INCREDIBLES 2 MOVIE REVIEW.

Introduction.

Incredibles 2 is a 2018 American animation superhero film written and directed by Brad Bird. It’s a sequel to 2004’s Incredibles and features the Parr family in Bob/Mr. Incredible (Craig T. Nelson), Helen /Elasti-girl), Violet (Sarah Vowell) and Dash (Huck Milner). It highlights their exploits and struggles in a world where the activities of the superhero kind have been suppressed by higher powers.

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Character performances

a.) Elasti-girl and Mr. Incredible.

Holly Hunter reprises her role as Elasti-girl and her character is more less in the driving seat as far as the overall plot is concerned. She is presented with an immense opportunity to represent her kind and considering the circumstances in play, she does not pass on it. I really liked the way Elasti-girl carried herself in her new role. In as much as it was something that would change the course of her life and that of her family, she was skeptical of what it entailed and hence the movie showed that there was more to her character than just being messianic figure to people like her; a people who have been outlawed and shunned away by society. Additionally, her stretchy abilities are more profound in comparison to the 1^st movie which made the action scenes she was in very enjoyable and exciting.

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Her husband Bob is incredible as well, pun intended. He takes up a new role in this motion-picture for the better part of the 1^st and 2nd Act; it’s not something he is accustomed to although he gradually grows into nevertheless. It was fascinating to watch him go through the sheer trouble (which makes for great comedy) but at the same time, there was some emotionality to his struggles which substantially made his character more compelling in this photoplay than in the 1^st installment.

b.) Violet, Dash and Jack-Jack.

These 3 characters, with the sizable exception of Violet, light up every scene they are in and I loved it. I am sidelining Violet on this aspect because she carries on the feistiness, the authoritativeness and the outright reclusiveness that we saw in the first film on here. Her character arc centres on matters of the erotic nature once again but unlike before, she faces a new problem which involves her high school crush and thus the two find themselves in a precarious situation. It’s a problem that hits her hard and it was great to see her try finding a solution even though she was not in an emotional state to do it. A girl’s got to do what a girl’s got to do, right?

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On the other hand, Dash and Jack-Jack had me amused all the way being the seasoned troublemakers that they are. It was fun seeing them do certain stuff and say certain stuff which I believe will extensively appeal to you upon watching this film whether or not you are comedy-savvy or not. Of the two, Jack-Jack steals the show all the way and I duly won’t explain how and why so I guess you’ll have to see the toddler’s performance in the movie to know what I mean.

c.) The Plot, Boons and Banes.

I, for one, enjoyed the first Incredibles movie when it came out in 2004; I didn’t have the privilege of watching it in a theatre and I am glad I didn’t because the DVD version was better. The 8-year-old me found awe in animation films e.g Finding Nemo and superhero movies e.g the Superman franchise starring Christopher Reeves and thus to see a particular film that incorporates my two interests into a 2 hour spectacle was a dream come true for me. It was fun, exciting and visually appealing with a great plot and equally great subplots.

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I would credit the same to this sequel; it does its predecessor proud and goes several notches higher in terms of character performances, comedy, story and investing stakes. I came into this 2018 movie in need of entertainment and I got it; whether it was the Incredibles exchanging baby-sitting responsibilities while in combat, Jack-jack brawling with a raccoon thingy or even Dash & Mr. Incredible complimenting a waiter on a restaurant’s fantastic water, you’ll definitely get your money’s worth if you indeed share my cinematic interests concerning the film.

That said, the one issue I have with the movie is the lack of continuity with the characters especially from an age perspective which might push into a 3^rd installment if at all there’ll be one. The ‘elephant in the room’ factor for me and for many who care to notice it is the fact that the characters haven’t aged at all; it’s been 14 years and none of them look older than they previously were.

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One might argue that my issue is a non-issue because it would have played against the fabulous character that is Jack-Jack. All the same Brad Bird, the director, could have and should have found a way of accommodating a much older and more mature versions of the characters in the story while maintaining the same tone. This flaw in particular is small, it might be negligible or it might not even be an issue at all to some people but it is what it is, the way I see it.

Decree.

Well, I think I have covered all there is to cover about Incredibles 2; at least from a spoiler-free perspective. It’s a gorgeous looking film in every way and I won’t mind yet another Incredibles movie in the coming years; it might contain that specific fault that I mentioned earlier but in the grand scheme of things, these motion-pictures have found their way to my heart and thus credit to Pixar and Disney for that.

GRADE; A