Update: The franchise’s high reviews didn’t help the box office, which bombed to a franchise low domestically.
Minions & Monsters is off to the best Rotten Tomatoes start in the entire Despicable Me and Minions franchise.
Sunday update: Critics score sits at 91%, while fan score is at 76%.
Previously:
With the first 54 reviews counted, Minions & Monsters is sitting at 89% on Rotten Tomatoes, putting it well ahead of the previous movies in the franchise.
That tops the 2015 Minions, which has a 55% score, and 2022’s Minions: The Rise of Gru, which sits at 70%.
It also beats the main Despicable Me movies: 2010’s Despicable Me has 80%, Despicable Me 2 has 75%, Despicable Me 3 has 58%, and Despicable Me 4 has 56%.
So, at least with critics, the seventh big-screen outing for the little yellow troublemakers is landing better than anyone probably expected.
What The Reviews Say
The big takeaway from the reviews is that Minions & Monsters works because it gives the franchise a new hook. Instead of simply leaning on the same Minion chaos, the movie uses Old Hollywood, silent-film history, monster movies, and the early days of cinema as the backdrop.
That seems to be the part critics are responding to most. Many reviews say the movie still has the usual Minion madness, slapstick, and fast-paced action for kids, but this time there is also a movie-history angle for adults.
The praise is not universal. Even some of the fresh reviews admit the movie gets uneven, especially once it moves away from the Hollywood riffing and back into the usual loud franchise action. The negative reviews hit the movie for being messy, repetitive, self-congratulatory, and too familiar once the novelty wears off.
Find out what the negative and positive reviews say below.
The Negative
The negative reviews mostly argue that Minions & Monsters starts with a clever idea but eventually falls back into the same kind of noisy, chaotic formula the franchise has used for years. Critics who disliked it say the Old Hollywood setting is not enough to hide thin characters, sloppy action, and a story that loses steam.
“Starts out with a clever first act” before getting “bogged down” – One Guy’s Opinion
“A mercenary exercise in corporate brand extension” – MovieWeb
“Messy, annoying, and sexist” with “sloppy and predictable” chase scenes – Culture Mix
“A navel-gazing misfire” – Associated Press
“A fairly generic disaster movie” that becomes “noisy” and “busy” – Austin Chronicle
The common complaint is pretty clear: when the movie is playing with film history, it works. When it shifts back into standard Minion destruction, some critics checked out.
The Positive
The positive reviews are much stronger and far more common. Critics praising the movie say Minions & Monsters is the rare franchise sequel that actually tries something different. The Old Hollywood setup, silent-film references, and movie-business jokes are being singled out as the reason this one feels fresher than the last several entries.
“Those miniature yellow blobs still have some surprises up their sleeves” – The Film Verdict
“Funny, visually gorgeous” and committed to “classic Hollywood” – Geek Vibes Nation
“A genuine triumph” – RogerEbert.com
“The best adventure with the Minions yet” – Discussing Film
“Unexpectedly emotional” and possibly “the best in the franchise” – TheWrap
That explains the 89% start. Critics are not just giving Minions & Monsters a pass because the Minions are popular. The reviews suggest Illumination found a way to make the franchise feel new again, at least enough to separate this one from the weaker-reviewed sequels.
Whether audiences agree is the next test, but with the highest Rotten Tomatoes score in the franchise so far, Minions & Monsters is entering theaters with a much stronger critical push than expected.
Minions & Monsters opens Wednesday.
