Iconoclast: Has the 'Minions' joke started to wear thin?

In 2010 two CG animated films were released that were both about a super-villain who changes their ways and becomes something of a good-guy (to a certain extent).  One has a character arc which genuinely feels earned, that is rooted in comic-lore, and whilst it touches on clichés of romance, highlights that environment as much as choices can shape a person.  The other was chock full of sentimental clichés about the transformative power of the love of children, negative portrayals of people based on their body type, but had some biting satirical touches that probably went over most people's heads.  Neither film was a match for the quality that Pixar regularly put out (even in their weaker works), but both were well designed & animated, and had flashes of some genuinely memorable humour - as well as great turns from the lead actors.  If I needed to pick a film of the two which I felt had enough merits to be worthy of a franchise, I'd have picked the film which ironically didn't get one.

You see, despite the similarities between DreamWorks' 'Megamind' and Universal's 'Despicable Me', the former is the film that stands up to repeated viewing and has more narrative weight (at least to my mind, anyway).  To some extent there is little to separate the films - they have a similar premise, though Megamind is clearly coming from a comic-book influence (as evidenced by the presence of indestructible 'Superman'-like character Metro Man); Despicable Me is clearly trying to evoke 60's spy thrillers, and the black humour of those cult 'Spy vs Spy' comic strips from waaaay back.  When it comes down to it, the reason one film is celebrating the release of the third movie in its franchise, and the other is largely not discussed nowadays, is due to one simple reason: marketability.  You see, Despicable Me had something that Megamind neglected to add - a cute character that could be turned in to a toy and sold to kids.  That is what the little yellow, pill-shaped Minions from Universal's movie turned out to be.

I wonder if the makers of 'Megamind' kicked themselves after for not including cute, child-like, and inept comedy lackeys for their titular villain?

They have proven to be hugely popular, and understandably so.  They talk gibberish in high-pitched voices, they get up to mischief, they regularly injure themselves or other minions - and laugh at their expense afterwards.  They have big, round baby eyes (or eye, singular, in some cases), are slightly smaller than a 5-year-old child.  They tick two boxes that are a marketing man's dream - they are cute, and they are funny.  This probably seems like a cynical thing to say, but I can see how their appeal is more than a trick of commercialisation; in the Despicable Me films, they are genuinely funny - they capture something of the anarchic spirit that all children have, wanting to run riot, have accidents, break things as they explore boundaries - and laugh at the expense of someone who has stumbled and fell flat on their face or got in to trouble in the process.  These are the same things that make them appeal to grown-ups too - they're those things that you're not supposed to laugh at when you're a responsible adult, like flatulence or prat-falls, but you still find hilarious anyway.

In the first two Despicable Me films they are a welcome addition - they don't derail the film from its central narrative, they don't take the spotlight away from main character Gru (who is voiced in a fun turn from Steve Carrell); but they do offer relief when the story is in danger from getting too sentimental, when Gru starts fawning too much over his adopted daughters, or over his new love life.  In a film about a super-villain who finds a reason to be a good guy, they play an important part in helping the character and story keep its edge and mischievous moral core.  Outside of the films, away from that context, they start to lose that and become, well, annoying.

The Minion's popularity with adults has given rise to a completely irritating internet meme known as a 'Minion Quote'.  These are, somewhat ironically, not even quotes from the Despicable Me films - neither are they things that the Minions actually say (probably because a picture with "Lookit-oo, hahaha!" written on it, without the high-pitched sped up voice saying it, would look dumb and not at all funny).  Instead they've been used by people as a way of putting mean statements and opinions, but making them seem like they're a 'joke', because there's a picture of a Minion grinning mischievously next to it.  "Annoy me and you'll find I'm a murderous bitch!"  A statement like that would be grounds to call in the Police, or at the least some kind of psychiatric help in most cases - but, hey, if I put a picture of a Minion next to it then it's a 'joke', and it's perfectly ok!  No, it's just annoying, stop spamming my social network feeds with these stupid, annoying pictures.  To make it worse people have started photo-shopping the pictures of the Minions so that they're suddenly sexualised.  No, putting a minion in a leather-bound dominatrix suit isn't a statement of your confident sexuality - it makes you look like you've got the maturity of a barely adolescent child that can't even mention the word 'boobies' without descending in to a fit of giggles...

Pictures like these were fodder for meme creators to annoy the hell out of people with...

These 'memes' have taken something that was funny in the right context and made them become, for me at least, something that is now pretty annoying.  This doesn't bode well for their debut solo movie (titled, aptly, 'Minions').  While they're back in a child friendly, CG animated feature environment - away from efforts to make them mean something they don't - is there enough to these characters to sustain what makes them funny as central characters in their own film?  Sadly, no there isn't.  Despite the prat-falls, the references to bananas, and the childish sibling rivalry that often descends to slapping play-fights, the Minions really need to be used as they were in the first two Despicable Me films.  They are comic relief, and work best in short doses.  Despite the presence of big name actors like Sandra Bullock, Jon Hamm, Alison Janney and Michael Keaton, none of the other characters make much of an impact.  Central villain Scarlett Overkill has none of the redeemable qualities of Gru - you might say she shouldn't as she's the antagonist of the piece, but you don't get a sense that someone like her needs the Minions to do assist her in her schemes; she's ruthless to the point where she crosses being an evil b*tch to behaving like a spoilt child.  And that, for me, is the crucial reason why the Minions didn't need their own film - the whole concept of a minion is a disposable lackey, someone to bear the brunt when their master's plans fail (both as they're designed, and in the execution).  These characters really turn up the comedic potential of this idea - when they are support to Gru in the Despicable Me films.

Ultimately, 'Minions' is a film that is more squarely aimed at kids.  The warm, reassuring tones of Geoffrey Rush's narration (which will evoke in parents nostalgia for the programmes they watched as young kids in the '70's, '80's and '90's), and the very broad (often clichéd) strokes used to depict the 1960's and London, are too familiar to adults, who will most likely want something a bit more sophisticated.  The supporting cast of named actors sound like they're phoning in their performances, which is a shame considering the talent involved.  And this film suffers from the problem many comedies have recently - if you've seen the trailers then you've genuinely seen almost all of the best gags (especially a montage showing the Minions' journey under various masters through history).  This film is an excellent marketing opportunity, destined to sell lots of toys, kid's fast food meals, and will make Universal's already monumental Box Office even bigger this year.  It's a film that'll keep kids amused and entertained for its duration, but sadly won't do anything more.  It just makes me wonder if, by the time we get the next Despicable Me sequel next year, will the Minions joke already have been stretched too far, too thin?  Well, so long as they help that film to further financial success, I doubt the film makers or the Studio will think so.