Minions And Monsters ★★★

Released: 1st July 2026

Director: Pierre Coffin

Starring: Pierre Coffin, Trey Parker, Allison Janney, Christoph Waltz, Jeff Bridges, Jesse Eisenberg, Zoey Deutch, Phil LaMarr, Bobby Moynihan

It’s incredible to think that the Minions – Illuminations’ adorable and iconic flagship creation – first made their cinematic debut over 15 years ago. The dungaree adorned yellow creatures have since captured the hearts – and wallets – of the world, with their success launching multiple spin-offs and solo films, merchandise ranges and even theme park attractions at several Universal Studios worldwide.

There’s just something undeniably charming and loveable about the yellow sidekicks, their Minionese “banana” language and their penchant for chaotic slapstick (often leading to the accidental death of their big bosses!) The gang are back for their third solo outing (and seventh instalment in the overall Despicable Me franchise) – with viewers transported to the glitz and glamour of 1920s Hollywood.

Directed by franchise stalwart (and the voice of the titular creatures) Pierre Coffin, Minions & Monsters follows the adventures of a different tribe of minions to the one we all know and love. Setting out on the very same quest, the group are still on the hunt to serve the world’s most evil villains, but after Henry and James accidentally kill all of their masters – including a warlock whose book they’ve kept in their possession – they inadvertently find themselves stumbling upon a Western film set in the desert.

After quickly becoming Hollywood’s hottest film stars following their hijinks, the talkies soon put an end to their spell at the top due to their lack of English language. However, James, Henry and their friend Ed soon turn their focus to directing the best monster movie yet – and they’re on the hunt for the scariest monsters to feature.

Following the disappointing fourth Despicable Me outing, Minions & Monsters is a far more entertaining and bonkers instalment from Illumination, which also features a surprisingly charming love letter to classic cinema. Leaning into the creatures’ slapstick nature, director Pierre Coffin has the minions hilariously reconstructing iconic film scenes, with nods to Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, and Charlie Chaplin. Following a more standard opening introducing the new clan of minions – with an absolutely brilliant “big boss” montage – the film soon follows a similar storyline to both Singing in the Rain and Babylon, and it’s a lovingly crafted ode to filmmaking, creativity and the dreamers out there.

While James, Henry and Ed making their own monster movie – in the vein of the iconic Universal monster movies – is a hoot, literally summoning a baby Cthulhu named Goomi (Trey Parker) from the Warlock’s magic book in the process, the film unfortunately runs out of steam in the gonzo third act as the instalment evolves into a monster mash, Kaiju-esque showdown.

The main trio are adorable new heroes to the franchise, and surprisingly more nuanced than Kevin, Bob and Stuart – with James in particular dreaming of something more than serving the next big bad. The film also features the first deaf and hard-of-hearing minion, with the trio heartwarmingly communicating in sign language. But while the main trio and Christoph Waltz’s director Max are brilliant new additions to the franchise, the main villains Goomi, sea monsters Phillips and Howard and blob Irene feel a tad underwhelming.

While kids will gleefully enjoy the colourful and chaotic mayhem, cinema-loving parents will undoubtedly adore the many nods, easter eggs and homages throughout. Whether that’s the opening run through of the old Universal logos to an actual cameo from George Lucas (just how did Coffin make that happen?!), a recreation of Jaws, A Trip to the Moon or Steamboat Bill, Jr to a hilarious Citizen Kane gag, there’s certainly a lot to enjoy here. How to Train your Dragon stalwart John Powell’s brilliant score is also a real standout and a wonderful musical tribute – with the crescendo as his name appeared in the end credits scene a lovely touch!

With a brilliant new trio of heroes, an even more chaotic quest and a loving ode to the Golden Age of Hollywood, Minions & Monsters is one of the most surprising films of the year so far – and certainly brings the franchise back to its “bello” best following its more lacklustre sequels.