Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022)
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An eleven-year-old Gru teams up with his Minions to become a supervillain while facing off against a malevolent group.
The story
In 1976, an eleven-year-old Gru dreams of becoming a supervillain, assisted by the Minions, whom he has hired to work for him. Gru is ecstatic when he receives an audition invitation from the Vicious 6, a supervillain team now led by Belle Bottom, who hope to find a new member to replace their founder, the supervillain Wild Knuckles, following their betrayal and attempted murder of Knuckles during a heist to steal the Zodiac Stone—a stone connected to the Chinese zodiac. Gru's interview goes poorly but, much to the outrage of the Vicious 6, he steals the stone and escapes with Minions Kevin, Stuart and Bob, handing it to another Minion, Otto, for safekeeping.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1976, an eleven-year-old Gru seeks to become a supervillain with the help of his Minions. After a failed audition with the Vicious 6, Gru steals the Zodiac Stone and escapes with Kevin, Stuart, Bob, and Otto. When Otto loses the stone, the Minions travel to San Francisco to find it while Gru is held by the villain Knuckles. The Minions learn kung fu from Master Chow to aid their quest. Meanwhile, Gru and Knuckles bond and begin training together. During a Chinese New Year parade, the group is confronted by the Vicious 6, who use the stone to transform into giant animals. The Minions, transformed into animals themselves, battle the Vicious 6 with the help of Knuckles. After the Vicious 6 are defeated and turned into rats by Gru, the Minions are restored to normal and re-hired. Knuckles fakes his death to escape the Vicious 6, and Gru eventually hires Dr. Nefario.
- First release year
- 2022
- Runtime (minutes)
- 87
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Kyle Balda
- Writers
- Matthew Fogel · screenplay; Brian Lynch · story; Matthew Fogel · story
- Cast and characters
- Steve Carell · Gru; Pierre Coffin · the Minions; Taraji P. Henson · Belle Bottom; Michelle Yeoh · Master Chow; Russell Brand · Dr. Nefario; Julie Andrews · Marlena Gru; Alan Arkin · Wild Knuckles; Jean-Claude Van Damme · Jean-Clawed; Dolph Lundgren · Svengeance; Danny Trejo · Stronghold; Lucy Lawless · Nun-chuck
- Genres
- animated; comedy
- Themes
- friendship; mentorship
- Tone and mood
- humorous; action-packed
- Setting
- 1976, including San Francisco and Chinatown.
- Premise and plot tags
- prequel; supervillain
- Reception
- The film received mostly positive reviews from critics, praised for its score, animation, humor, voice performances, and aesthetic, though some criticized the plot. It was a commercial success, becoming the fifth-highest-grossing film of 2022.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 56 · scale: 100 · review count: 41; CinemaScore · score: A · scale: A+ to F; PostTrak · score: 87% · scale: percentage
- Production trivia
- The film was delayed for two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.; The film was rumored to have been banned in Lebanon.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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