Skip to main content

Incredibles 2






















Incredibles 2 picks up right where the first left off: superheroes may be illegal, but the world’s greatest superhero family is still fighting crime uninhibited. Until, of course, they’re forced to stop. Soon, however, Elastigirl gets an offer that allows her to fight crime and fight for the legalization of superheroes. All is well.
Incredibles 2 was the sequel everyone wanted, but no one expected. Arriving in theaters 14 years after the original, it might have been easy for the world to assume Pixar simply had nothing else of substance to offer from the world of the Incredibles. The world would have been very wrong.
The film sees Brad Bird, director of the original film, make his triumphant return to the series. He wrote the film as well, ensuring the film’s singular, streamlined vision. Bird directs the film spectacularly, maintaining a consistent tone throughout and establishing an effective blueprint for the world the Incredibles inhabit.
Returning to score the film is Michael Giacchino, who scored the original over a decade ago. His score here, while not as memorable as his original one, still underscores the film well and continues to eke out a musical identity for the Incredibles in a densely populated superhero world.
The film’s greatest flaw is its emphasis on the legality of superheroes or the lack thereof. This has been the focus of far too many superhero films recently, but the majority of Incredibles 2 doesn’t seek to tackle the moral complexities of the issue, refreshingly. While the premise of the film may be faulty, it is essentially only used as a springboard for the plot, and so the movie suffers very little from it.
The themes of the film remain as relevant as ever: the nature of family, sacrificial love, and surprisingly, the limitations of human power and human independence. It’s themes like these that made the original so powerful, and they return in full force for the sequel.
Incredibles 2’s greatest strength is its script, written so tightly that hardly a single word is wasted. Despite this, the film never feels rushed, developing its plot at a logically consistent pace. Nearly every character has a well-developed arc, giving the film’s climax an emotional payoff that the first film only toyed with.
The film’s other weakness is its predictable villain. Their true identity is a twist that can be seen coming from miles away, and it hurts the film to some degree. There is also arguably too little time given to the villain to develop, their motivations to fight the Incredibles seeming forced as a result.
Overall, however, the film is another homerun for Pixar. The minor issues of the film really do not detract from the audience’s enjoyment of it in any meaningful way, and aside from these flaws it is an exercise in excellence. Here’s to hoping for one more. 4.2/5.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Wonder Woman

Ah, Wonder Woman: the anomaly of the DC Extended Universe is the movie that most of us expected to continue the trend of mediocre or even atrocious films. We were all shocked when it became one of the best-reviewed superhero films of all time. Spoiler alert: I’m about to discuss the ending in detail. The plot is a fairly standard, straightforward origin story. It’s given more depth than usual by the fact that the film is set during World War 1. The pacing of the film’s first act is absolutely impeccable, setting up everything to follow with great efficiency. We’re given time to get to know the characters, understand their motivations, and we’re told the backstory that will play into the film later early on in a completely organic way. After Steve and Diana leave Themyscira, the plot begins to move quickly. After a bit of discussion, they decide to join the war with a small band of men. This is the point at which Diana truly comes...
Post a Comment
Read more

Avengers: Infinity War

Avengers: Infinity War is the cinematic event of a generation, an unparalleled and previously un-attempted 10-year gamble that paid off. The film is the first part of the culmination of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, masterfully and efficiently tying every previously established story thread into one movie. I’m sure you’re already familiar with the story, but I’ll hit some of the story’s high points just in case you’ve been living under a cultural rock for the last decade. Thanos, one of the universe’s most powerful beings, sets out to attain ultimate power by collecting all six Infinity Stones, each of which grants him a specific type of power. All that stands in his way are the Avengers. Infinity War was always destined to feel more like an event than a film, and those are expectations it easily lives up (or down) to. However, perhaps that’s more of a testament to the MCU’s excellent storytelling than to Infinity War’s preoccupation wi...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Desolation of Smaug Score Review

The realm of Middle-Earth returns once again in musical form. And what a glorious visit it is. The incredibly talented Howard Shore has crafted yet another musical masterpiece. I was initially very hesitant to grab this soundtrack (don't mock me, guys) due to the little bit I had heard seeming rather bleak and dull. Several weeks ago, I finally decided to give it a try. Howard Shore, I'm sorry I ever doubted you. If you are at all familiar with Shore's work, you know he consistently takes thematic approaches to whatever movies he scores. In the soundtrack for An Unexpected Journey (a review will be coming for that one soon, Lord willing), he established a vast number of new themes, but many of the ones we heard predominantly were from the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Here, this is absolutely not the case. Nearly every single theme we hear is a new one. The best of the lot is Smaug's theme. I could rave on about it for hours, but to put it briefly: It's incredi...
Post a Comment
Read more