Having conquered the box office and the merchandise stand, the maniacal Minions are back for another go at the animated franchise that may seem like it ran out of road years ago.
Even director and voice artist Pierre Coffin, the not so evil genius behind the Esperanto-spouting yellow numbskulls, was reluctant to make another Minions movie but this seventh (overall) outing for the helium-voiced messers manages to pump new life into a jaded series and crams a lot into its zippy 90-minute minute running time.
Watch our interview with Minions creator Pierre Coffin
As ever, we find the Tic-Tac shaped goofballs looking to do the bidding of the biggest baddies in the world only to end up making a mess of everything. However, this time out, they fetch up in silent era Hollywood, where they become movie stars and try to make their own award-winning creature feature.
This gives Coffin and co-writer Brian Lynch a chance to indulge in a witty homage to their own movie memories. A present day museum of Hollywood greats, featuring Orson Welles, and references to Georges Méliès, Citizen Kane, and even a funny cameo from George Lucas. sets the story up before we are transported back to the first stirrings of Hollywood and the Minions rise to screen fame.
Boasting a starry cast including Jeff Bridges playing twin movie producers in the Warner brothers mould, Christoph Waltz as an émigré German director, Jesse Eisenberg as a nerdy robot called Dort, and Trey Parker as a cute sidekick who is not all that he seems, it's another gag a minute misadventure.
Buster Keaton style slapstick abounds but there are enough knowing winks and movie references to charm an older audience. All this and a multi-eyed orange blob called Irene.
In the alternate silent era Hollywood the Minions exist in, an Oscar comes in the form of a golden banana. We doubt this will trouble awards season next year but Minions & Monsters is a stylish and fun addition to the series.
Minions & Monsters is in cinemas on 1 July
