Grade: C-… Like pretty much everyone walking planet earth today, I have become a fan of the lovable, gibberish speaking, yellow creatures known as the Minions. The world was first introduced to the minions back in 2010 when the beloved animated movie “Despicable Me” was released. Sure, Steve Carell’s evil Gru character was funny but a few tiny, yellow, and inept pill shaped creatures ended winning the crowds over. They became so popular they wound up getting their first spin off movie, “Minions”, in 2015. Naturally, the minions franchise became a hit and we now currently have 3 minions movies outside of the Despicable Me movies. Unfortunately, the minions’ latest effort “Minions & Monsters” is the weakest movie to date.

“Minions & Monsters” makes an interesting choice and decides to put the minions back in 1920s Hollywood to cast their monster movie with monsters from the 1920s. The choice to place the movie in the 1920s and have 1920s movie references, peppered in a kids’ movie (where the kids would never recognize or understand the 1920s movie references) is a true head-scratcher. Regardless, that’s the plot of the new movie. The minions befriend a green creature who knows a few monsters to help the minions make their monster movie. I barely recognized some of the old-time movies that were referenced. My most recognizable movie reference was 1902’s “A Trip to the Moon.” I have never seen the movie in its entirety, but I know the iconic scene of the talking moon with a spaceship shot into its eye. The “Minions & Monsters” movie references the iconic shot at the beginning of the movie. While cute, kids would never understand the reference.

Admittedly, the movie did a pretty decent job of portraying classic Hollywood and incorporating the minions into that bygone era of movies but being that it is mainly a movie targeting a youth audience, it just felt somewhat out of place.

It goes without saying that the new movie still portrays the minions as fools that somehow find a way to accomplish their mission in the movie. Naturally, they screw up quite a lot and it does add some comedic value to the movie,, but the jokes were not that funny in this movie. It was one of those cases where the trailer contained all the funny moments.

While the animation was well done, due to the continued advancement in technology, the movie’s script just was not good enough to match the previous Minion movies that were funny throughout.

If you have a kid that is dying to see the new Minions’ movie, take them because the kids might enjoy it but it is a safe bet that the adult watching it will be somewhat bored. I know I was.