Movie 4/100: “Incredibles 2”
Overall Thoughts:
The internet is full of gushing praise for just about
everything Pixar does, and while this movie didn’t quite live up to the
original for me (more on that later on), I still though it was a really
entertaining and thoughtful film.
The main premise of the film, with Holly Hunter’s
Elasti-girl taking on the role of main family superhero felt a bit derivative
of the first movie, in which Mr. Incredible was doing undercover hero work
under the guise of a “straight job.”
This time, the whole idea behind bringing Helen Parr back
into the hero fold is to try to get laws banning superheroes overturned, and
Bob Odenkirk does a really nice job as the business executive trying to make
that happen. That element of the movie was much more interesting, and
definitely was fleshed out with all of the positives and negatives fully vetted
on screen.
The main selling point of the narrative, as many others have
surely mentioned, is Bob Parr (Craig T. Nelson) having to deal with being Mr.
Dad instead of Mr. Incredible. Learning how to juggle the responsibilities and
the roles of a father, therapist, and cheerleader, for his kids gave the movie
some of its finest emotional juice, and the writing and execution of that
portion of the story were both top-notch.
In terms of the villain and stakes, the movie certainly
delivers. The idea of a Screenslaver-type character feels appropriate in an age
where we’re all addicted to the little computers in our pockets (and felt like
a bit of a personal attack for me, since I watched three movies on the day I
saw this film), and the motivations behind the character made for a compelling
antagonist.
My complaints about the movie center around how Helen Parr’s
“job” mirrored the role of her husband in the first film, and a much smaller
quibble: that Dash Parr didn’t seem to get as much of his character fleshed out
as his sister Violet and brother Jack Jack did. That can probably be at least
somewhat explained by the fact that he got some narrative baggage in the first
film (not being able to participate in sports, and rebelling against the notion
that he had to keep his powers secret), but it still would have been nice to
have seen that thread stretched out a bit further.
Favorite Performance:
Nelson’s performance as Mr. Incredible was top-notch, as it
was in the first film. His transition from the bread-winning hero to the
behind-the-scenes rock was a compelling development in the story arc of the
family, and his earnest attempts to help out his children, and his wife, during
a time of transition both at the familial and societal levels made for a great
watch.
I also have to shout out Catherine Keener, who brought a lot
of heft to her role as Evelyn Deavor. Odenkirk obviously steals a lot of scenes
because of his upbeat and high-volume dialogue, but Keener provided a fantastic
counter-weight to him and made for an ideal sibling, all things considered.
Favorite Scene:
The contrast between Bob Parr’s dedication to helping Dash
with his math homework, where he was wildly dedicated and ultimately
successful, and his complete and total failure in helping Violet get a date
with her love interest was absolutely stellar. When taken together, those
scenes perfectly encapsulate how life can hand you a massive success with one
hand and then slap you with the reality that you’re not perfect with the other.
Naturally, the scene in which Jack Jack gets to show off his
powers for the first time was both dazzling visually and just an hysterical scene
in general. The tension that the audience feels as it becomes increasingly
unclear whether the infant’s “adversary” will survive the encounter only adds
to the effectiveness of the scene.
Stars: 3.5 out of 5
