Minions & Monsters (2026 | USA | Pierre Coffin | 89 minutes)

Now in their seventh feature, the Minions are back and as ubiquitous as ever, and that’s either a good thing or a very bad thing, depending on your ideology. I fall firmly into the former camp, as I find them cute and funny, even if they are biologically programmed to serve evil.

After four Despicable Me movies and two standalone Minions movies, writer Brian Lynch and writer-director Pierre Coffin found a novel way to stave off Minion fatigue: flatter the egos of critics and film buffs alike by paying tribute to classic Hollywood. And it works. The film recreates a surprising number of iconic moments, from Harold Lloyd dangling from a clock tower in Safety Last! to Charlie Chaplin caught in the gears of a factory in Modern Times, Buster Keaton standing where a window will fall in Steamboat Bill, Jr., and even the famous piano scene from Casablanca.

The story is told through a museum tour, where the guide (Allison Janney) is astonished to discover that no one in her group has ever heard of James and Henry, the two Minions credited with launching the species’ show business career. She recounts a Zelig-like history of the Minions drifting from one despot or monstrous tyrant to the next, only to wear out their welcome thanks to James and Henry’s well-meaning chaos before stumbling into Hollywood by pure chance. Poor Cyclops joins Ozymandias in the ranks of those whose glory proved fleeting.

The Minions ride high during the silent era until, yes, talkies come along and their trademark gibberish doesn’t translate well. Film noir, in particular, proves especially rough on them, and they’re soon cast out again.

James, though, has an idea for a comeback that plays to the Minions’ strengths: make a monster movie. The only problem is finding a monster. Fortunately (or perhaps unfortunately) an accident while attempting to conjure one instead produces the harmless-looking Goomi (Trey Parker). Goomi, however, knows where to find real monsters and leads the Minions to an island where two ancient creatures, Howard and Phillips, await thawing. Their names are no coincidence; together they make up the “H” and “P” in H. P. Lovecraft.

The plot proceeds along familiar lines from there, so I’ll leave the remaining surprises intact.

For all the Easter eggs aimed at adults, this is still very much a Minions movie, and it should delight children every bit as much as their parents and the film buffs in the audience. One thing, though, should earn universal agreement: Minions & Monsters runs a brisk 89 minutes.

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Minions & Monsters opens in theaters everywhere today, July 1.