Film Reviews & Movie Analysis

Being a superhero may be illegal, but when the choice is between the law and saving lives, it takes some incredible people to choose the right path.

It’s been fourteen years, but the movie picks up right where it left off – with the Incredibles (aka the Parr family), about to go up against the Underminer.

Unfortunately from there, events go from bad to worse. Not getting the reaction they expected from their reemergence into society they’re back to square one which means hiding their abilities.

A saving grace comes in the form of Winston Deavor a wealthy enthusiast who wants to bring superhero’s out of hiding. His plan is to make superhero’s more relatable and more marketable to the public, and the face for Winston’s endeavour is Elastigirl (aka Helen Parr) – much to Mr Incredible’s (aka Bob Parr), surprise, disappointment and obvious chauvinism.

Helen and Bob each learn to fight battles on their new fields, however they are soon reminded that when you stand for something, whether it’s truth, justice or family, there will always be someone who stands against.

I have to say that there was something I liked about the way the movie picked up right where it left off. No two month or two year time jump, literally you could watch The Incredibles and Incredibles 2 back to back as one super movie and I dug it.

Where the first movie was all Go Go Go! Incredibles 2 took a step back and allowed the audience to gain some insight into the world the Parr’s lived in. The era, the expectations and their everyday struggles. It just made the movie feel a little more grounded and in a sense real, as it didn’t take place on a remote island.

It was nice that the movie explored the role of women at the time and the idea of stereotyped gender roles, and their reversal. It was pretty damn subtle but still effective by letting Elastigirl take center stage and have Mr Incredible take a back seat.

The star of the show was Jack Jack (though an angsty Violet was a close second) as we watched him come into his own both as a superhero and as a character. Considering Jack Jack literally can’t speak and is limited in a lot of things he can do – what with being a baby and what not – he had some of the most standoutish scenes and made me gasp, laugh and coo, sometimes all within the same breath.

There’s not really anything bad to say about this movie, but you know what I’m like – I have to play devils advocate and nitpick at something…

Incredibles 2 has been talked about/been in the works for so long and now it’s here. Now I can watch it. Now I have watched it. And after all that hype and anticipation – it was a standard movie sequel.

I’m not going back on any of my previous points; I though it was laugh out loud funny, an easy watch that managed not to be too juvenile and I would recommended it…. but don’t walk in thinking it will be anything more than a good sequel.

Did there need to be an Incredibles 2? Probably not. But I’m still glad we got one.

I’ve seen critics claim it’s better than the original, and personally I don’t feel sequels should compare to their predecessors. That initial movie’s job is too introduce, explain and set motions into action, and as those tasks can never be replicated, for me it always has its own shelf on the mantel.