I can not believe that it was back in April that I got the chance to visit the Pixar Studios and see the first 22 minutes of the Incredibles2. At the time the movie was not completed, but the scenes that I saw promised that great things were coming. After waiting all this time, the movie is now complete and open.
When I thought about this film I could not believe that it had been 14 years since the first film came. I was wondering what the sequel would incorporate and would I be disappointed, would it have the same memories for me as the first film. They were so many questions, but I got my answers quickly. This movie was worth the wait.
The movie picks up right where the last one left off. Just in case you forgot the last one ends with the Underminer through the ground of Metroville. The Parr family – mom Helen (voiced by Holly Hunter), dad Bob (Craig T. Nelson), 14-year-old Violet (Sarah Vowell), 10-year-old Dash (Huckleberry Milner) and baby Jack-Jack (Eli Fucile) is still in exile, massively frustrated by being forced to keep their powers in check. The family once again goes on the offense to stop him.
The family draws the attention of one Winston Deavor and his sister. This mogul is looking to get the laws changed to allow Supers to help again. He gets the help of Elastigirl to be the face of the Supers. A switch in gender roles.
Female empowerment suits Mom, as she stops a runaway train from wreaking havoc thanks to her quick thinking and stretchable arms. It’s a great action sequence – and some great voice work from Hunter, whose vocals can stretch from subtle to pow and all stops in between. This is her show and she makes the newly emboldened character resonate onscreen.
A switch in gender roles, while Elasticgirl is out saving the world, that leaves dad stuck playing Mr. Mom at home, totally unable to cope with Violet’s boy problems, Dash’s adolescent rebellion and a baby who’s showing power-potential that’s both deeply funny and scary. Jack-Jack’s transformation is a riot. It’s the cue for the return of fashion guru Edna Mode (again voiced hilariously by Bird) to take the demon baby in hand for a super suit fitting-slash-overnight sleepover. It’s a wildly comic duel of scene-stealers.
The villain of this movie is a diabolically clever entity named Screenslaver, which seeks to control the minds of citizens through screens – not a hard job since damn near everyone is already enslaved to the screens on their devices. Unlike other filmmakers who are bound to formulas and black-and-white conceptions of heroes and villains, Bird works outside the box. The bad guy wants to destroy the Incredibles because citizens would rather have fantasy figures save the world instead of doing something about it themselves. In other words, Screenslaver despite using nefarious means to an end – has a point. The film is richer for the character’s ambiguity.
Of course, nothing stops the fun, set to another rousing score by the ever-fantastic Michael Giacchino. All the stops are pulled out in the climax that brings the characters together, including family friend Lucius Best/Frozone (Samuel L. Jackson). The setting is a mega-yacht, owned by the Deavors, where Screenslaver maneuvers to turn our heroes to the dark side. No spoilers, except to say that Bird is peerless at playing with our feelings while never veering from his heartfelt tribute to the Parrs as the core resilient American family.
Make sure you check out Incredibles 2 in theaters!
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