Jack-Jack, you the real MVP.
So last night was a first for me. As I walked into the theatre, it was the very first time I had done so alone. Yes, when you wait 14 years for something you really can’t sit around and wait for people to tag along. I needed to see this opening night, this was a long time coming. Pixar knows that they made us all wait a lifetime. There’s even a tiny PSA at the beginning thanking everyone for being so patient. You never see that with a long awaited sequel. And I’ll say that it was worth the wait.
Brad Bird once again writes and directs what will ultimately be the best action movie of 2018. How can the best action movie be animated you ask? Well first off, you need to check this out, and secondly animated features can pull things off only live action movies can dream of. There are just some really incredible – no pun intended, action pieces, and that’s just gravy for me. The Incredibles is a superhero movie, but it’s about more than just violence and action, at the heart of this movie, it’s about family. I like to think of this movie as a combination of Mr. Mom meets Unbreakable. Where you have Mr. Incredible trying to be the super Dad at home, while Mrs. Incredible is out trying to save the world. Remember in this world Superheroes are outlawed and when Winston Deavor (Bob Odenkirk) comes up with a plan to change the way society sees Supers, he picks Elastigirl to be the face of his project. The Unbreakable part comes from the villain Screenslaver causing disasters to make our heroes come out from hiding. Look the first Incredibles had such a memorable villain in Syndrome, with Jason Lee doing incredible voice work for the character. He was such a strong villain because of how personal he was to the story. He represents kind of nerd culture today, where you can become so obsessed with something, that you’ll do anything to have it be apart of your life, and when expectations fall short, or things don’t go the way you want them, well all hell can break loose. It would be really hard to follow that up, so I’m not shocked I wasn’t blown away by the villain, you see the twist coming a mile away, but ultimately this movie didn’t need a strong villain to be great. It needed a good story, and be more about the evolution of our characters, because remember this movie literally takes place right after the events of the first one. That’s what we get, the progression of this family, and learning what it means to be a Superhero family.
Once again the voice acting is spot on, with everyone chipping in. They add a bunch of great new voices to the cast, and this time around we get a lot more Frozone, which everyone wanted to see. The animation has come a long way in the last 14 years, and it really showed when they were showing off Frozone’s powers. But more importantly for when they were showing off Jack-Jack’s powers. He steals the entire movie, and when they released the first teaser trailer way back when, you knew that would be the case. He’s so cute and adorable, and has so many unique and hilarious powers, he keeps you engaged and laughing every time he’s on screen. Jack-Jack is a baby, but he’s a powerful and pretty independent one. He has a scuffle with a raccoon that was probably the highlight of the movie for me. He loves watching the Twilight Zone and eating cookies, and I was so happy they really showcased him in this film. It’s a great way for quick laughs just not for the kids, but for the adults as well. Dash and Violet are great again, Dash didn’t really have a lot going on in this, most of the time it was him trying to figure out his math homework, which I thought was a total letdown. I feel like he was the only family member who didn’t progress in this. Violet is trying to over come boy problems and figure out how to get someone to notice you, funny because her powers involve her being invisible.
I just had a ton of fun watching this, again Pixar knows what they are doing, and unlike their previous Pixar sequels, this didn’t feel unnecessary. It just felt right, and I think making it take place right after the events of the first movie made it feel like it belonged. Nothing was shoehorned in, and nothing felt rushed. Everything just kind of fell into place, and it was just like waiting a long time for part 2 of something you knew should be two parts. Now do I think this should be a trilogy? Yes I do. But I want it to end right. We don’t need another 14 year gap between movies, this is going to be a box-office juggernaut, but surely they must have some sort of idea of where to take this thing. There’s so many laughs to be had, great action sequences, a ton of heartfelt moments and overall a really great Pixar movie. Bring the family, bring a date, or pull a me and go alone. I know for a fact you won’t be disappointed.
Check ya later.
Nate’s Movie Tour Reviews – Incredibles 2 = 93/100