The Wasteland Reviewer

Minions & Monsters (2026) Written Review

Are we ready for more of the Minions? This franchise is going on seven entries, and it is based around a bunch of little yellow men who speak in babble and seek out the evilest of villains to offer their services. We have seen them support villains from Dracula to Gru. But their biggest venture is coming to cinemas now as they tackle…Hollywood! This isn’t about creating evil…this is about creating cinema. Minions & Monsters is a new venture from Illumination that follows a crew of Minions who want to make it big in the world of storytelling. Their biggest idea? Make a film where the Minions must stave off some giant monsters. 

How does Minions & Monsters stand out amongst this busy franchise? First off, the vibrant and colorful animation that Illumination has been pumping out keeps improving. They do not undercut their more grotesque and unique character designs, but these characters look more detailed and engaging this time around. One of the most fun new elements this time around is the inclusion of old school cinematic visualizations. The films that the Minions make have the grainy look of old camera films and they even adjust the sound design to sound like old microphones. The music by John Powell is infused with classic movie compositions that help reinforce this vision. There are credits and titles cards that are designed like the ones from early cinema. Pierre Coffin does an excellent job of crafting this cinematic love letter to old Hollywood. The action is exciting with all kinds of fun references to classic slapstick comedians like Charles Chaplin, Buster Keaton, and Harold Lloyd. The pacing of the film is full of energy and exciting as it is with all the Minions films. The overall vibe of the film is quite silly (as it usually is) but there is some solid heart to it with the film’s central friend (between the Minions James and Henry). 

Do Coffin and Brian Lynch deliver a worthwhile story to match this fun old Hollywood packaging? The film has a fun (if not necessary) framing device of a movie studio tour guide who tells the inspiring tale of James, a Minion with a cinematic dream. The studio tour is full of plenty of great movie references (and a cameo from a famous creator that is quite unexpected). The actual beginning of the story starts with the history of James’ tribe of Minions as they support giant cyclops to a monster-summoning wizard. There are plenty of slapstick shenanigans (and relatively clever gags) that fill out this section. The core of the film is a fun homage to films like Singin’ in the Rain and Babylon as the Minions make it big in Hollywood then mean an inevitable fall (that is a fun exploration of the dawn of cinematic sound). As the film goes on, it becomes more unfocused and fractured. The focus becomes a dastardly monster tricking James, Henry, and their pal Ed into bringing about a monster apocalypse. This element of the story is anchored with the crew we care about and leads to an exciting finale, so that works well. This film is only 90 minutes but does feel a bit stuffed when a substantial subplot begins with the tribe’s leader, Dick (but not Richard), gets them involved with a space robot who falls in love with a suffragette and becomes a feminist. This whole element of the story feels tacked on even if there are some fun gags involved. Overall, this is a decently clever script with some good heart (especially compared to other entries in this franchise).

How does the cast bring this old Hollywood world to life? Coffin is excellent as always, these Minions but what is most impressive is that they all have their own personality. James, Henry, Ed, and Dick each feel like different characters. Their emotions differ and their dynamics are fun. The fact that Coffin sells the Minion language so well is also quite impressive. They are certainly mixing a whole bunch of languages together, but Coffin makes the audience feel like they can understand it. Trey Parker is wily and fun in his portrayal of Goomi, the little Cthulhu creator who tricks James into bringing some scary monsters into the world. His ability to sound supportive and condescending at the same time is always excellent (with plenty of practice over on South Park). Christoph Waltz fits perfectly into the role of vintage European director trying to bring cinema to life in old Hollywood. Jeff Bridges pulls double duty as two twins who are rotund and enormous. One leans into Bridges’ gruffer demeanor at this point in his life and the other is a passive aggressive “nice guy” with a pitched-up voice. No one has ever sounded more on point as a space robot than Jesse Eisenberg in this movie (complementary). Throw in some Zoey Deutch, Allison Janney, and Bobby Moynahan and you have quite a fun cast. 

How does Minions & Monsters stack up in this expanding franchise? This is by far the best of the Minions spin-off series. This is honestly the best film in this overall franchise since at least Despicable Me 2. This felt like a fresh and clever concept with plenty of potential. Luckily, Coffin fully committed to the bit and found a real heart and soul to this cinematic love letter. A strong core with James and Henry friendship as well as James’ chasing of his dream makes this so much more meaningful than you would expect from a Minions film. A great gateway for kids to appreciate older films, Minions & Monsters, just might be the most special film Illumination has put forward so far.