Minions: The Rise of Gru
Miguel C.,
KIDS FIRST! Film Critic
Age 12
The writers of the exciting film Minions: The Rise Of Gru, Matthew Fogel, Brian Lynch, and Matthew Fogel, definitely created a strong storyline. In this film we see who Gru’s idols are and who he looks up to when becoming a villain. I definitely could not stop laughing while watching this film and I bet you won’t be able to stop, too!
The film starts off with an object, which looks like an amulet, being stolen, and we meet the Vicious 6 (Gru’s idols.) They betray their master and kick him off the team. So now Gru has an interview to work alongside the people he looks up to and become a Vicious 6 villain. If you want to see if he joins the team you’re definitely not going to want to miss this film. We also see what things are like at home, school, with his mom and the overall backstory.
This film is definitely a fan favorite and with Steve Carell playing the voice of Gru it will be a crowd-pleaser. There are so many jokes and the things the minions do and say will make you laugh so hard. For example, the way they speak and, especially in this film, the mix of Spanish with “minionese.” Like every previous Minion film, it has such a spark, the kind that truly entertains you and makes you laugh. What is unique in this film is the creation of a storyline that reveals Gru’s childhood. We learn how rough it was for Gru at school and how his relationship with his mom caused him to become the person is in the future. The animation in this film is similar to the previous films, but way better.
The message of this film is to never leave a friend or someone you care about behind because one day they might save your life. There are a lot of action scenes, including ones where they fight and one where they use needles. So, I would warn parents that this may not be suitable for younger kids.
I give Minions: The Rise Of Gru 4 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 5 to 12. You can find it in theaters July 1, 2022.