In 2004 audiences marvelled at Disney Pixar's The Incredibles (Brad Bird) with its brilliant characters, great action and slick 1960's-esque style. And now, 14 years later, the film is finally getting a sequel. With everyone returning, even director Brads Bird (The Iron Giant, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol) who lately has had a less than smooth transition into live-action films. But now he's back in the medium that he excels at with the hotly anticipated sequel.
First Thoughts
This movie is, for lack of a better word, Incredible! The filmmakers have brought everything audiences loved from the original and have doubled down on it. The characters are taken in interesting stories, the action is amazing and the animation is just breath-taking.
Elastigirl/Holly Hunter
Arguably my favourite character in the film! Elastigirl has really upped her game in this film. Whilst she was great in the original she took everything to a whole new level. Particularly with the use of her powers. The way she used her elasticity in such creative ways was brilliant. Probably the best use of such powers ever put on film! Marvel's Mr Fantastic should take notes! And, as always, Holly Hunter (Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice, The Piano) brings a brilliant performance with her amazing voice.
Mr Incredible/Craig T. Nelson
Mr Incredible's storyline in this is really interesting. While at first, I wasn't too happy with the idea of him being sidelined in order for Elastigirl to shine as a hero, I felt like the film handled it very well. He may not have had as many action scenes as his wife but he a lot of character development in this film. There's usually this idea that being a stay-at-home dad and not a breadwinner is emasculating. But Mr Incredible's storyline proves otherwise. He does have difficulty looking after his kids and his journey to becoming a better father was amazing. And I'm very happy Pixar were willing to tackle such a stereotype.
The Kids
As for the rest of the family, the kids have some interesting storylines. Particularly Violet (Sarah Vowell) and Jack-Jack. Violet's subplot about her boy issues was actually done very well and was hilarious at times. But Jack-Jack really stole the show. It was so much fun seeing him using each of his slowly developing powers and the rest of his family. In fact, it must be terrifying for the Bob and Helen knowing they've given birth to a Demi-God. The only issue I had with the kids in this film is Dash (Huck Milner) who is sadly side-lined in this film so that his siblings can have interesting sub-plots.
Frozone/Samuel L. Jackson
As always, Samuel L. Jackson (Pulp Fiction, The Avengers) brings a very charismatic performance. Now, whilst Frozone isn't in the film for that long he does have more screen-time and more action in this one than he does in the original. But what really got me was how involved he was with the Parr family. In the first one he just seemed like Bob's friend who was nice to the kids but in this one, he's a fully-fledged uncle, which was great to watch.
New Superheroes
The film introduces a new roster of Superheroes in the second act. And, unfortunately, we don't get a lot of time to know them. The closest one we get to is Void (Sophia Bush) whose powers are visually interesting and make for really good fight scenes. However, the others don't seem to get a lot of screentime and, to be honest, were kinda dumb. In fact, a couple of them were more or less walking, talking jokes. But, if they did the third film, I would definitely like to see more of Void. Especially with Violet, as the two would make really good friends.
Screen-Slaver
There's been a lot of mystery surrounding this character with not a lot being shown of him in the advertising of this film. And, Although Screen-Slaver isn't on the same level as Syndrome. I will say he was really interesting as a villain. There's one fight scene in particular between Screen-Saver and Elastigirl which was seriously tense, it was incredible! But also Screen-Slaver's motivations for why he does what he does we're really intriguing. Showing there are many ways of seeing things. Particularly when it comes to big topics. In this case, should Superheroes be allowed to operate.
Action
As I've said a lot in this review the action in this film is Incredible! The characters use their abilities in such a great and interesting way that Live-Action Superhero films haven't really been able to replicate. I really hope that filmmakers look at The Incredibles as the top standard for Superhero action.
Animation
Now, as for the animation, it's amazing how far it's come. Before watching the film I watched The Incredibles in order to prepare. And the quality difference is really noticeable. The animation in this film looks a lot more organic than its predecessor. From the fluidity of movement to the way characters act. Things like posture and breathing, which aren't always taken into account when animating. So it was really good to see that.
Conclusion
This an Incredible film that brings back everything from the first one but improves it! The characters have interesting plots, such as Mr Incredible, the action is amazing to behold and the animation has made leaps and bounds since the first one. It's only big problem is some of the new characters which don't seem to stick as well as the original characters do.
So that's my review for The Incredibles 2. What did you think of the film? Do you agree or disagree with any of my points? If so then please leave a comment down below. And, if you liked this review then you can follow this blog for more content. Thank you for reading. :)
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