The little yellow henchmen help their new boss become the world's greatest supervillain in Minions: The Rise of Gru. Gru (Steve Carell) is a 113/4-year-old aspiring supervillain and the latest boss of the Minions (Pierre Coffin). Gru receives his most significant opportunity when he gets the chance to interview for a recently vacated position on the Vicious Six, consisting of Belle Bottom (Taraji P. Henson), Jean-Clawed (Jean-Claude Van Damme), Svengeance (Dolph Lundgren), Stronghold (Danny Trejo), and Nun-Chuck (Lucy Lawless). However, Gru ends up being shunned by the Vicious Six for being a child, and he responds by taking from them the recently stolen Zodiac Stone, though the stone is accidentally given away during the getaway by the naive minion Otto. When Gru is subsequently kidnapped by ousted Vicious Six member Wild Knuckles (Alan Arkin), the minions Kevin, Stuart, and Bob travel to San Francisco to rescue their boss.
Minions: The Rise of Gru is the sequel to 2015's solo Minions film, which was a spin-off/prequel to the Despicable Me films. Steve Carell returns to voice Gru, who is just a child in this film's 1970s setting, living with his mother (Julie Andrews), who barely tolerates the Minions, all of whom are voiced by Pierre Coffin, who have moved into their home. A chance for Gru to join the Vicious Six doesn't go well, save for him meeting his future gadgeteer Dr. Nefario (Russell Brand), and he ends up being kidnapped by Gru's idol White Knuckles. While the Minions travel to San Francisco to save their boss, receiving training along the way from Kung-Fu acupuncturist Master Chow (Michelle Yeoh), Gru and White Knuckles end up bonding, with the latter deciding to give the young aspiring supervillain some pointers.
Two years after its originally announced release date, Minions: The Rise of Gru finally gets released after multiple COVID-19-related delays. Unlike the previous Minions film, which was a spin-off unrelated to the Despicable Me films, Minions: The Rise of Gru is now in full-on prequel territory. The return of Steve Carrel helps this overcome some of the issues with the previous solo outing. At this point in his evil career, Gru isn't sure if want wants to be the permanent leader of the Minions, even though they have done a fine job converting his basement into an evil lair. When Gru is kidnapped, the Minions hope to prove their allegiance by saving their master and recovering the Zodiac Stone.
If there is a missed opportunity in Minions: The Rise of Gru, it is not capitalizing on the stunt casting of the likes of Jean-Claude Van Damme, Dolph Lundgren, Danny Trejo and Lucy Lawless as members of the Vicious Six since most of the lines within the group go to Taraji P. Henson as the group's new leader Belle Bottom. However, the same can't be said about the equal stunt casting of Michelle Yeoh as Master Chow, who has the task of training the Minions of Kevin, Stuart, and Bob kung-fu in a memorable montage sequence.
While their antics are still best in small doses, Minions: The Rise of Gru is an improvement over the previous solo Minions film, and it is ultimately fun for the whole family.
Trailer for Minions: The Rise of Gru
