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Partners
WHAT IT'S ABOUT:
Helen is in the spotlight, leaving Bob at home with Violet and Dash to navigate the day-to-day heroics of “normal” life. It’s a tough transition for everyone, made tougher by the fact that the family is still unaware of baby Jack-Jack’s emerging superpowers. When a new villain hatches a brilliant and dangerous plot, the family and Frozone must find a way to work together again—which is easier said than done, even when they're all Incredible.
WHAT WE THOUGHT:
I’m going to go ahead and just put it out there: Everyone needs to go watch Incredibles 2. Why? Because it is absolutely amazing!
It may have taken 14 years for the sequel to Pixar’s Oscar-winning animated superhero movie to be made, but the minute the Incredible family appear onscreen it’s as if there were no gap at all - and it’s not only because the opening scene literally starts where The Incredibles ended in 2004.
You would think that with so many years between the films, there would be a definite separation between the two, but aside from an upgrade of animatics and an obvious advance in cinematography, director Brad Bird has managed to seamlessly flow from the first to the second making Incredibles 2 a rare sequel that lives up to its massive expectations.
Much like the first, the quirky superhero family we fell in love with return with more action, more witty jokes and a whole lot of super powers.
Most of the original voice cast have returned, including Craig T. Nelson as Bob Parr/Mr. Incredible, Holly Hunter as Helen Parr/Elastigirl, Bird as Edna Mode, Sarah Vowell as Violet Parr and Samuel L. Jackson as Lucius Best/Frozone with the only slight change in the main characters being that Dash Parr is now voiced by Huck Milner.
So, what has changed?
Well, for starters, while Bird’s characters’ powers are all born of stereotypes – Dad is strong, mom is stretched in a million directions, teenage girls put up shields, little boys are full of boundless energy and babies are unpredictable – Elastigirl takes the lead while Mr Incredible is faced with a challenge not even his powers can suffice: Taking care of things at home.
Now, in a ‘normal’ scenario that would seem pretty doable however, in superhero world not so much.
But what I love most about this film is the fact that while it is a fictional, animated story about superheroes, built on stereotypical characters; it is still so relatable to everyday life and the very stereotypes each character’s powers represent, making it the ultimate family film – seriously anyone and everyone can watch this and feel some sort of connection with the characters.
In Bird’s own words: “Every one of us has been the newborn baby, many of us have been the super hyper-energetic 10-year-old or the insecure teenager, and many of us have grown up to be parents.”
Even the villain named Screenslaver - who uses screens to hypnotise anyone watching, or in reality, represents how blindly and wholly everyone has become at the mercy of screens and simulated experiences instead of real ones – is relatable.
With all this said, I can’t fail to mention that since 2004 superhero movies have grown in population, which could have made Bird’s job a little more challenging. However, with the original supers amped up and the introduction of a bunch of new supers – Incredibles 2 ticks all the boxes and easily competes as one of the best superhero movies made.
It’s absolutely hilarious, relatable to all ages, jam-packed with action and provides entertainment that will long be discussed in the future. Do yourself a favour and go watch Incredibles 2
