Incredibles 2
Starring: Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Samuel L. Jackson
Directed by: Brad Bird
Rated: PG
After a 14 year hiatus, The Incredibles are back. The audience may have grown up, but not a day has gone by for The Parr family. They're waiting to pick up exactly where they left off at the end of The Incredibles. After a destructive battle with the Underminer, heroes are not looking good to the public. Could it be that The Incredibles days of saving the world are coming to an end? Not so fast. Thanks to Winston Deavor, a man who is committed to rehabilitating heroes public image and making them legal, The Incredibles have a chance at fighting the bad guys again. There's only one minor detail in the plan: Deavor only wants Elastagirl in his program. Can Mr. Incredible handle taking care of 3 kids on his own? Will the family ever be able to fight as a team again?
So many movies fall victim to a bad sequel. It's difficult to recreate the magic of an original movie with a second. However, I'm happy to say this is not the case with Incredibles 2. This is a fun ride that takes you right back to the thrills of the original. One of my favorite aspects of the original movie is the set design. I know, it sounds strange to talk about set design in an animated movie, but the retro 60's theme is so neat. The mod clothing, cityscapes, and retro houses feel like they've been picked out of a 1960's painting.
Of course, the original characters that everyone loves are back. Mr. Incredible (voiced by Craig T. Nelson) is facing the challenge of taking care of 3 kids on his own each with their own set of issues. There's Violet (Sarah Vowell) who isn't sure she even wants to be a superhero anymore, plus she's dealing with a boy at school who doesn't know she exists. (Being a teenager is tough). Then there's Dash (Huck Milner) who is having a lot of trouble with his math homework. That portion of the movie was particularly relatable to me as I always went to my dad for help with math homework at that age. Then there's Jack-Jack, the toddler who has just gotten his powers and they're kind of frightening. Elastagirl (Holly Hunter) is hard at work on making superheroes legal again so we get to see a lot of action sequences involving her powers. Frozone (Samuel L. Jackson) is around as well because it wouldn't be an Incredibles movie without him. And of course, Edna Mode shows up for a very humorous cameo.
There are a few new characters including Winston and Evelyn Deavor (Bob Odenkirk and Catherine Keener) a brother-sister team working on making superheroes legal. There's also a mysterious villain called the Screenslaver who is attempting to hypnotize people through TV screens.
One of the best things about the film is its strong familial theme throughout. The Parr family fight crime together, solve problems together, and support each other in good and bad times. It's nice to see a movie with such a positive view of family in a time when that's not super common.
My one complaint about the film is that I think it could have toned down the Jack-Jack scenes. Some of them were funny, but by the end of the movie I felt like the bit had been really overdone.
Also, a warning to anyone who is photosensitive or has epilepsy: this movie has INTENSE strobe lighting. There are about three scenes involving strobing on a TV set. Then there is one scene in a strobe lit room that is almost blinding. I have epilepsy and had to close my eyes until the scene was over. I'm positive this could induce a seizure for someone who is dealing with them. Please be cautious and aware when walking into this if you deal with any kind of photosensitivity.
14 years later, Incredibles 2 delivers the fun and thrills its audience has waited for with the same style and humor as the original.
My Rating: 8/10