06th Jul2018

‘Incredibles 2’ Review

by Jak-Luke Sharp

Features the voices of: Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Sarah Vowell, Huck Milner, Catherine Keener, Eli Fucile, Bob Odenkirk, Samuel L. Jackson, Sophia Bush, Isabella Rossellini, Jonathan Banks | Written and Directed by Brad Bird

incredibles-2-poster

In Incredibles 2, Helen (Holly Hunter) is called on to lead a campaign to bring Supers back, while Bob (Craig T. Nelson) navigates the day-to-day heroics of “normal” life at home with Violet (Sarah Vowell), Dash (Huck Milner) and baby Jack-Jack—whose superpowers are about to be discovered. Their mission is derailed, however, when a new villain emerges with a brilliant and dangerous plot that threatens everything. But the Parrs don’t shy away from a challenge, especially with Frozone (Samuel L. Jackson) by their side. That’s what makes this family so Incredible…

A 14-year wait and an inexplicably torturous Cars trilogy later, Disney and Brad Bird have finally released the long anticipated follow up to their 2004 critically acclaimed hit The Incredibles and the result is a fabulous concoction of artistic impression and flair, albeit with a diluted and simplistic venture into the known.

The spine of Bird’s film is the strenuous and often hilarious thematic element of ‘family’. The central core of both the films strongest and arguably most entertaining moments throughout the one-hundred and eighteen-minute running time offers the biggest relief of humour and at its most powerful regarding gender politics. A diversion of sorts and a chaser to the climatic cinematic elements, stylised with perfection on Bird’s part, threaded with terrific vibrant colouring with a wonderful palette and an exquisite slick score from composer Michael Giacchino that echoes cues from clear inspiration John Barry.

Incredibles 2‘s most clear and rather unfortunate issue is the stubbornness of storytelling. A final act almost verbatim from its predecessor give or take a few story elements and a lacklustre villain coined with an interesting vocal argument and social commentary on the existential concerns of technology, which ultimately feels like it has been explored in a far more enticing and critical manner in other properties, but the opportunity for exploration here is somewhat botched with on the nose material and little to no return for a story that never needed to have an almost two-decade wait.

Incredibles 2 is in US cinemas now, the film comes to the UK on July 13th.

Off

Comments are closed.