Minions & Monsters is set to hit the 2026 movie calendar in less than a week, and seven movies into the Despicable Me franchise, we all have a pretty good idea of the brand of comedy coming to us from Illumination’s little yellow blobs, right? Well, not so fast. Reviews have dropped for Minions & Monsters, and I’m genuinely surprised at the overwhelmingly positive reaction critics are having to the newest offering.
Critics are using words like “creative high” and a “peak for the series” to describe Minions & Monsters. But, like, what about the butt jokes? Apparently, all of the humor kids love is still there, but it’s also a “love letter” to Hollywood that will delight even those who have grown tired of the mischief makers, Tessa Smith of Mama’s Geeky says. She rates it 3 out of 5, declaring it her “favorite of the solo Minions movies. By a landslide,” writing:
The story tracks their chaotic rise and fall in show business, poking fun at the industry while celebrating the magic of filmmaking. It gives the narrative a layer of depth that these spin-offs don’t usually possess, making it a much more engaging watch for the adults in the audience. I have to admit, I was getting a little sick of these guys, as adorable as they are, but Minions & Monsters has reinvigorated my love for them.
Minions & Monsters takes us away from Gru and the other characters we’ve come to know — Kevin, Stuart, Bob, etc. — which already sets it apart from previous installments. Director Pierre Coffin (who voices all of the Minions) has the chaotic humor down to a science, Max Borg of Next Best Picture says, and the way he lets the creatures loose on the Tinseltown of yore makes this “the most refreshing entry in the franchise.” Borg continues:
Minions & Monsters is a welcome return to form for a franchise that is unlikely to ever truly disappoint, unless one thinks the Minions aren’t that funny, entertaining, and cute to begin with. Because even when they just pop up in the Illumination logo before the studio’s other movies, their ridiculous energy is a surefire smile generator. And it gets even better in cases like this, when the larger film can sustain and feed that energy for an hour and a half, while entertaining hardcore cinephiles who would normally scoff at broad family entertainment like this.
Drew Taylor of The Wrap agrees that the third movie centered around the Minions themselves adds dimension to the Despicable Me universe, making it feel alive in a way that the franchise hasn’t in a while. Taylor also calls it a “love letter to Hollywood’s heyday and a celebration of the moviegoing experience.” The critic’s Minions & Monsters review says:
Minions & Monsters builds to an open-hearted tribute to the power of the communal moviegoing experience that is unexpectedly emotional and makes the film feel like it could be the best in the franchise, perhaps since the very first Despicable Me. It also goes to show how elastic these characters are and how, when applied to the right narrative and thematic concerns, they can have resonance beyond countless pieces of merchandise and theme park attractions. Minions & Monsters is purely enjoyable in a big, big way. Who’d have thought?
Guy Lodge of Variety says Minions & Monsters marks a “creative high” for the franchise by putting an actual idea at its core beyond your typical, cheerful chaos. Cinephiles will love the first half of the movie, he says, and as the monsters start to become a bigger part of the plot, it transitions from film-lovers’ playground to more of what you’d expect from a Minions movie. Lodge continues:
Fair enough: That’s what the people want, and Minions & Monsters serves it up with gusto and a delirious cartoon grin. And even as it ultimately bends to convention, the film is such a weird, willful popular entertainment for much of its (blessedly snappy) running time that it holds your goodwill: It’s almost bellissima but it’s fully, madly moviosa, and that’s more than the seventh entry in any animated franchise has a right to be.
John Nugent of Empire agrees that much of the movie is “more of the same,” but that is what’s gotten the banana-loving creatures this far. Still, the critic does acknowledge that Minions & Monsters also squeezes “a surprisingly earnest ode to the art of storytelling” into its usual slapstick and nonsense. Nugent gives it 3 out of 5 stars and says:
The overall tone remains as juvenile as ever. It is goofy and giggly and resolutely wedded to stupidity. There’s little attempt to add much depth to the story, in the way that Pixar might try to — it is essentially, once again, just a series of contrived opportunities for the little guys to get up to chaotic mischief. And so it goes. The world keeps on turning.
What kind of franchise sees its seventh movie being lauded as the best of the series? Any movie in the Despicable Me universe — particularly involving the Minions — is practically guaranteed to come close to (or surpass) a billion dollars in ticket sales, so the fact that Pierre Coffin and co-screenwriter Brian Lynch are still making the effort to push the franchise to new creative highs? That seems like a love letter to Hollywood in itself.
If you (and/or your little ones) want to experience the latest that the Minions have to offer, Minions & Monsters hits theaters Wednesday, July 1, which coincides with the opening of the new Universal Kids Resort in Texas. The theme park, which includes a Minions-inspired land, was created for families with younger children, but my experience proved it’s fun for all ages.
