America, 1976. “Jaws” is playing in theaters, people are working out on home exercise machines, and vinyl records are selling like hotcakes. Eleven-year-old Gru, who has only recently met his minion sidekicks, is hatching villainous plans. His main goal is to join the Vicious 6, a group of the most notorious criminals on the planet.
Still from the animated film “Minions: The Rise of Gru”
“Minions: The Rise of Gru” is a sequel to the 2015 film that grossed over a billion dollars worldwide. The first “Minions” film was unsuccessful: the lack of a central protagonist hindered the development of the drama, which meant that the writers simply couldn’t find the right topic to discuss with the audience. The project, which looked very promising in the draft stage, never managed to achieve a worthy realization. The creators tried to illustrate the evolution of the screen world through interactions with real history, but these attempts were limited to a series of disjointed situations.
Another significant problem with the original was the choice of London as the central location: the British flavor seemed an inappropriate backdrop for a franchise initially built on ridiculing clichés of American culture, and most of the gags did not go beyond well-known stereotypical myths about the British Isles. The target audience of the project was also not entirely clear - parodies of Comic-Con and King Kong, interaction with The Beatles and Queen Elizabeth, and ridicule of the image of the American family were clearly aimed at a more conscious audience than most Minions fans.
Still from the animated film “Minions: The Rise of Gru”
The second part retains elements of the first, but corrects the shortcomings. The main difference in the new film is the presence of experienced screenwriter Matt Fogel, who previously worked on the sequel to “The Lego Movie.” As with his work on the “Lego” franchise, Fogel managed to pick up on the accents that the first solo film lacked and bring a fresh perspective: numerous plot twists, a focus on secondary characters, and thorough work on the locations are what make the new “Minions” better than the original. At the same time, the main core of the film remains unchanged: we are once again presented with a chase for a MacGuffin, in which familiar characters take part. The preservation of script tropes suggests that fans of the original should enjoy the sequel.
Gru Takes Center Stage
Another achievement of the second “Minions” film is the presence of a central character that most viewers have known for a long time. Young Gru is the main star of the film, even though he is not the boy we may have seen in the flashbacks of the “Despicable Me” franchise. We are presented with an ardent villain who is not at all concerned about the problems of others, which contradicts the original image of a perpetually lonely and unaccepted child. The simplification of the hero has a mixed effect on the drama: a stable image will be more understandable to the viewer who stumbles upon the second “Minions” film by chance, but at the same time will cause inconsistencies in the events of the animated world.
Still from the animated film “Minions: The Rise of Gru”
The teenager as the protagonist becomes the core of the narrative, which in the first part was mostly built on visuals, and allows the authors to communicate more clearly with their audience. Gru’s ambition to become the main villain causes many contradictions from those around him: professionals do not believe in the competence of the kid, classmates and teachers do not understand the main goals, and relatives do not pay attention to the rebellious child. From this perspective, the second “Minions” film turns into a teenage drama about how it is difficult to achieve anything in the modern world without connections. The central conflict is Gru’s confrontation with his idols - the Vicious 6 gang, which includes the best antagonists in the world. The antagonism of the boy himself and his minions will eventually lead to the disclosure of basic values on the path to adulthood: the ability to distinguish truth from falsehood, the ability to work in a team and listen to the older generation.
Still from the animated film “Minions: The Rise of Gru”
Lessons in Villainy and Beyond
One of the key themes of “The Rise of Gru” is the need for school education and the search for the ideal mentor. The creators of the film repeatedly illustrate the idea that the success of a teacher depends on his students: for a teenager, one of the main criminals in the world becomes the ideal teacher, and for the minions, Gru himself. The authors literally confirm the thesis that every able-bodied student will sooner or later find his mentor. At the same time, they are not afraid to touch on topics related to current problems in the education system. Is it necessary to study many sciences or can you concentrate on what you like? Is it so important to attend an educational institution or will most of the useful lessons come sooner or later themselves? The identified questions will not receive full disclosure, which is easily criticized: the romanticization of the negative qualities of the main character will become a stumbling block for too pedantic parents who try to show their children exclusively “correct” cartoons.
While remaining an ideal commercial product, the second part of “Minions” takes several confident steps forward. The innovations contribute to improving understanding between the creators and the audience, and the use of a teenager as the main character makes a number of adjustments to the integrity of the project.