KUNG FU FIGHTING

Right off the bat, I must confess I am a nubbin newbie, a first-timer to the world of Gru and his minions.

Somehow, I managed to miss the previous four movies, so I came into this one with what I suppose is a fresh perspective. Or maybe total ignorance—take your pick.

I found “Minions: The Rise of Gru” comical, colorful, chaotic, frenzied, somewhat stupefying and, more often than not, loads of fun.

But again, I can’t say this one’s better than its predecessors, so go with me on this.

The Rise of Gru is an origin story, the latest genre in Hollywood. If you can’t advance a popular story, try digging into the past.

So, we’re off to the 1970’s—disco, boom boxes, bell bottoms, rotary phones, “Jaws” at the movies. In this time frame, supervillain Gru is a nearly 12-year-old boy, an outlier among his peers because he still looks 35 and dreams of doing dastardly things while his classmates aspire to nobler pursuits.

He’s a huge fan of a team of evildoers with the Tarantino-esque name “The Villainous Six.”

In an earlier scene, they’ve jettisoned one of their own, Wild Knuckles, voiced by veteran Alan Arkin, and now need a replacement. Gru gravitates to their urban lair, a subterranean chamber that looks like a shopping mall hidden beneath a record store.

You gain entry by spinning a disc backwards in a listening booth.

But the villains, led by Afro-haired Belle Bottom, are unimpressed when they discover the eager Gru is a mere child.

Still, Gru’s determined to prove his still-evolving evildoer ways and steals their magic Chinese medallion because, well, it just as easily could have been a magic stone, or magic crown or magic sword. You gotta have a magic tchotchke in a story like this or else the adventure fails like a fallen souffle.

Part of this movie’s appeal, apart from the neon colors, is its celebration of a bygone era. And there’s a liberal sprinkling of 70s hits that wraps the story in a warm, Naugahyde nostalgia.

Gru gets kidnapped by Knuckles, who takes him to San Francisco, so the city’s famed cable cars play an outsize role, as do its notorious hills. More than once, the minions find themselves rolling when they’re not rocking to hits of the era.

Because the Villainous 6 want to get their medallion back, and promise vengeance until they do, a few minions beg Master Chow, a female Chinese acupuncturist and kung fu master, to teach them the finer points of the ancient art. And their slapstick scenes are among the animated film’s strongest.

Throughout the story, young Gru is wide-eyed if not always wise, but he still manages to form a lasting bond with Knuckles. Their budding friendship suggests, yes, a sixth outing built around the younger Gru.

The Rise of Gru is nearly 90 minutes of animated fun and the kiddies will love it. Will their parents approve? You bet your bell-bottom dollar they will.