Incredibles 2 Review

PG: Action sequences and some brief mild languageDisney/Pixar1 Hr and 58 MinutesWriter/Dir: Brad BirdVoice Cast: Holly Hunter, Craig T. Nelson, Sarah Vowell, Huck Milner, Samuel L. Jackson, Brad Bird, Bob Odenkirk, Catherine Keener,  Jonathan Banks, Sophia Bush, Isabella RosselliniIt has been 14 years since we last saw the Parr family. We have been anticipating this sequel since 2004. As a matter of fact, “The Incredibles” became the ONLY Pixar sequel people had been actively asking for, not any “Cars” sequels or a “Finding Nemo” sequel or even a “Monsters Inc.” prequel. All we wanted was an “Incredibles 2”. Now, it’s finally time to grab that super suit, suit up, and get this review on a roll.
Everyone’s favorite family of superheroes is back in “Incredibles 2” – but this time 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.THE GOODWord of advice, before you see “Incredibles 2”, watch the first film, or at least the last five minutes, because right when the movie begins, the Parr family wastes absolutely no time getting to work. The time jump between this and the predecessor has to be the shortest time jump in cinema since “The Raid 2.” The film literally starts off mere seconds after the events of the first so as we were aging for the past 14 years, the Parrs stayed the same. Well, not really. Since it has been 14 years, the resources and advancement of technology used for animation has changed. And Pixar has once again knocked it out of the park in animation standards.
The movement is faster, slicker, the texture of the characters are more smooth, the designs are more updated where you can see more of a character's facial features than before. The film is never not mesmerizing to look at. Not only are the character updates great, but the designs given to the various settings are incredible. Since this still takes place during the 50s where TV was black and white, you can sense that due to the clothing the characters wore, the style of certain interiors, and mostly the technology used. At this point, it’s no surprise that Pixar knows how to deliver visually impressive animation that just gets better each time. Even if some of the designs of these new characters come from the scary uncanny valley at times, they still know how to make characters look rather unique.For “Incredibles 2” being the first sequel by Writer/Director Brad Bird (based on a property that he created), he thoroughly delivers on making a serviceable sequel for fans who adore the predecessor. Because these are his characters and this is the world that he created, the film expands more on elements that took the back seat the first time around. Now, the majority of the film focuses on the family dynamic and the switch of parental roles where Bob is a stay at home dad while Helen is on superhero duty providing for the family.
In recent superhero films, there were attempts to have political statements on the destruction of superheroes and how it benefits society. From “BvS” to “Civil War” they tried to incorporate the politics of superheroes as the basis of their story, but all of the political aspects root from “The Incredibles” which was the first to cleverly use that as a basis of the plot. Now, Bird has given focal point involving legalization of supers the front wheel as it expands the social issue (which frighteningly gets a bit too relevant in scenes of conversation) and is used as the base of the narrative.If you think that “Incredibles 2” is a deep emotional story that continues the issues of family such as Mr. Incredible going through another variation of a mid life crisis, then you are dead wrong because “Incredibles 2” is a C O M E D Y. It still has the engaging action sequences, but at the core, this movie is a comedy; it may be the best comedy of 2018 so far. I was dying of laughter here more than I did in “Deadpool 2” in points where I could barely even catch my breath. Brad Bird’s last animated feature was “Ratatouille” which was comedy at heart so he’s no stranger to entertaining his audience by attempting to
As I said, for this being a comedy, “Incredibles 2” punches you in the funny bone from beginning to end. The dialogue is witty, the family dynamics are far above the comedic levels beyond anything you see in both TV and film (mostly on TV), and the visual gags are hysterical. When it comes to the humor, the majority of the comedy roots from one character who manages to steal the show every second he’s onscreen
This damn schizophrenic super baby has to be one of the newest comedy legends in animation because every single action Jack-Jack does leaves you roaring in laughter. Throughout the movie, everyone is discovering that Jack-Jack has powers…not just one superpower, but way too many; he has even more powers than Clark Kent. But it isn’t only the family’s reactions to Jack-Jack’s powers that makes you laugh. It’s also the creative situations the animation team does with Jack-Jack. There is a sequence where he is picking a fight with a raccoon and that sequence is something straight out of a Tom & Jerry cartoon in accounts of comedic timing, physical humor, and of course, the violence.
This time around the film centers on Helen doing superhero work, and by God the team at Pixar made Elastigirl such a powerhouse of a superhero. All of her action sequences are such an engaging thrill ride to witness in ways that are fun and mostly inventive. When she has to swing into action, she is literally doing so like a human Spider-Man. Spider-Man would have a run for his money with her. As a millennial who grew up with gaming, Elastigirl's action sequences are very reminiscent of the best Spider-Man video game of all time: Spider-Man 2. You see her go on missions where she has to rescue civilians in a city where she is swinging around from rooftop to rooftop as we have a beautiful view of the city she’s fighting in through her eyes.THE BADYou know how people have been declaring that the upcoming “Wreck-It Ralph” sequel “Ralph Breaks the Internet” looks like a competent version of “The Emoji Movie” based on the premise? Well, based on the comedy and the tone of “Incredibles 2” the movie feels less like a Pixar film and more like a competent Illumination film. Seriously, the more I think about it, “Incredibles 2” plays like a competent “Despicable Me” movie where comedy trumps story and emotional depth.
Don’t get me wrong, “Incredibles 2” is a great comedy but what it lacks the most is the emotional core that not only the predecessor has, but a number of Pixar movies have. Whether they were effective or not, even the lesser Pixar movies had that emotional punch that you gives you either chills or tears. Especially since the studio is coming off the year-high of “Coco” which moved the world to tears, you would expect at least a little bit more than a straightforward comedy with this. The predecessor hit home the family dynamic but had a relatable theme of parents going through their mid-life crisis. That theme is now replaced with the struggle of Mr. Incredible being a stay at home dad, but it’s more played for laughs than for an emotional resonance.Speaking of Mr. Incredible, being a stay at home dad, while his arc is decent, his character is more selfish and pigheaded as if he had learned absolutely nothing from before. During the 50s, toxic masculinity was in its heyday but as a society we look down on that as opposed to a time where it was normal. That said, Bob is a man who suffers from toxic masculinity. His entire character arc is motivated by him being eager to getting back into crime fighting. Specifically himself. Just himself. No accounts with working with his family, but Mr. Incredible being MR. INCREDIBLE.
As you see in the trailers, the Parrs are going up against a new villain named the Screen Slaver and if you see any movie ever, you have a great idea who the antagonist is. The film plays the villain vs. hero aspect similar to a "Scooby-Doo" episode, but it’s really predictable who the true antagonist is. Right when we’re introduced to a rich brother-sister duo who are advocates to the legalization of supers and they reveal their backstory of how they came to power... You can predict who the villain is. Even when the twist itself is revealed, they play it like a shocking moment when even your child can tell who it was from a mile away. Sorry, “Spider-Man Homecoming” raised the stakes of the super villain plot twist.LAST STATEMENT“Incredibles 2” may lack that emotional Pixar punch, but because of the dazzling animation, thrilling action sequences, and the non-stop laughs, this long-awaited and most-anticipated sequel is serviceable enough to make fans of the original incredibly happy.Rating: 4/5  | 87%Jack-Jack Vs. Raccoon | Jack-Jack and Edna |JUST ANY SCENE WITH JACK-JACK