Minions: The Rise Of Gru

There’s no reason to really tread new ground in the Despicable Me franchise – it’s whacky, goofball stuff all the way down has kept working for it each time.

In fact, it’s strangely paying dividends this time, you might have seen it in the news: it has traction with a counter-culture movement of teenage boys dressed in suits, coordinated on Tik Tok, calling themselves Gentleminions.

What a horrid portmanteau.

This newest iteration - the second in the series putting the adventures of the Minions front and centre - follows that familiar rail track of madcap silliness and raspberry blowing.

Minions: The Rise of Gru is where the bean-shaped evil-groupies deliver a concentrated hit of irrepressible, coocoo nonsense. It’s a bit of harmless fun – just like those hordes of Gentleminions heading to cinemas across the globe to watch what they’re calling a “cinematic classic comparable to The Godfather”.

Back to your regularly scheduled programming, though: in the heart of the 1970s, amid a flurry of feathered hair and flared jeans, Gru (Oscar nominee Steve Carell, you heard it right) is growing up in the suburbs as a fanboy of a supervillain supergroup known as the Vicious 6.

Hatching a plan to become evil enough to join them, he gets some mayhem-making backup from his loyal followers, the Minions.

Together with 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.

And, when the Vicious 6 oust their leader, legendary fighter Wild Knuckles (That’s right, it’s Oscar winner 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.

This kid’s film is certainly enjoying a bit of the spotlight thanks to its ironic audience of kids having fun but is also a bit of fun in its own right – so catch Minions: The Rise of Gru at the Bowen Summergarden Cinema.

Showing next weekend, Saturday July 30, 3.20pm and Sunday July 31, 3.20pm

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Minions: The Rise of Gru