Believe it or not, but the Minions have been in our lives for the past 16 years. They were introduced in Despicable Me in 2010. They were background players in that story that soon became fan favorites.

Since that first introduction, the Minions have seemingly been everywhere. We’ve seen them in four Despicable Me films and in two feature films of their own, along with countless shorts. Now, for their third solo outing, they are doing something unique—looking at the golden age of Hollywood.

This film serves as a sort of origin for the Minions. As we have a story told by Olivia (Allison Janney), as part of an exhibit celebrating classic Hollywood. It’s focused on two Minions—James and Henry—who become fast friends over their shared love of stories. All this begins as the Minions are trying to find the ultimate villain to serve. They land with several different options, but each time it goes sideways as something goes wrong and the villain ends up wounded—or worse—leaving the Minions searching for a purpose again.

All this finally leads them to Hollywood, where they stumble into the motion pictures during the Silent Film era. Director Max (Christoph Waltz) finds them incredibly compelling—as do audiences. Soon, the Minions are big stars. But when the talking Motion Pictures come, they fall out of favor quickly.

While most of the Minions again want to find a Villain to serve, James and Henry refuse to give up their dream. They script an epic monster movie, but they need a monster to make it hum. When they turn to a dark magic book, things go off the rails quickly. But can the Minions come together and make it a hit?

I have always enjoyed the Minions best in small doses. As a sidelight, they were some of my favorite parts of the Despicable Me franchise. But in their solo outings, I’ve often found their schtick wears thin quickly. I expected it to be the same with this third outing. But I was wrong.

If you are a fan of movies and the Golden Era of Hollywood, you’ll be a fan of this film. It pays homage to many classic films, from Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin, to more in the talking era and even modern films like Babylon. And it’s a lot of fun. It’s a crisp 90 minutes and it has an ambitious plot that comes together in a delightful way in the third act.

It’s not incredible, but it’s a fun summer outing that will likely thrill and entertain audiences of all ages for the long holiday weekend. Plus, it’s got some scope and spectacle that will make for a good outing on a big screen.

Minions & Monsters is now playing nationwide.

Matthew Fox is a graduate of the Radio, Television and Film program at Biola University, and a giant nerd. He spends his free time watching movies, TV, and obsessing about football. He is a member of the FSWA. You can find him @knighthawk7734 on Twitter and as co-host of the Fantasy Football Roundtable Podcast.