Netflix’s new no.1 movie highest-rated of five-part franchise – and worth watching

There's a new Netflix no.1 movie in the UK – a great success, given its much later arrival on the best streaming service compared to its US equivalent. It's also the highest-rated movie out of a five-part franchise – with a sixth imminent in cinemas this July.

The movie in question is, but of course, Minions: The Rise of Gru. It's the second dedicated Minions movie, which appeared interspersed among the Despicable Me movie franchise. And it's one that kids, adults and whole families are sure to love. 

Indeed, The Rise of Gru currently holds a super 89% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes – meaning it's the highest-rated of all five movies, above even the original Despicable Me from back in 2010. Check out the Minions sequel in the trailer below: 

Of course, everything is a matter of taste and this doesn't mean that Minions 2 will be the out-and-out best-of-best Despicable Me movie for everyone. Indeed, IMDB's score aggregator has a different take – with the first movie taking top spot. Swings and roundabouts, eh?

The Rise of Gru stars Steve Carell as the titular character, following his character's younger years and bid to become the world's greatest supervillain. He's got plenty of competition, but plenty of support from his team of (literal) Minions too. 

And it's a laugh a minute, with Carell's character leading the charge, but his yellow companions causing all manner of mayhem along the way. Just because it's an animation doesn't mean it's solely for kids – the production studio, Illumination Entertainment, and its writers are a dab hand at getting the balance perfectly right. 

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Given the popularity, it's likely that the forthcoming Despicable Me 4 – which is due out in cinemas this summer, from 12 July – will arrive to much fanfare. That'll be a full seven years following its direct Despicable Me 3 predecessor back in 2017. No doubt that The Rise of Gru will whet peoples' appetites. 

The movie is U-rated in the UK, meaning it'll be ideal for little ones whether watching solo or with families. It goes to show how varied Netflix's movie chart has been this year, given the abundance of previous successes this year so far. We've seen the unexpected return of a Game of Thrones star, and a sci-fi sequel 20 years after the original, with more adult themes.