"Minions is beautiful and bringing those little guys to the forefront was a stroke of genius"

Minions is the latest adventure from Illumination Studios. It serves as a prequel to the ever-popular Despicable Me franchise and brings the loveable monsters to the forefront for their own adventure, which sees them go through History attempting to find a master to serve.

Whilst this is a prequel, it stands on its own, so you don’t need any prior knowledge of the Minions or the world of Despicable Me to fully appreciate this film.

Through a montage we see them go from big boss to big boss, from Prehistoric Age to Present Day, however, the hapless Minions can’t quite seem to keep a Master, so they set up their own colony to live out their lives, in a dazzling, frozen climate.

When they become increasingly bored and overcome with a sense of emptiness, one Minion, Kevin, decides to go out into the world to find the biggest, baddest boss, and he’s accompanied by the over-excited Bob and the reluctant Stuart.

Their search takes them to America, where they encounter a memorable family of bank robbers who they hitch a ride to Orlando with, and this is where they encounter Scarlet Overkill (Sandra Bullock) at the world-renowned yet top secret Villain Con (think Comic-Con but for villains).

One thing I have always liked about the Despicable Me franchise is that they show us the world that these villains operate in; in the 2010 hit they introduced us to the Bank of Evil and they widen that here with Villain Con.

The plot steps up a notch when Kevin, Stuart and Bob are successfully appointed henchmen of Scarlet Overkill and she divulges her plan to steal the Crown Jewels from the Queen of England.

Minions is beautiful and bringing those little guys to the forefront was a stroke of genius. The madcap adventure they embark on is on par with the idea to stealing the moon in Despicable Me.

The cast, fronted by Sandra Bullock, is fantastic. The standout is her role as Scarlet, who revels in the villainous role. The music, as with most animated films, plays a huge role. It sets the tone, and whist some of it hints at soundtracks from the previous films, there is a generous helping of classic music from The Beatles.

Overall, Minions is a fantastic entry in the Despicable Me franchise. If this is your first encounter with the delightful yellow, banana-obsessed fellas, then I can think of no better way to start. And if you are familiar with the Minions, prepare to fall in love with them all over again!