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Review of Minions (Heitor Pereira)

FILMTRACKS RECOMMENDS:

Buy it... if you desire Heitor Pereira's most consistently developed solo music thus far in the Despicable Me franchise, the comparatively lengthy album of his wildly enthusiastic contributions to Minions a nice treat.

Avoid it... if you approach this score without any affinity for the film's concept, because there's sanity to be lost in a "cold" listening experience to this oddball orchestral and vintage jazz merging.

FILMTRACKS EDITORIAL REVIEW:

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.  ***

TRACK LISTINGS:

Total Time: 67:11

• 1. Universal Fanfare - performed by Pierre Coffin (0:32) • 2. Happy Together - performed by The Turtles (2:54) • 3. I'm a Man - performed by The Spencer Davis Group (3:05) • 4. You Really Got Me - performed by The Kinks (2:14) • 5. My Generation - performed by The Who (3:16) • 6. Mellow Yellow - performed by Donovan (3:41) • 7. Revolution - performed by Pierre Coffin (2:22) • 8. Minions Through Time (4:34) • 9. Kevin, Stuart and Bob (2:57) • 10. Minions Run Amok (1:29) • 11. Tortellini (0:21) • 12. The VNC (1:11) • 13. Minions in the U.S.A. 2:13) • 14. Orlando (0:46) • 15. Scarlet Overkill (1:07) • 16. Ruby Fight (2:58) • 17. Make 'Em Laugh - performed by Pierre Coffin (0:44) • 18. Scarlet's Fortress (3:31) • 19. Traveling Tribe (0:49) • 20. Tower of London (1:39) • 21. Hair - performed by Pierre Coffin (0:54) • 22. Fighting the Crown Keeper (1:43) • 23. King Bob (0:57) • 24. Theme From the Monkees - performed by Pierre Coffin (0:29) • 25. Dungeon Mayhem (0:35) • 26. Goodbye Fabrice (2:28) • 27. Minion Mission (4:56) • 28. Sneaking In (2:34) • 29. King Kong Kevin (3:30) • 30. Our Hero Is Back (1:14) • 31. Minions Victory (2:49) • 32. Greatest Renegade Unveiling (Gru) (2:39)

NOTES & QUOTES:

The insert includes a list of performers but no extra information about the score or film.

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The reviews and other textual content contained on the filmtracks.com site may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of Christian Clemmensen at Filmtracks Publications. All artwork and sound clips from Minions are Copyright © 2015, Back Lot Music and cannot be redistributed without the label's expressed written consent. Page created 11/13/15 (and not updated significantly since).