Gli Incredibili 2

Following the superb 2004 original, the family of animated superheroes are back. This time, they are struggling to regain a good reputation for superheroes (ostracized due to the collateral damage of their heroics) while also getting caught up in fighting a scheme against Screenslaver, a villain who hypnotizes victims with TV screen images.

The idea of Screenslaver seems clever and almost touches on the modern world's collective obsession with technical devices and other forms of media. It doesn't quite get to the heart of the matter and misses an opportunity to be a clever critique of our current times. The theme even seems to be jumbled and incoherent at times.

But overall, the film is saved by funny characters and doing what action-filled, comical, Hollywood blockbusters set out to do: be entertaining. It also succeeds in adding a twist to the genre by having female characters in the centre of hero/villain conflicts. A rather smart move considering the current dynamic in the film industry. - dbamateurcritic

I cannot believe it has been 14 years since The Incredibles came out. The gap between sequels seems to be getting longer, but the director, Brad Bird, said he wanted to wait until he had the perfect story. There's even a clip before the film starts where actors, Craig T. Nelson, Samuel L. Jackson, and Holly Hunter tell us it will be "well worth the wait"--and they were right!

Though 14 years later, the film takes place minutes later. The first film ends with the Parr family having to fight the Miner who pops up out of the school parking lot, just after Violet gets a date with Tony. The sequel starts with that fight and we see how it backfires as the Parr family get arrested for destroying part of the city and because superheroes are still illegal. Enter our new characters, siblings Winston and Evelyn Deaver, who both want to help superheroes step back into the light, but they believe the way to do that is with Elastigirl. Therefore, our sequel twist is that Mr. Incredible becomes a stay-at-home dad having to babysit Jack-Jack and learning of his dozens of powers, teaching Dash "new math", and inserting his foot into his mouth when he tries to help Violet with her crush--all while Elastigirl is improving superhero relations.

Personally, I thought the movie was predictable but perfect. I loved it for its simplistic plot that was not hard to figure out. I knew right away who the "villain" was and what their motivation was; however, I did not know exactly how the climax would occur, so I was still very much engaged. Not to mention there was enough character development and funny scenes to space out the predictable plot arch.

Often times animated films are more for the adults who are taking the kids, then for the kids themselves. Most kids will not understand half the references, but will still enjoy the overall concept. At the same time, this film comes out when the kids who saw the first are now adults, possibly with kids of their own. Therefore, this film is a great blend of adult and child humor. I found it hilarious, and as a teacher, I particularly loved when Mr. Incredible stays up all night reading Dash's "new math" textbook so he can teach him new math, which was what it was called in the 60s (the time period this film alludes to) and is a shout out to our modern common core confusion.

What I really love about this film is that there is even more Frozone and Jack-Jack, which brings me to my all-time favorite scenes--learning of Jack-Jack's powers, particularly when Violet and Dash call Uncle Frozone over because their dad is going insane from sleep-deprivation and trying to keep up with Jack-Jack. I lost track of how many powers he has and all I will say on the matter is that the best scene in the whole film is when Jack-Jack fights the raccoon.

If you want a light-hearted comedy with some fun action sequences then this film is for you. If you loved the first one then you will love the second one. If you have not seen the first one, what's wrong with you?

Having grown up in the 2000s and being an advid fan of animation and superheroes, I'd be lying if I told you that I wasn't entranced by Disney Pixar's Incredibles from 2004. Fast forward fourteen years and I found myself sitting in a movie theatre with a bunch of other twenty year olds excitedly waiting to watch its sequel. But was Incredibles 2 able to reach the high bar set by its predecessor?

I'd personally say yes. This movie was an incredible success!

I just love how Incredibles is able to expertly mix superhero action with the struggles faced by your average family. When they're not fighting crime, the members of the Parr family find themselves dealing with basic human predicaments, like trying to raise a baby and figuring out how to do math homework. These two genres may not seem compatible on paper, but Incredibles is just able to make it work. This results in Incredibles being a truly unique feature.

Of course originality alone isn't enough to make a film great, especially if the writers are unable to compose a comprehensible story for their film. Thankfully, the plot of Incredibles 2 was able to exceed the basic fundamental requirements of storytelling, especially for a superhero film. Yes, the plot is somewhat predictable and it is honestly quite simplistic at its core. Nonetheless, the story is executed quite well, and there are relatively no plot holes present in the movie. Although the story is fine, what I found to be a major highlight of the film would definitely be the characters, specifically the protagonists.

Each of the main characters added their own little flair to the movie. Helen takes the spotlight for a decent portion of the film, and viewers got to see her awesome crime fighting abilities as Elastigirl. Violet was pretty amazing in this movie. She went through development as a person, as a superhero, and had some pretty hilarious moments like when she squirted water out of her nose. Dash also showed some character growth in the film and he ended up being an enjoyable presence. When it comes to Bob, I do wish that the creators would have showed off his prowess as Mr. Incredible a bit more in the film. But since he got some enjoyable scenes as a stressed dad trying to take care of his children and was the primary focus of the first movie, it didn't bother me too much.

The biggest surprise for me ended up being how great I found the Jack-Jack scenes to be. I couldn't believe how entertained I was by the antics of a baby in a movie, and he actually wound up being one of the most memorable parts of the film for me. Returning characters like Frozone and Edna maintained their charm from the previous movie, and some of the new characters ended up being pretty decent as well.

I simply can't finish this review without talking about the breathtaking aesthetics of the film. The animators really outdid themselves with the movie's technical aspects. Expressions, movements, and scenery were impressively well animated, and the visuals have set a new standard for animated movies. Of course, this is to be expected. The creators did have a solid fourteen years to make this film as spectacular as possible you know.

Overall, I was genuinely satisfied with Incredibles 2. It maintained the quality of the first film and even surpassed it in some aspects. Pixar did a lot of things right with this movie. And if you're unsure of whether or not to watch it because "it's for kids," I would wholeheartedly recommend giving this movie a shot. I doubt that you'll be dissapointed by it. It is a pretty incredible movie after all.

There is much to like here and not much that is outright wrong or bad. It's funny, fast paced, clever and overall works quite well. However there is an ever present feeling that the first one was better.. Maybe it's cause the plot is maybe a bit too predictable and cartoonish(yeah it IS a cartoon, but still..) or that the wait between the first and this one was so long and I expected something more? It's still good, just not great!

Good: The animation for this movie was excellent just like most other Pixar movies, it was funny (especially Jack Jack) and I really liked the action sequences throughout the movie. I liked that the movie showed that parenting (when done right) can be heroic.

Bad: I thought this film has quite a few problems, the biggest problem was that the ending was pretty predictable, I could see it coming. Also, there was a feminism theme with Helen which was okay but at times it seemed to shove it in my face and it got to be annoying. There seemed to be a little too much going on in the movie and a few too many characters.

I'm glad I saw the movie, I just don't think I would see it again anytime soon.