‘Incredibles 2’ Review

incredibles-2-new-poster-405x600Fourteen years and thirteen Pixar films later we have finally been treated with a sequel to The Incredibles! Incredibles 2 is a computer-animated superhero film written and directed by Brad Bird. The film stars the voice talents of Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Sarah Vowell and Samuel L. Jackson, who reprise their roles from the first film, while newcomers to the cast include Huck Milner, Bob Odenkirk, Catherine Keener and Jonathan Banks. The story picks up immediately after the events of the first film and follows the Parr family as they balance superhero activity with their civilian family life. After an altercation with The Underminer, telecommunications tycoon Winston Deavor offers them the chance to help end the law banning supers, using Elastigirl to regain the public’s trust. Soon a new villain who seeks to turn the populace against all supers, known as the Screenslaver, appears forcing Helen to stop him. Brad Bird once again delivers one of the best superhero films ever made. He manages to balance the family dynamic with the crime-fighting adventures perfectly. Each family member is given an opportune amount of screentime so we can see what their roles in the family are. This franchise has been compared many times to the Fantastic Four films and regarded as superior in quality and it seems Bird enjoys this comparison as he lifted two scenes from Fantastic Four (2005) and placed them in Incredibles 2. The film is more than just an inverse of the first as it is updated to include themes of equality and justice. The fight choreography is well done, the lighting and animation are amazing (showing off how far technology has come since the first film), and the sound is some of the best Pixar has to offer. The film’s musical score was composed by Michael Giacchino, who had worked on the music for the previous film. Having the film focus on Helen Parr/Elastigirl this time around was a great choice and Holly Hunter continues to own the role. Her voice is powerful yet gentle, firm yet soft, intelligent yet easy going. Helen is given the spotlight showing how capable of a superhero she really is. Her powers are more visually stunning than Mr. Incredible’s. Whereas Bob is really strong and nearly invulnerable, Helen contorts and shapes her body into a variety of forms to fight crime and it’s exciting to watch. This can be seen in excess when she is chasing down a runaway train and battling the Screenslaver in his lair. Bob Odenkirk and Catherine Keener are also good as the siblings, Winston and Evelyn Deavor. After supers were outlawed, tragedy struck their family and Winston wants to make supers legal again because he feels they can make the world a better safer place. Evelyn isn’t too sure supers are necessary but wants to help her brother the best she can. She designs most of DEVTECH’s technology but prefers to stay in the background, out of the spotlight. The only negatives about the film are that certain characters could get more screentime, plot elements could have been explored a little more, and the villain is pretty easy to figure out. While the Screenslaver has decent motives and a relatable plan, it is a step down from what Syndrome brought to the first film. I give Incredibles 2 a Decent 8.9/10. This is one of Pixar’s best films to date. Hopefully we don’t have to wait another thirteen years for the next entry!

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