‘Minions: the Rise of Gru’ movie adds insight to Despicable Me trilogy

The minions are set on fire and run frantically in the background while an annoyed Gru continues to work.

Watching San Francisco and the streets of California in the Minions world was both relatable and exciting.

Editor’s Note: Spoilers ahead.

In a mustard yellow tank top and faded blue overalls, I made my way out of the hot blazing sun into a blast of refreshing air conditioning at the AMC 14 Saratoga. A large yellow minion named Bob stared down at me from a poster on the side of the movie theater.

Minions: the lovable three-foot-tall, yellow pill-shaped creatures in faded blue overalls who will do anything for their boss. Gru: an 11-year-old supervillain. What makes the Minions franchise so memorable is the minions themselves and their intricate plots, and “Minions: the Rise of Gru,” debuting on July 1, was no different.

At the beginning of the movie, Gru is in love with the Vicious Six, a famous team of supervillains, and wishes to join them. The fiercely loyal minions set out on helping Gru, while Gru wishes to prove himself by getting admitted on his own terms, alone.

Unlike previous Minion movies, the conflicts between the minions and Gru make the characters feel real and human rather than just comedic relief. Gru is portrayed as a person who wishes to be understood when he goes up to the Vicious Six for validation.

After the Vicious Six reject him, Gru steals the Zodiac Stone — which can turn people into animals — from them. Unsurprisingly, one of his minions loses it, spurring Gru’s anger toward his loyal, banana-loving friends. His annoyance is understandable due to the minions’ childlike nature, and the audience gets to learn how the minions earn his respect and love by going to San Francisco to get the stone back.

When Gru is captured by a former member and founder of the Vicious Six, Wild Knuckles, who was exiled for his older age, the minions travel to San Francisco to rescue Gru. In the ending fight sequence, the three main minions — Kevin, Bob and Stuart — continue fighting to save Gru even after being turned into a rabbit, ram and chicken respectively.

The minions’ loyalty ends up winning over Gru, creating a foundation of respect, understanding and trust between them. This gives the audience an understanding of the depth of Gru’s bond with the minions in future “Despicable Me” movies. Meanwhile, Wild Knuckles ends up building a bond with Gru during their time together, creating a father-son relationship that gives Gru the validation he craved for in the beginning of the movie.

In addition, the second half of the movie is set in San Francisco, so watching the steep roads of familiar Chinatowns in the Minions world made the story all the more memorable.

I’ve been watching the Minions movies ever since I can remember, rushing to theaters when a movie would come out. The vivid worldbuilding and funny characters always bring laughter to my day, as they remind me of dressing up as a minion for Halloween in elementary school. The unpredictable plot lines and lovable characters make for the perfect comfort movie.

Needless to say, if anyone wonders what I’ll be doing on July 3, 2024, it’ll be watching “Despicable Me 4.”