‘The Incredibles 2’ continues the family of ‘Supers’ adventure with feeling, fun and action
It’s been a long fourteen years for fans of The Incredibles, the wildly successful and acclaimed superhero Pixar film from Brad Bird. After work on Ratatouille, Mission; Impossible Ghost Protocol and the box office bomb, Tomorrowland, Bird brings back the Parr family for The Incredibles 2.
Picking up at the close of the first film, when the Underminer (voiced by John Ratzenberger) attacks and The Incredibles jump into action, The Incredibles 2 addresses new challenges, dividing the family with Helen (Holly Hunter) putting Elastigirl into the limelight while Bob (Craig T Nelson) plays Mr. Mom with the kids.
Media mogul siblings Winston (Bob Odenkirk) and Evelyn (Catherine Keener) spearhead a superhero re-branding initiative around Elastigirl and Bob quickly finds he’s in over his head: Violet (Sarah Vowell) is suffering from teen heartbreak; Dash (Huck Milner) is struggling with his math homework; and baby Jack-Jack is developing almost every conceivable superpower at once.
As the film’s villain, Screenslayer, comes into play, Helen faces the nemesis alone and Bob’s supporting cast becomes more important: Samuel L. Jackson’s Frozone and the scene stealing Edna Mode, voiced by Bird.
The Incredibles 2 is the perfect balance of James Bond and a Spielberg film, ripe with family values, addressing priorities in life and finding’s ones’ purpose. Animation technology is amazing and the action sequences raise the bar for live-action films, capturing that sense of danger and thrill not found in most animated projects.
For example, Helen gets a new state-of-the art motorcycle and instead of being an expert, she struggles, taking a few moments to overcome some bumps to get a handle on the bike. This adds to the chase scene and the expectation of her actions.
The constructs of the film are predictable and the new Supers are waste of time, ripping off an X-Men or Avengers character, but the nuances move the story along. Bob eventually embraces his role, succeeds and fails, but it’s Jack Jack who takes center stage to entertain the audience while the plot plays out. We can all rest assured the team will reassemble and battle at the end of the film, but the road to get their is entertaining for adults and the kids.
Expect a box office record weekend with more to come because the film seems very “re-watchable” and fans are eager for some family entertainment time.
The Incredibles 2 earns 4 stars out of 5 stars
[…] FULL REVIEW OF FILM HERE […]
[…] Disney/Pixar’s Incredibles 2, the sequel to 2004’s beloved Oscar-winning The Incredibles, received a strong reaction from critics and audiences, read our review HERE. […]