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Minions: (Heitor Pereira) It's horrifying to
comprehend just how successful the 2015
Despicable Me spinoff
Minions ultimately became, generating enough revenue to qualify
as one of the top ten raw-grossing films of all time and continuing the
skyrocketing ascendance of a franchise that began rather modestly in
2010. Merely average critical response did nothing to deter audiences
from soaking up the lovable Minion characters from the
Despicable
Me films, this entry serving as a prequel to explain their
well-meaning but often disastrous origins. The little, devilish yellow
creatures, immune to torture and ready and willing to serve any
super-villain they can find, are shown searching though history for
their newest master, usually maiming that villain due to their own
lovable incompetence. The bulk of
Minions occurs in the late
1960's and involves a plot by a female villain to take the crown of
England. Through their surely groovy and conveniently comedic antics,
all turns out (relatively) well in the end and the protagonists find
their way to their destiny with the evil Gru from the previous films.
The music for the
Despicable Me concept has always fallen under the realm
of Hans Zimmer's studios, the original picture graced with a combination
of Heitor Pereira and Pharrell Williams material, while the 2013 sequel
utilized a Pereira score featuring some carry-over of Williams' themes.
Neither score was particularly well-treated on album, though that slight
was rectified with 2015's
Minions, which gave Pereira the
opportunity to shine alone. The Brazilian composer, handling many of the
silliest projects seeking music through Zimmer's production house, is a
veteran of not only this franchise, but those for
The Smurfs,
Curious George, and, later,
The Angry Birds. He also
contributed guitar performances to many of Zimmer's animated projects
dating back a decade. More than most of Zimmer's so-called "clones,"
Pereira has ventured closer to John Powell territory in his own animated
endeavors, opting to explore the absolute silliness factor more often
than not. For
Minions, the opportunity existed for the composer
to generate playful emulation of the Henry Mancini, Lalo Schifrin, and
John Barry jazz styles of the 1960's while continuing some of the same
generic action and fantasy modes familiar to the Zimmer spin-off scores
these like-minded crews tend to crank out. Pereira seems to have
genuinely enjoyed this assignment, and that enthusiasm is plainly
evident in the frenetic, oddball music that results.
Perhaps the most pressing question from aficionados of
the
Despicable Me franchise is in relation to thematic
continuity. While the "Minion March," solidified in the previous
franchise score, never really received due attention prior, it certainly
does here, its diligent rhythm and melody existing in several guises
throughout this score, including full-fledged orchestral performances as
in "Minion Mission." Pereira expands the number of themes in the score
to almost ridiculous levels, the primary trio of Kevin, Stuart, and Bob
each receiving developed identities accessible conveniently in "Kevin,
Stuart and Bob" while Sandra Bullock's main villain is offered her own
idea that takes a strong foothold in the second half of the score. Be
prepared for familiar territory to be traversed in "Greatest Renegade
Unveiling (Gru)" at the end of the score as well. The ensemble for
Minions is not particularly robust in depth, but Pereira
compensates as usual with a flurry of supporting players that really
define the work. A vintage jazz ensemble is shamelessly employed in
seemingly more than half the score. The electric bass sounds almost
omnipresent, as are other synthetic touches for the modern Zimmer edge.
The chorus is applied both traditionally and as a tool of comedy,
especially in the opening "Minions Through Time" cue. Expect to hear the
obnoxious singing voice of the minions themselves as they butcher a few
of the era's classic songs, too, and nothing can prepare the learned
film music collector for the outrageous mutilation of Jerry Goldsmith's
logo music for Universal Pictures. The song usage in
Minions is
respectable, the collection of 1960's rock and jazz nicely selected; the
exception is the butchering of John Lennon & Paul McCartney's
"Revolution" by director Pierre Coffin as the voice of the minions.
While casual listeners may point to John Powell as a strong influence in
this franchise's musical sound, this particular work has more vintage
humor along the lines of Danny Elfman, especially in the early portions
of the story as it is set in America. On the whole, don't expect to sit
through a soundtrack like
Minions without having already
recognized some affinity for the film, because it is quite challenging
to tolerate without any sense of context. Those listening to the score
"cold" may find the action cues ("Minion Mission" in particular) to be
of standalone interest, as the orchestra is nicely layered with the solo
woodwind and vocal layers in these parts, but the rest may yield
psychological unrest for the uninitiated. Although the album
presentation's cues are quite short, as expected, the entire original
score portion clocks in at over 45 minutes, a nice treat for fans of
Pereira's wild and gregarious approach to the concept.
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The insert includes a list of performers but no extra information about the score or film.
