INCREDIBLES 2 (2018) MOVIE NEWS & REVIEW

incredibles 2 (2018) movie

Genre              |   Action Comedy

Classification   |   PG

Running time   |   118 minutes

Released         |   14 June 2018

cast

Craig T. Nelson ... Bob Parr 
​Holly Hunter ... Helen Parr
Samuel L. Jackson ... Lucius Best
John Ratzenberger ... The Underminer
​Bob Odenkirk ...
Catherine Keener ...

director

Brad Bird

writer

​Brad Bird ... (written by)

cinematographer

music

​Michael Giacchino

film editor

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box office result

Worldwide               $? million

Australia                 $? million

North America        $? million

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the best dialogue

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INCREDIBLES 2 (2018) MOVIE IMAGES

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INCREDIBLES 2 (2018) STORY SYNOPSIS

​The Parr family struggles to maintain normal lives while Helen Parr (Holly Hunter), also known as Elastigirl, is out fighting crime. Meanwhile, Helen's husband Bob Parr (Craig T. Nelson), also known as Mr. Incredible, remains at home watching their children Violet (Sarah Vowell), Dash (Huck Milner), and discovering Jack-Jack's secret powers. However, they, along with Frozone (Samuel L. Jackson) will have to battle a new villain, The Underminer (John Ratzenberger) with a sinister plot

INCREDIBLES 2 (2018) MOVIE REVIEW

Reviewed by Mark Geraghty   |   Review date 14 June 2018
Pop ​Movee Rating ⭐⭐⭐½

Three-and-a-half reasons to see INCREDIBLES 2 ...

Despite a gap of 14 years in the real world, no time has passed in the reality that “The Incredibles” inhabit, and that’s a good thing because this new adventure makes an effort to expand upon the elements that made the first film a critical and commercial success while, at the same time, changing-up the “Hero” focus.

For those desperate to know the crux of the story, this time around, it’s Holly Hunter’s Helen Parr, better known as “Elastigirl”, who gets the Superhero limelight!

However, let’s divert for a moment...

Pixar Studios are not the “New Kid” as far as computer-generated animation goes. The studio no longer commands the same attention it did a decade ago and, in recent times, there’s been as many “Misses” as there’s been “Hits”. Pixar is still the benchmark by which all other computer animation studios are measured, but the weight of expectation can be a proverbial Albatross around the neck and, without doubt, that is the current situation with the gang at Emeryville.

Reason One - Brad Bird Returns!

To make sure INCREDIBLES 2 didn’t suffer the same from the same creative malaise as THE GOOD DINOSAUR or CARS 3, Pixar has turned to Brad Bird, the man behind the first film to make sure the Parr family stay laser-focussed on their new mission. Bird is also responsible for the much-loved animated feature THE IRON GIANT, as well as the 2007 Pixar-produced RATATOUILLE. In 2011, Bird successfully branched out into live-action with the hugely successful MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - GHOST PROTOCOL, but suffered the first major setback of his career in 2015 with TOMORROWLAND, a Disney film that tried to take advantage of a theme-park related concept in the same fashion as THE PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN films had with that classic attraction. The result was a muddled story, a miscast George Clooney and a film whose primary antagonist was a “concept”...

When the chips are down, go with what you know.

With Bird’s live-action career at a crossroads and Pixar looking to get back on a continuous “Hot Streak”, INCREDIBLES 2 is an opportunity for both to reassert their positions.

INCREDIBLES 2 is a little bit shy of being an outright “Classic”, but it certainly tries a hell of a lot more either of Pixar’s recent successful sequels,  FINDING DORY or MONSTERS UNIVERSITY, to make sure the story develops the central characters in a manner that feels genuine.

In 2004, THE INCREDIBLES explored the balance between gender and work-life balance set against an animated backdrop of Marvel-inspired Superhero theatrics by way of James Bond-infused Spy-Fi adventure. It was a great movie with superb design and a tremendous musical score by Michael Giacchino underpinning the action.

Reason Two - The Roles Are Reversed!

In 2018, INCREDIBLES 2 explores what happens when the balance between gender and work-life are reversed and how different approaches play out with both intended and unintended consequences.

Bird, who also receives sole writing credit for the film, decides to pick up exactly where he left off fourteen years ago. The result, unfortunately, is that Bob aka “Mr. Incredible”, voiced again by Craig T. Nelson, manages to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. His crash-tackle approach to Superhero work brings down the full wrath of the authorities who decree that “Supers” should remain illegal and their efforts unwanted. The decision, in light of Bob’s path of destruction, sees the Parr family living hand-to-mouth out of a rundown motel with not a lot of time before they’re thrown out on the street.

Fortunately, Tech Entrepreneur Winston Deavor, voiced by BETTER CALL SAUL & BREAKING BAD actor Bob Odenkirk, has a soft spot for “Supers” and decides to offer “The Incredibles” the chance to get their family and their friends back on their feet. At this point, Bird pulls the gender-twist, with Deavor insisting that Hunter’s “Elastigirl” be the “Face of the Supers”, arming her with all manner of tech to show the general public what Superheroes really do when they’re in the midst of apprehending villains.

Deavor’s gambit works a treat and, in no time, “Elastigirl” has the public and the politicians eating out of the palm of her hand.

Things are a little different on the homefront…

Reason Three - Dads don’t know all the answers...

With Helen out pressing the flesh with public, Bob is left to look after Violet (Sarah Vowell), Dash (Huck Milner) and Jack-Jack (Eli Fucile). 

While Bird plays to audience expectations, presenting Bob as far less capable with domestic duties than Helen, he also manages to convey the concerns of the modern “Dad”. 

For the most part, Dad’s want to be seen by their kids to be great, and Bird makes an effort to show when Bob becomes deeply concerned that he just isn’t cutting it. Bob’s mishaps with the kids serve to deliver a lot of the film’s humour, but they also help give INCREDIBLES 2 a whole of heart. Bob isn’t the World’s “Best Father”, but he cares about his kids and he wants to make sure they’re emotionally supported as well as physically cared for. His attempts to help Violet make her cringe, but they’re genuinely touching because he does what he does for no other reason than his daughter’s well being.

The film’s funniest sequence involves Jack-Jack and a Squirrel. The toddler’s emerging powers are a force to be reckoned with, but the resident Squirrel of Winston Deavnor’s glamour-mansion is not so easily deterred…

Half-a-reason to see INCREDIBLES 2 - Pixar are getting back on track (for the moment)…

INCREDIBLES 2 signals a return to consistency for Pixar. Whether that remains is a figurative question mark that is, at this very moment, hanging in the air. The recent announcement that John Lasseter, one of Pixar’s “Founding Fathers”, is leaving under a cloud of #MeToo suspicion will, without doubt, have an impact. For a studio whose key selling point is family-friendly entertainment, the mere whiff of adverse publicity is enough for Disney senior management to close ranks around one of their most prized assets and excommunicate the individual most responsible for its success. Whether the general public pay heed to such matters will come to light over the course of time.

For the moment, INCREDIBLES 2 does exactly what it needs to do to get audiences into the cinema, especially in North America, where millions of kids are about to break for their long Summer Vacation. With HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA 3 still nearly a whole month away, INCREDIBLES 2 will get a long run at the pre-teen audience throughout the second half of June and early July. Parents, Grandparents and Guardians should also get a kick out of the second Parr family outing.

INCREDIBLES 2 is not the classic fans may have hoped for, but it is a very solid follow-up to one of Pixar’s most dazzling feature films and, at least, makes an effort to relate to its audience in a more genuine manner than the studio’s more recent outings.

INCREDIBLES 2 (2018) USEFUL LINKS

​Incredibles 2 (2018) - IMDb
​Incredibles 2 - Wikipedia
​The Incredibles 2 | Disney Movies

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