Minions: The Rise of Gru

The year is 1976. Eleven-year-old Gru lives in a pastel-colored suburban house with his mother Marlena, who offers little encouragement for his ambitions. His basement lair contains half-finished ray guns and a lot of hope. He has something more valuable than any gadget: a small army of yellow, gibberish-speaking Minions who follow his orders with chaotic enthusiasm. Kevin, Stuart, Bob, and a new arrival named Otto, who wears braces and means well but causes constant trouble, form the core of his operations.

Gru dreams of joining the Vicious 6, a team of supervillains who have just betrayed and apparently killed their founder, the legendary Wild Knuckles. When Gru lands an interview at a record store that serves as their front, he expects to be welcomed. Instead, the Vicious 6 laugh at him. In a moment of impulsive fury, he steals their most prized possession: the Zodiac Stone, a relic tied to the Chinese zodiac that can transform its user into any animal. He hands the stone to Otto for safekeeping. Otto trades it for a pet rock.

What follows is a chase that spans the country. Wild Knuckles, who survived the betrayal, kidnaps Gru and takes him to San Francisco. The Minions, desperate to rescue their boss and retrieve the stone, train under Master Chow, an acupuncturist with hidden kung fu skills. The Vicious 6 hunt everyone. Director Kyle Balda, working from a script by Matthew Fogel, keeps the action tight and the jokes fast. This prequel to Despicable Me runs 87 minutes and cost $85 million to produce. It earned over $940 million worldwide, becoming one of the highest-grossing films of 2022. [edit]

In suburban America during the bicentennial summer of 1976, an eleven-year-old boy named Gru spends his days in a basement he has converted into a makeshift supervillain lair. His mother Marlena, a distant woman who seems more interested in her own affairs, barely notices the ray guns and freeze rays he has built. The Minions, led by Kevin, Stuart, and Bob, serve as his enthusiastic but disaster-prone henchmen. A new Minion named Otto, distinguished by his metal braces and earnest demeanor, joins the group. Otto means well but his well-intentioned actions tend to backfire spectacularly.

Gru's obsession is the Vicious 6, a team of flamboyant criminals who recently betrayed their founder, the martial arts master Wild Knuckles, during a heist to steal the Zodiac Stone. The stone, a jade artifact linked to the Chinese zodiac, grants its user the ability to transform into any animal. The Vicious 6 now seek a new member to replace Knuckles. When Gru receives an invitation to audition at a record store called Criminal Records, he is ecstatic. He brings Kevin, Stuart, and Bob along for support.

The audition goes poorly. Belle Bottom, the leader of the Vicious 6, dismisses Gru as a child. The other members, including Jean-Clawed, Svengeance, Stronghold, and Nun-Chuck, mock him. In retaliation, Gru uses a distraction created by the Minions to steal the Zodiac Stone. He escapes with the stone and entrusts it to Otto for safekeeping. Otto, distracted by a boy with a pet rock, trades the Zodiac Stone for the rock. When Gru discovers the loss, he fires all the Minions and sets out alone to recover the stone.

Meanwhile, Wild Knuckles has survived the betrayal and has been stalking the Vicious 6. He kidnaps Gru and takes him to San Francisco, where he contacts the Minions and demands the Zodiac Stone in exchange for Gru. The Minions, led by a guilt-ridden Otto, embark on a cross-country rescue mission. Their journey leads them to the home of a biker uncle who has the stone, but they also encounter Master Chow, an elderly acupuncturist who reveals herself to be a master of kung fu. She agrees to train the Minions in martial arts, though their progress is comically uneven.

Back in San Francisco, Gru forms an unlikely bond with Wild Knuckles. The old villain, impressed by Gru's audacity and ambition, begins to mentor him. He teaches Gru the importance of style and timing in villainy. Gru, in turn, shows Knuckles a genuine warmth that the hardened criminal has not experienced in years. The Vicious 6, having tracked the stone to San Francisco, close in on Gru and the Minions. The stage is set for a confrontation during the city's Chinese New Year parade, where the fate of the Zodiac Stone and Gru's future as a supervillain will be decided.[edit]