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Why you should see Minions no matter your age

Scarlett Overkill (right) has the minions on her side ... at first.

Scarlett Overkill (right) has the minions on her side ... at first.

MINIONSYou know something? It’s incredible how comforting, enjoyable and cathartic it is to watch a movie you know won’t end badly.

Don’t get us wrong, Mad MaxJurassic World and The Avengers are awesome, but all those plot twists, gun fights and battle scenes can be exhausting.

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Great cinema doesn’t have to be honest. It doesn’t even have to be realistic. It just has to entertain and, if it can do so without profanity, sex, violence and excessive cliffhangers, more power to it.

That is precisely why you should spend your hard-earned on a ticket to Minions this week, kids or no kids.

To give your brain a break.

The movie serves as a prequel to the hugely successful Despicable Me movies, taking an in-depth look at the origins of the adorable yellow minions who captured hearts in the original 2010 and 2013 movies.

True to their name, the minions live to serve and only feel purpose if they have a maniacal, evil genius as their leader.

We find the minions at their lowest point, leaderless and lost. To get their mojo back, they send three representatives – proactive Kevin, idiotic Stuart and adorable Bob – off to find them a leader.

The movie kicks off at the dawn of time and travels through the various decades, providing an excellent – albeit slightly creative – take on the history of the world. Particularly beneficial if you have young kids, particularly entertaining even if you don’t.

Bob, Kevin and Stuart soon find themselves in 1960s London at the service of glamorous female criminal Scarlett Overkill (voiced by Sandra Bullock).

Cue an awesome throwback soundtrack, a hilarious animated take on Queen Elizabeth and London scenery so well done you could swear it was real at some points.

As is the case with most of these animated movies, there are enough in-jokes and cultural references to please the grown-ups and plenty of hijinks to keep the kids entertained.

The screenwriters have clearly worked doubly hard to create a script that’s easy enough for a six-year-old to follow, but by no means dumbed down.

In fact, the minions, who speak entirely in a language that’s a combo of Italian and baby babble, make more sense than most lead actors in action movies (we’re looking at you, Tom Hardy).

Scarlett Overkill (right) has the minions on her side ... at first.

Scarlett Overkill (right) has the minions on her side … at first.

While the film gets off to a slow start (presumably to set the scene for non-Despicable Me fans) the opening scenes are set to the soothing Aussie tones of Geoffrey Rush, who manages to imbue the silly animation with a certain amount of pomp and circumstance.

Bullock is a little more out of place as Scarlett Overkill, possibly because we’re used to hearing her friendly voice as a heroine, not an anti-heroine.

None of this really matters given the pure unadulterated cuteness of the three lead characters.

They’re upbeat, energetic, adorable and in awe of the world, much like the young audience they attract.

Watching them navigate the Arctic, Buckingham Palace and even Australia, and listening to the ecstatic reactions of the littlest moviegoers around you, will restore your faith in humanity.

Stick around after the credits for some extra fun.

Feel like staying in instead? Download a movie on us by clicking here

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