The Minions are back, and faster than you can say "Banana" the anticipation has been building. What could be another record-breaking money maker for Universal is set to be the talk of the town, and the movie your kids/friends will more than likely be dragging you out to. Which means that you’re going to want to know how to wisely invest your money in going to see this summer’s latest moneygrabber! So join us in saying "bello!" once more to To 3D Or Not To 3D!
While we won’t be talking about how good the actual film itself is, we’ll definitely be talking about how good the 3D treatment suits Minions, both in concept and execution. So if you’re looking for a critical approach on the film, you’ll have to turn to our review on the site. Otherwise, sit back and enjoy our third dimensional assessment of the world of Minions.
Fit Score
5/5
Honestly, how do you not go into a film like Minions thinking it’s going to be adapted for the 3D approach? Children’s movies are natural fits for the third dimension, and Minions definitely is no exception. With bright colors, madcap action, and two other films in its universe getting 3D roll outs, Minions is right at home with 3D.
Planning & Effort Score
5/5
The Despicable Me films were both released in the 3D format, and pretty much 9 out of 10 kids films are built with the 3D format already in the release strategy. So 3D was always going to be a part of the picture for Minions, especially considering it should be easy to create some great 3D effects in a CGI film. The key phrase being "should be."
Before the Window Score
4/5
Minions' greatest strength as a 3D movie is it knows how to throw things at the audience. The 3D conversion team put a lot of effort into making things stick out, with guns being aimed at the audience, objects being thrown, and some really cool perspective shots adding to the 3D spectacle. A couple scenes even made me flinch, convincing me that if there were a film that’d make me believe a lava gun was being fired at me, it’d be this one.
Beyond the Window Score
2/5
For as much as Minions likes to throw things at the audience, it doesn’t throw the audience into the film all that much. For the life of me, I can’t remember a part of the movie that really drew my eye into the background. It’s a weird dichotomy when it comes to a 3D film, but alas Minions trips itself up most in this part of the equation.
Brightness Score
3/5
If the Beyond The Window test wasn’t disappointing enough, the second disappointment of Minions is its aversion to brightness in picture quality. Remove your glasses during any point in the film, and you’ll see a substantially brighter picture than the one you see with the glasses on. This is especially disappointing for a film like Minions, which has a rich color palette all over the film’s images.
Glasses Off Score
3/5
Minions manages to do some decent work in the blur department, which is usually a good sign that depth is being created. However, it’s not as blurry as some of the better 3D conversions we’ve covered this year. Also, Minions lacks blur in the foreground when characters are front and center. It’s not a smoking gun, but it can indicate - as it does with Minions - that there’s not a lot of depth being generated.
Audience Health Score
4/5
While Minions holds up for the most part when it comes to audience health, there are a couple sequences that cause a tiny bit of eye strain. Your stomach won’t have a problem with the extremely kinetic action sequences, but in some cases where an object is moving in close up, the 3D wonks just a little.
3D SCORES RECAP
3D Fit
5
P & E
5
Before The Window
4
Beyond The Window
2
Brightness
3
Glasses Off Test
3
Audience Health
4
Total Score
26/35
Final Verdict: Minions is an OK 3D conversion, but not one to rush out to. While it’s certainly not the worst 3D on the market right now, it’s not a spectacular enough conversion to warrant instant approval. Still, you could be spending your 3D money on worse films, and if the kids want to go, then you’ll get some good sight gags out of the deal.
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