MINIONS: THE RISE OF GRU (Kyle Balda, Ableson;del Val, 2020)

[Jox]

Latest trailer just dropped





Olipop soda commercial

[Jox]

World premiere tonight at Annecy's animation film festival.



Illumination’s Chris Meledandri On Sharing “Pure Joy” Of ‘Minions: The Rise Of Gru’ & Why The Industry Can’t Rely On Old Paradigms To Judge The Future
https://deadline.com/2022/06/chris-mele ... 235044115/

[Jox]

First reviews from trades Variety and Screen Daily:

‘Minions: The Rise Of Gru’: Annecy Review
https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/min ... 63.article

‘Minions: The Rise of Gru’ Review: The Twinkie-Shaped Horde Picks Sides in This Delightfully Silly Sequel
https://variety.com/2022/film/reviews/m ... 93045/amp/

EDIT:
Minions: The Rise Of Gru Review: Just What You'd Expect From A Blaxploitation Movie Starring Minions [Annecy]
https://www.slashfilm.com/894379/minion ... ns-annecy/

[Jox]

The crew:





First reactions not so great, they say it's "overkill", not much new from the previous entries (remember I have never seen a MINIONS or DESPICABLE ME movie)

[Jox]

Illumination’s Chris Meledandri Talks ‘Minions’, Streaming Vs Theatrical, Chris Pratt For ‘Super Mario’ & Facing Fear Of Failure: CineEurope
https://deadline.com/2022/06/minions-ch ... 235048554/



Directors interview:

[Jox]

[bomaz]

https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tronc/ZUR62TLPOBHVPCGF6WEEU4GUPI.jpg

(I know that's my running joke, but it's crazy to think that 2 of the last 3 theatrical releases of Dolph has Julie Andrews in it )

[Jox]

(I know that's my running joke, but it's crazy to think that 2 of the last 3 theatrical releases of Dolph has Julie Andrews in it )

Haha, yes! Could have been another one if Julie Andrews was coming back as a guest in AQUAMAN 2, but it ofdoesn't seem do... (And suddenly I'm thinking of Kevin Costner's scene in THE POSTMAN where Dolph is shown in UNSOL, followed by Andrews in THE SOUND OF MUSIC!)



And Michelle Yeoh...






The Lundgren posse






Gallery:
https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/search/2/ ... =775827949

[Sec]

Watched it today with my kid. If Dolph had a line, I blinked and missed it.

[Jox]

Really?
(I'm already on the fence to see it because I have a feeling I'm not gonna enjoy the rest of the film so if they cut out his lines, I'm gonna be pissed)

He has one in this character spot:

[Sec]

There's a very real chance that was.. the line. I don't remember anything else. From the supervillain side, Taraji P. Henson is the lead with the most lines and Jean-Claude Van Damme as Jean Clawed (with claws) has the second most. Lucy Lawless plays a nunchuck wielding nun called Nun Chuck (brilliant) and has scenes but again, no real words. I don't recall Danny Trejo doing much either. Michelle Yeoh is worth watching it for.

[Jox]

https://www.flickeringmyth.com/2022/06/ ... -gru-2022/

Aside from functioning as white noise, it brings to mind a more significant issue with Minions: The Rise of Gru in that director Kyle Balda (working with co-directors Brad Ableson and Jonathan del Val, all collaborating on a screenplay from Matthew Fogel with Brian Lynch also receiving a story credit) has shockingly little to do for the Vicious 6, which is monumentally disappointing factoring in that they are likable quirky villains and voiced by action legends. Jean-Claude Van Damme plays a supervillain with a crab claw for a hand and is named, wait for it… Jean-Clawed (he also finds himself operating a piece of machinery at one point reminiscent of the memorable robot crab boss battle from Final Fantasy VII). Lucy Lawless is also here as a mischievous nun skilled in the art of nunchucks, going by the moniker Nunchuk.

Unfortunately, these villains are nothing more than what meets the eye. They are led by Belle Bottom (voiced by Taraji P. Henson) upon betraying their aging leader Wild Knuckles (voiced by Alan Arkin), following a mission to obtain a powerful hidden stone containing the strength of six unstoppable beasts. Taraji P. Henson has the most lines and brings some spunk to the role, with Belle accepting a replacement application from Gru to join the league only to mock and belittle him during the audition. Sensitive and on the verge of tears, Gru decides to cop the stone, prompting a citywide chase that sees the Minions involved. One of those Minions also ends up with the stone, eventually going on to amusingly lose it in a way that proves to be annoying for Gru, especially since they escaped. Wild Knuckles also wants the stone back to stick it to his former partners in crime. He reacts by kidnapping Gru, who no longer has the stone, which means that the Minions have a short window to reclaim and deliver it before Gru is killed (it’s all cartoonish and still family-friendly). Of course, the Vicious 6 will not stop their pursuit, either.

That might sound like a hell of a lot going on for a Minions movie, but the filmmakers are sharp at keeping the proceedings moving to the next joke or action sequence while balancing the time for all these groups and their escapades. One particularly funny stretch sees a kung fu master voiced by Michelle Yeoh (hot off one of her best performances in Everything Everywhere All at Once) training a few Minions for combat. If you’re wondering how that comes to be, trust me when I say there are small groups of characters here constantly all over the place getting involved in shenanigans. It’s a visually anarchic sugar rush that is so stuffed with chaos and Minions inadvertently causing destruction that there’s not much time to pick apart flaws, which is most likely intentional.

When the filmmakers are playing off of the 1970s setting (whether it be clothing fashions, hairstyles, or numerous one-hit wonder needle-drops, sometimes sung by Minions), Minions: The Rise of Gru has a little extra charm going for it. But there is also no interest in straying away from the Minions enough to make something noteworthy out of the evil villain supergroup, which is the most interesting aspect here.

However, one good lesson does arise from the juxtaposition of Gru wanting to fire his incompetent underlings and finding a connection with the betrayed Wild Knuckles: stick with your friends, especially the loyal ones, rather than gunning for new ones just because they might make life easier or yourself more credible. Many people will probably take that advice before heading into the theater, sticking with a familiar, safe, and fun time with yet another Minions outing. Hopefully, they will notice this iteration is a bit over the place and too routine. Do something different; give me the Jean-Clawed origin story.

Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★

[Jox]

‘Minions: The Rise of Gru’ Looks to Illuminate July 4 Box Office With $70 Million Debut
https://variety.com/2022/film/box-offic ... 235304893/

expected to bring in $65 million to $75 million from 4,400 North American theaters during the extended holiday period

[Jox]

‘Minions: The Rise Of Gru’ Looks To Lift $150M WW As Summer Box Office Rally Continues
https://deadline.com/2022/06/minions-th ... 235054142/

[Jox]

Hollywood Reporter review
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movie ... 235173629/

Adults will get a kick out of the Vicious 6 members’ names and the voice talents behind them. The new leader is Belle Bottom (Taraji P. Henson), while the others are the aptly named Jean Clawed (Jean-Claude Van Damme), the nun’s habit-wearing Nunchuck (Lucy Lawless), the Swedish roller-skater Svengeance (Dolph Lundgren), and the iron-handed Stronghold (Danny Trejo). Michelle Yeoh, who’s certainly on a roll these days thanks to Everything Everywhere All at Once and Shang-Chi: The Legend of the Ten Rings, continues her hot streak with her delightful voicing of the acupuncturist Master Chow, who tutors the Minions in martial arts.

The filmmakers have a lot of fun with the period setting, with much of the action taking place in a groovy San Francisco. There are plenty of gags relating to 70s-era excesses, from Blaxploitation to kung-fu films to Evel Knievel to, in one of the most amusing plot developments, Pet Rocks. The opening credits are a witty homage to the ones in the Bond films, and the soundtrack features a bunch of terrific cover versions of the decade’s hits, including Phoebe Bridgers’ take on The Carpenters’ “Goodbye to Love” and St. Vincent singing “Funkytown.” The most priceless musical moment, however, is the Minions’ rendition of “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” which, from now on, must really be the only version played at Trump rallies.

The film features many hilarious moments — demonstrating, along with Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers and The Bob’s Burgers Movie, that the funniest screenwriting these days seems to be for animated films. A particular highlight involves two of the Minions piloting a passenger jet, with predictably raucous results. Unfortunately, as is so often the case with this type of fare, the final act features a plethora of extended fight and chase scenes that quickly prove wearisome.

Carell, necessarily adopting a higher-pitched but still amusingly accented voice, continues to be a hoot as the devilish Gru, who somehow manages to be endearing even when behaving at his worst. And kids will continue to adore the gibberish-speaking Minions, especially when they bare their cartoon butts. But hey, they could have worse role models.

EDIT:
Svengeance profile from the French press book:

Svengeance.jpg (220.31 KiB) Viewed 9904 times

EDIT bis:
'Minions: The Rise of Gru' is the 'Expendables' of animation, featuring Jean-Claude Van Damme, Lucy Lawless, and more
https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/minions- ... h-lundgren