USA 2022
Opening June 30, 2022
Directed by: Kyle Balda, Brad Ableson, Jonathan del Val
Writing credits: Brian Lynch, Matthew Fogel, Cinco Paul
Principal actors: Animation, spoken in the German version by Thomas Gottschalk, Oliver Rohrbeck
The Nasty 6 is a team led by martial arts legend Wild Knuckles (also called WK and spoken by Thomas Gottschalk). Other members are a female motorcycle enthusiast, a nun, a weightlifter, an Asian, and a fighter. They are determined to steal the magical stone. There is a conflict and Wild Knuckles is dismissed from the group of six. This is an opportunity for 12-year-old Gru; he strives to steal the stone, in order to prove that he can accomplish their misdeeds successfully and be accepted by them. Important is the password “You’re no good.” Involved in every scene are minions Kevin, Stuart, and Bob, who are soon joined by another Minion: Otto, who is plump and wears braces on his teeth. They eventually agree to support WK (who looks like your grandfather: old with white hair) and Gru (who has been kidnapped and hidden away). They all follow the evildoers to San Francisco, with its typical steep hills, row houses, and Chinese New Year celebrations.
The Minions are back on the cinema screen. It is preceded by three Despicable Me films which first began in 2010 and introduced the popular Minion characters leading to the spin-off Minions which opened in 2015. This newest version takes place in 1976 and opens in front of the Criminal Records shop. Records play a role as do hundreds of Minions: small yellow creatures, some with one eye, some with two, all wearing blue jeans. They are successfully integrated in today’s world, easily interacting with “real” people. They learn Kung Fu to help them confront the Nasty 6 (which are now 5) in order to rescue Gru, who is their mini boss. The film is expertly made with continuous non-stop action in the most beautiful animation I’ve seen recently. It offers something to everyone of all ages, both long-term Minion fans, as well as newcomers to the scene, supported by 30 songs from the 1970s, plus a new song by Diana Ross, made especially for this film: “Turn up the Sunshine.” ()