Blu-ray Review Minions: The Rise of Gru

Long before he becomes the master of evil, Gru is just a 12-year-old boy in 1970s suburbia, plotting to take over the world from his basement. When the infamous supervillain group, the Vicious 6, ousts their leader, Gru attempts to join their ranks but soon finds himself the mortal enemy of the apex of evil. With Gru on the run, the Minions attempt to learn martial arts to help save him, and Gru discovers that even bad guys need a little help from their friends. Packed with the franchise’s signature subversive humor, Minions: The Rise of Gru features more thrilling action than any Despicable Me film ever before!

What We Thought:

Minions: The Rise of Gru was a box office hit because it’s family friendly, fun and doesn’t have an agenda. That’s why I like Illumination Studios more than other animation studios, they do what they do very well and know who is watching their films. Did we need a fifth Despicable Me/Minions movie? No, but I had a heck of a lot of fun with it and will continue to watch them if more come out.

The Minion movies work for two reasons. One, the kids love the colors, the characters and their antics. Two, adults don’t mind watching them with their kids because there is enough humor for adults to laugh at. I’m a grown man without children of my own and I enjoy them. We are five movies deep now into the Despicable Me franchise and we still don’t know exactly what a Minion is. They have their own language. Some have one eye, some have two. They like bananas. None of it makes a lick of sense, but I don’t care because I find myself laughing more often than not.

For Rise of Gru kids will love the adventures the Minions go on along with new characters. For adults, especially those who remember the 1970s, they will love the music, the clothing and other fun Easter eggs that represent the 70s. There are Easter eggs to the original movies as well including younger versions of characters and weapon ideas. My favorite scene involves the Minions doing martial arts wearing yellow and black outfits in an homage to Bruce Lee. The kids (and even some adults) won’t get the reference, but it’s fun regardless. They are goofballs trying to do Kung-fu, it doesn’t go well and gets big laughs.

If your family enjoys the adventures of these little yellow creatures and you missed it at the theater or just want to rewatch it at home then Minions: The Rise of Gru is highly recommended. Their home video releases are always jam-packed with special features and bonus mini-movies that are entertaining as well. They aren’t high brow movies, but the animation is beautiful, it sounds fantastic and they make me laugh and sometimes that’s all you need.

BONUS FEATURES on 4K UHD, BLU-RAY^TM, DVD AND DIGITAL for your collection:

• POST MODERN MINIONS (MINI MOVIE) – Experience one Minion’s rise and fall as an artistic genius when he sneaks into a 1970’s post-modern art gallery with a fellow Minion and unintentionally creates an explosive new art form that is declared by a snooty art critic as the greatest art he’s ever seen. When the critic moves onto the next new artist, our Minion tries everything to get back in the spotlight, which accidentally leads to his next unexpected career.
• MINIONS AND MONSTERS (MINI MOVIE) – Follow a newbie Minion as he joins three more experienced Minions in playing a 1970’s fantasy role-playing game. After struggling to gain the skills needed to master the game, the newbie unexpectedly rises to the occasion and saves the day, earning him the magical crown and the appreciation of his buddies.

• EXTENDED SCENE
• OUTTAKES
• CHARACTER PROFILES
  • GRU
  • WILD KNUCKLES
  • BELLE BOTTOM
  • MASTER CHOW
  • THE VICIOUS 6
  • BIKER
• GRU-VY ANIMATION – Join Steve Carell and the directors as they take us through the animation process. From Concept Art, through Storyboards and on to the Final Film, with every Gru-vy step in between explained in fun and fascinating detail.
• THE ’70S – FASHION, FOOD & FUNK – A behind the scenes look at the 1970’s through the lens of MINIONS: THE RISE OF GRU.  From fashion to music, cultural phenomenon and back – the cast and filmmakers are bringing the 1970’s to a whole new generation.
• MINION MARTIAL ARTS – In this 1970s inspired martial arts movie throwback, we hear from the film’s directors about their inspiration, how they created authenticity in animation, the role the many martial artists in the cast played to bring it to life and how you teach a Minion to fight.
• HOW TO DRAW (& ANIMATE) WITH BRAD ABLESON – Co-director Brad Ableson shows us how to draw all of our favorite characters.
  • MINION
  • YOUNG GRU
  • KUNG FU STUART
• LAIR FLAIR: MAKE YOUR OWN MINION HIDEOUT – The Minions aren’t the only ones who can build a secret lair — now you can, too! (And yours doesn’t have to be built under Gru’s bed.)
  • THE LAIR
  • DISCO BUBBLES
  • JET PACK
• SUPER STYLE SHOP – The Minion uniform of overalls and goggles is timeless. Simple yet functional. But sometimes Minions have a casual day out and can abandon their work attire for something more fashionable. Here’s how can create fresh new fashion for YOUR Minions!
  • BELL BOTTOMS AND BANDANA
  • FRINGE VEST AND CHUNKY NECKLACE