Its timeline starts from the beginning of time and quickly accelerates to the swinging sixties and as such makes for some very funny history lessons. It also rewards those looking for popular culture references with a wide range of improbable moments. The soundtrack is also fantastically period appropriate and the filmmakers spared no expense in securing the original songs by the original artists. The licensing fees must have been through the roof.

The core of the action eventually settles in London and takes full advantage of the Royal family, British culture and the liberal and conservative attitudes of the time. The set design is colourful in the way a lollie shop is colourful and focusing the film on just the trio of minions, Kevin, Stuart, and Bob makes their individual characters stand out.

Getting the mix of adult and children friendly humour just right is never easy and in this regard Minions excels. This is a film that the whole family can enjoy together and one that will lead to very few embarrassing questions for the parental units on the drive home.

Rob Hudson
www.facebook.com/UniversalPicturesAU

Gru (Steve Carell) has settled into domestic bliss with Lucy (Kristen Wiig) and the girls but through circumstance has lost his job. That sting is eased by the discovery of a previously unknown brother Dru (Steve Carell doing double duty). The two unite and attempt to carry on with the family tradition. That tradition, being bad.

Now that Gru is flying the straight and narrow, the humour resides in him being pulled back into a life of evil lite. Being almost unlimited in creating arresting visuals backgrounds and crazy inventions, the filmmakers have created a lollie shop of fabulous sights, sounds and impossibly elaborate devices of ill intent.

It’s all kept very much in the family friendly mode and parents can comfortably reside in this world without an excess of embarrassing explanations needed afterwards. Fans of the Minions might however feel a little short changed as those little yellow orbs are not featured as prominently as in previous editions.

Rob Hudson
www.facebook.com/DespicableMeAu

Lovable lost and found hound, Max (Louis C.K.), gets his nose out of joint when his owner brings home another stray dog, Duke (Eric Stonestreet). In a fit of jealousy over the loss of his singular place in his owner’s heart, Max does a series of not very nice things to Duke in order to foster disfavour between the newcomer and their owner. Duke responds by doing some not very nice things in return, the result of which is the pair getting some not very nice things done to them by a gang of mean spirited alley cats.

After the cats snip the pair’s ID tags, the two are whisked away by some not very nice dog catchers only to be subsequently released from their ‘prison’ by some not very nice ex-pets who are plotting a revolution from the city’s sewers and… well… you get the picture. Even Max’s unrequited love interest, cute fluffball Gidget (Jenny Slate), has a mean streak when it comes to protecting her betrothed. It’s a kid’s movie with a gangsta flavour and it leaves a sour taste.

Of course, Pets are really like this. They’re naturally selfish, jealous creatures – and we love them all the same – but this is fantasy and we need characters we can fall in love with. And when just about every character is rocking this ugly gangsta shtick, it’s a struggle to find a likeable character in The Secret Life Of Pets.

The story structure is almost non-existent. The tale merely starts from the beginning and then meanders to its predictable conclusion with very little in the way of defined acts. As a result, it feels aimless, a road trip of a movie that ponies up one unlikeable character after another.

The film is peppered with funny vignettes on pet behaviour that are true to tone and keep the proceedings watchable, at least. The best of these vignettes, however, were contained in the films original teaser trailer which culminated in Leonard, the death metal, head bangin’ poodle – and this remains the best joke in the film.

Stuart Jamieson
www.thesecretlifeofpets.com.au

Its timeline starts from the beginning of time and quickly accelerates to the swinging sixties and as such makes for some very funny history lessons. It also rewards those looking for popular culture references with a wide range of improbable moments. The soundtrack is also fantastically period appropriate and the filmmakers spared no expense in securing the original songs by the original artists. The licensing fees must have been through the roof.

The core of the action eventually settles in London and takes full advantage of the Royal family, British culture and the liberal and conservative attitudes of the time. The set design is colourful in the way a lollie shop is colourful and focusing the film on just the trio of minions, Kevin, Stuart, and Bob makes their individual characters stand out.

Getting the mix of adult and children friendly humour just right is never easy and in this regard Minions excels. This is a film that the whole family can enjoy together and one that will lead to very few embarrassing questions for the parental units on the drive home.

Rob Hudson
www.minionmovie.com.au