Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022)

'Minions: The Rise of Gru' is a formulaic brand extension that will nonetheless please younger hardcore 'Despicable Me' fans. The little yellow creatures are back, though the film gives equal weight to the younger days of Steve Carell's wannabe supervillain.

Aside from the language stew chattering of the Minions, perhaps the biggest sound to be heard from the new sequel/prequel/pre-sequel 'Minions: The Rise of Gru' is that of box-checking. This 1970s-set story aims to fill in some of the gaps of Gru (Steve Carell) and the Minions' early days together, so of course there are references to familiar 'Despicable Me' touchstones.