JesseEisenberg – Credits Rolling

Those lovable Minions are back and this time they’re taking on Hollywood! Allow us to travel back in time to the 1920s. The Minions are on a quest to find their new master; they thrive when they have someone to serve. After a slew of mishaps, they stumble onto a movie set and fall in love with cinema. Best friends James and Henry (Pierre Coffin) fall in love with the art and decide to embark on making a film of their own.

Being the third film in the franchise, you would think they would have run out of steam by now. That couldn’t be further from the truth. I could watch a million iterations of these little guys running around doing just about anything and I would never be bored. They are just so funny and cute. Their antics are just way too fun.

This outing chose to pay homage to various cinema genres of yesteryear. From the silent film and film noir, monster movies and musicals, the Minions covered them all in a subtle yet impactful way that cinephiles all over will be able to appreciate. I wouldn’t be surprised if this was one of those films where the more you watch it, the more Easter eggs you uncover and I love that.

Coffin, who not only directed the film, but who lends his voice talents to each Minion character, is once again phenomenal. The way he can differentiate each individual is truly impressive. The supporting cast also delivers great performances. Allison Janey, Christoph Waltz, Jeff Bridges, Jesse Eisenberg and Zoey Deutch all contributed and elevated the material.

Minions & Monsters is a solid entry in the franchise. Choosing to go down a different route with the homage to cinema paid off. It was something new and fresh while still incorporating the usual hilarious hijinks we have come to expect from these films. A fun time for the whole family to enjoy.

Rating: ♥️♥️♥️

It’s been ten years since we last saw The Horsemen, but they are finally back on our screens! New performers Charlie (Justice Smith), Bosco (Dominic Sesa) and June (Ariana Greenblatt) team up with the retired gang for a diamond heist unlike any other. Spanning multiple countries and high stakes magic tricks, they have to take on new villain Veronika Vanderberg (Rosamund Pike).

I love the first two Now You See Me films so much! When film number one came out I remember being completely enthralled in the idea of it; they took magic and amped it up by a million. While the second wasn’t as great, it was still a fun time. And although this third outing probably wasn’t necessary, I still enjoyed every single minute of it.

All the major players were back: Jesse Eisenberg as J. Daniel Atlas, Woody Harrelson as Merrit McKinney, Dave Franco as Jack Wilder and Isla Fisher as Henley Reeves reprised their roles and it was honestly like no time had passed. They still had such an effortless chemistry with one another and it looked like they were having a ball. I actually liked the new character additions. It made sense to introduce some fresh blood and they fit in well. Pike also completely smashed it as a bad guy. Her accent was not at all convincing, but I think that was supposed to be the point and it added some surprising comedy to her scenes.

I’ve heard some people say that there wasn’t as many full on magic tricks as before and while I can see where they are coming from, I do understand why they had to go bigger this time around. There was still the usual slight of hand and card tricks, but the scene in chateau in France was cool and the final trick came together in a way that I wasn’t expecting though I mean that in the best way possible.

Overall, Now You See Me: Now You Don’t may not have been the best in the franchise, but I still had a blast with it. I could literally watch a million of these films and never get bored of them so here’s hoping we get many more!

Rating: ♥️♥️♥️.5