Jun 18, 2018
Welcome back to Matinee Mondays! As you could tell from last week’s poll, there was really only one choice for me this past weekend. This week’s poll will be awfully similar, because dinosaurs. But today, we’re getting the sequel we’ve waited 14 years for, and strangely, will be only the second animated feature I’ve reviewed this year, after Episode #012 (“The Boss Baby”). I have one on the schedule for next week, but I’m taking down a note here to find more animated features. Send your suggestions at onemoviepunch.com or reach out to us on Twitter and Facebook.
And now...
Today’s movie is “Incredibles 2” (2018), the long awaited sequel from Pixar, written and directed by Brad Bird. The film picks up the story of the Parr family, as Helen (Holly Hunter) aka Elastigirl is recruited to help bring heroes back into public favor. The arrangement leaves Bob (Craig T. Nelson) aka Mr. Incredible at home taking care of the house and raising his son, Jack-Jack.
Spoilers ahead.
Confession time: I never saw “The Incredibles” in the theaters. My daughter was only seven months old at the time and we had moved across the country to California, where we didn’t really know too many people, and certainly no one we felt comfortable leaving our newborn with. While other folks were raving about how awesome the film was, I sat off to the side, looking like Mr. Incredible in this movie, tired as hell from working and helping out at home. I wasn’t a perfect husband or father, but I decided that being there was more important than not being there, and so I never got to see the original film on the big screen.
The real question I had was whether the special blend of golden age comic book heroes, sixties spy thrillers, and odd family drama would still hold up after fourteen years. And it does just that, by remaining true to the entire style and flipping things around to speak to new audiences, moving from the what-if idea of a family of superheroes to speaking on social changes like house husbands and identity politics, in this case, being a super. Light enough to entertain, but acerbic enough to make more than a few points.
As expected, the animation is top-notch, recreating the world and expanding it, with some really insane action, particularly Voyd (Sophia Bush) displaying her Portal-esque power to create wormholes and both of Elastigirl’s dynamic sequences that take her powers to, well, incredible limits. I honestly feel that should the Fantastic Four ever come back to the screen, they would be hard pressed to do better by Mr. Fantastic. So much to love about this film that even my small criticisms feel like sour grapes about having to wait.
“Incredibles 2” (2018) is the return of a franchise that will hopefully not take another 14 years to create a sequel. I’m not sure some of the cast might make it, and I never want to wait that long again. Brad Bird returns with an truly incredible film, bringing back the signature style and expanding the world to create more opportunities. Pixar, superhero, and animation fans should definitely check out this film, and if you like all three like me, perhaps a second and third time.
Rotten Tomatoes: 94% (CERTIFIED)
Metacritic: 80
One Movie Punch: 9.0/10
“Incredibles 2” (2018) is rated PG and is currently playing in theaters.