The First MINIONS: THE RISE OF GRU Trailer Has Arrived
The first two Despicable Me movies were solid affairs, the sort of casually funny, something-for-everyone efforts you might throw on in the background whenever the family's visiting. The animation was strong, the vocal performances were on-point, and the world of evil supervillain Gru was one that we didn't mind spending time in. Then came Minions, which had the misfortune of being memed into oblivion and casting something of a shadow over the entire franchise in the process. This wasn't the movie's fault, to be sure, but seeing Minions everywhere one turned for several years had the cumulative effect of making the whole thing seem a bit much.
At least, that's where my head was at before watching this, the first trailer for Minions: The Rise of Gru.
As you can see, Minions: The Rise of Gru is both a sequel to Minions and a prequel to Illumination's Despicable Me movies. It is likely to inspire a whole new wave of Minions memes (a full 40% of which will be inexplicably racist and shared by your clueless uncle on Facebook), but we gotta give credit where credit's due: this is a fun trailer, and while we might forget the film's various plot points mere hours after seeing it, we'll definitely give this one a go when it hits theaters. I mean, why not? If nothing else, just look at that animation. These guys are really giving Pixar a run for their money in the looks department, aren't they?
Here's an incredibly detailed plot synopsis, for your records:
"This summer, from the biggest animated franchise in history and global cultural phenomenon, comes the untold story of one 12-year-old’s dream to become the world’s greatest supervillain, in Minions: The Rise of Gru.
In the heart of the 1970s, amid a flurry of feathered hair and flared jeans, Gru (Oscar® nominee Steve Carell) is growing up in the suburbs. A fanboy of a supervillain supergroup known as the Vicious 6, Gru hatches a plan to become evil enough to join them. Luckily, he gets some mayhem-making backup from his loyal followers, the Minions. Together, Kevin, Stuart, Bob, and Otto—a new Minion sporting braces and a desperate need to please—deploy their skills as they and Gru build their first lair, experiment with their first weapons and pull off their first missions.
When the Vicious 6 oust their leader, legendary fighter Wild Knuckles (Oscar® winner Alan Arkin), Gru interviews to become their newest member. It doesn’t go well (to say the least), and only gets worse after Gru outsmarts them and suddenly finds himself the mortal enemy of the apex of evil. On the run, Gru will turn to an unlikely source for guidance, Wild Knuckles himself, and discover that even bad guys need a little help from their friends."
Anyway, I'm skeptical that the BMD crowd has any interest in these movies, but on the off chance that you're still onboard with this franchise or simply like seeing bright, colorful, funny things, I'm leaving it here for your perusal. Minions: The Rise of Gru hits theaters on July 3rd.
