Minions Monsters is getting review bombed because people are mad about a Minion kissing a monster. Let’s talk about it.
Minions Monsters kiss between a Minion and a monster has apparently destroyed the internet, and I need you to understand that this is exactly the kind of cultural meltdown I live for. A children’s movie about yellow henchmen in 1920s Hollywood features a brief romantic moment between characters, and suddenly everyone is acting like the fabric of society has been torn apart. Grow up. It is a cartoon.
The controversy centers on a scene where the alien robot Dort, voiced by Jesse Eisenberg, falls in love with a women’s rights activist named Debbie, played by Zoey Deutch. But the real uproar came from a separate moment involving Goomi, the Cthulhu-resembling monster voiced by Trey Parker, and his interactions with the Minions. Certain corners of the internet decided that a Minion showing affection toward a monster was inappropriate, which is a fascinating thing to get upset about when the same movie features a giant orange blob destroying Los Angeles.
Minions Monsters kiss is not the problem. The problem is that some people cannot handle animated characters expressing warmth in a medium literally built on anthropomorphizing everything from teapots to emotions. Pixar made us cry about a fish looking for his son. Disney turned a beast into a romantic lead. But a Minion and a monster sharing a moment? That is apparently where we draw the line.
What makes this especially absurd is the context. Minions Monsters is a film about outcasts finding community. James, Henry, and Ed are rejected by their own tribe for wanting to make art. Goomi is a monster who wants to help until he reveals his true world-destroying intentions. The film is about looking past appearances to see shared humanity, or in this case, shared Minionity. Getting mad about a kiss in that context is missing the point so hard you are basically in another movie.
The review bombing has not hurt the film commercially. Minions Monsters is projected to open around $80 million over the July 4th holiday weekend, which is exactly the kind of number that makes studio executives laugh all the way to the bank. Illumination has built a $5.6 billion franchise by understanding that children do not care about internet drama and parents will take them to whatever movie buys ninety minutes of peace.
Let the Minion kiss the monster. Let the robot fall in love with the suffragette. Let cinema be weird and warm and slightly unhinged. That is the whole point.
See Minions Monsters in theaters and decide for yourself if animated romance is truly the end of civilization.
Also Read: George Lucas Cameo Steals Minions Monsters