Minions: The Rise of Gru - Turbine Collector Series 3D Blu-ray (German Import)

Since this is my first foray into reviewing one of the films from the ever-growing Despicable Me franchise, I should be upfront and say I’m not a big fan. I think they’re fine and funny, but I know I’m outside the targeted age range. I never saw any of them in theaters. As a now forty-year-plus-aged man, I kinda find it creepy to lurk around a kids’ movie at the theater without a kid of my own in tow. These are movies made for my nieces and my four-year-old (although he’d rather watch Godzilla and Twister right now). So this viewing of Minions: The Rise of Gru on Blu-ray 3D was my first true dedicated sitdown with one of these films and I have to say I had fun. 

For this adventure, it’s the 1970s and we see our crafty yellow followers aiding a 12-year-old Gru to become the despot of tomorrow in his quest for world domination. But he’ll have to join the iconic Viscious 6 to do that. A team of villains so evil they’ll gladly stab their leader Wild Knuckles (Alan Arkin) in the back. But things don’t go to plan as Gru bombs the interview. In his outrage, Gru makes off with the fabled Zodiac stone, incurring the wrath of Belle Bottom (Taraji P. Henson), Svengence (Dolph Lundgren), Stronghold (Danny Trejo), Jean Clawed (Jean-Claude Van Damme), and Nunchuck (Lucy Lawless)!

Now when I say I had “fun” with Minions: The Rise of Gru I mean that I fully enjoyed how silly, over-the-top, and creative the whole endeavor was. I genuinely understand why the young folk out there get a kick out of these films. I had a blast with the crazy ‘70s-ra vibes and I definitely had a few laughs thanks to the voice cast making up the Viscious 6. The film’s also a fine coming-of-age story about accomplishing your goals but also acknowledges the pitfalls of blind hero worship. 

But again, as much fun as I had, I know these films aren’t for me. If my boy starts to take to them, I’ll certainly sit down and watch with him, but I’m not likely to seek them out on my ownsome. Illumination certainly has a great reputation with its numerous animated features, and I’ll say this is another big highlight of their works. I’m probably a bigger fan of what they pulled off for the Super Mario Bros. Movie but Minions: The Rise of Gru is a big visual delight and it looks great in 3D!

Vital Disc Stats: The Blu-ray 3D
After enjoying a brief 3D Blu-ray release in Australia thanks to the late Random Space Media, Minions: The Rise of Gru arrives to conquer our physical media collections with a new Blu-ray 3D disc from Germany’s Turbine Medien. The second disc in their new Turbine Collector Series line, the film is pressed on a Region Free BD-50 disc and housed in a clear case with reversible insert artwork depicting the English language title. The disc loads to an animated main menu with standard navigation options.

Now, I never did get around to picking up the Blu-ray 3D disc from Australia’s Random Space Media, so I don’t have that as a basis for comparison here. But based on Turbine’s efforts with Jurassic World: Domination I have to figure this new disc is a neck-and-neck duplicate. A deep and engaging 3-D experience, the sense of depth was terrific throughout. Given the wild animated characters and locations, this film lends itself to 3D beautifully. Right from the jump there’s plenty of deep z-axis depth, giving us a sort of “window-into-a-world” effect, but that depth feels like it goes on for miles. And while it’s a sort of window-out experience, there are some great parallax protruding effects to enjoy while the action whips around the screen. Clarity and detail are great throughout. Colors are bright and bold and pleasing to the eye even through the darkening effect of the glasses.

Now in true Turbine form, this release comes in with a rousing, fully engaged Dolby Atmos audio mix. Again, I hadn’t seen this before, I don’t have any other editions for comparison. Outside of those considerations, I have to say this track is great. Like the visuals, the action starts fast and early and the soundscape is wide and immersive. From the jump, the Front/Center, Side, Rear, and Height channels kick in hard and don’t let up. Dialog and key effects stretch through the Front/Center channels but as the action gets going there’s plenty of smooth imaging drifting through the surrounds and into the heights. Height channels aren’t simply used to make the mix sound bigger but are often given plenty of pinpoint activity. It’s a real banger of an Atmos mix and will give your setup a fun run.

No bonus features are present. I figure if you previously bought any of the past Blu-ray or 4K sets out there, this disc will more or less complete your collection owning all available disc formats. 

Minions: The Rise of Gru wasn’t enough to make me a fan of the franchise, but I do fully understand the appeal. As far as harmless animated fun goes, it’s a hoot. The story is cute, the characters are big and over-the-top, and the film’s coming-of-age storyline is rather sweet given Gru’s aspiring criminal tendencies. Fans who missed out on Random Space Media’s 3D disc now get a second swing at bat thanks to Germany’s Turbine Medien. The 3-D presentation is terrific with a big deep three-dimensional experience and the Atmos audio track is a true sonic womder. So if you need a disc that’s going to make the most of your 3D screen or projector and your sound system, this is a solid candidate. Recommended