You read that right Letterboxd fans. This sh*t rules.
It’s time to become acutely aware of how well Minions & Monsters serves at the Box Office. Because it may just be my favourite movie about what it means to love movies. “Xenojay, are you telling me them whacky, little guys from the Despicable movies deliver a thoughtful take on what it is to dream and create?”. You’re damn right I did. And they do it so confidently that I may just be able to speak Minionese now.
Minions & Monsters hits ‘Lights. Action. Camera!’ from way back in the 1920’s, as the Minions do what they’ve always done; Looked for their ‘Big Boss’. Whether it’s a towering Cylopes on Cyclops Island in Ancient Greece. Or a skeletal Mummy in its sarcophagus in Egypt. No matter the outcome, they will always march until they find the one, true ‘Big Boss’. As it goes, it leads them to olden Hollywood. A mixture of eras, where your Buster Keaton’s meet the likes of Citizen Kane’s “Rosebud…”. And in this historia, one Minion dares dream of their own historia. The minion known as James. Who is definitely not Dick. And the movie makes sure we know that.
James dreams of the ultimate historia.
The one which will tell the world of the Minions and their adventures. And behind him is his friend Henry. The type of friend to say “Believe in yourself! And I’ll help you get over the stuff you think is dumb!”. And when they finally stumble upon this golden age, they’ll be damned if they can’t figure out a way to tell it. Especially when it features Trey Parker in his most “that’s Cartman, but not…” performance.
Featuring a stellar cast including Jeff Bridges, Christoph Waltz, Alison Janney and George freakin’ Lucas, Minions & Monsters may be Pierre Coffin’s most spectacular outing yet. Whom, you may ask? Oh, just the voice of the Minions. And the Co-Director for the first 3 Despicable Me‘s and the first Minions feature. I think he may know a little about them. Like recording different dubs for Minions in order to better appeal to different national markets. This guy might just have the sauce.
How high can such a glazed film go?
I’m supportmaxxing right now. Dare I say I’m deliriously down bad and any other generational vernacular that is further shifting language away from what it is, to something that may no doubt resemble Minionese in future. But while we’re here and now, Minions & Monsters is the kind of feature installment I live for. It doesn’t shift too far away from the aesthetic we love, but improves it in fidelity and filtered vestiges of yesteryear cinematography. One particular scene of slapstick was a sight to see, and I think it supports the films intention.
WHIMSY.
Gosh, isn’t it good to live in whimsy. While chaos certainly surrounds our Minion heroes they, and moreso James, never forget that whimsy is where joy lives. The unusual. The unexpected. And the fanciful. And I feel Minions & Monsters does so in spades.
I literally went into this movie thinking I would get nothing from it, and now I'm thinking it might just be one of 2026's best.
