MOVIE REVIEW: INCREDIBLES 2

Everyone’s favorite family of superheroes is back in “Incredibles 2” – but this time Helen (voice of Holly Hunter) is in the spotlight, leaving Bob (voice of Craig T. Nelson) at home with Violet (voice of Sarah Vowell) and Dash (voice of Huck Milner) to navigate the day-to-day heroics of “normal” life. It’s a tough transistion for everyone, made tougher by the fact that the family is still unaware of baby Jack-Jack’s emerging superpowers. When a new villain hatches a brilliant and dangerous plot, the family and Frozone (voice of Samuel L. Jackson) must find a way to work together again—which is easier said than done, even when they’re all Incredible.

Director: Brad Bird

Cast: Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Sarah Vowell, Samuel L. Jackson, Huck Milner, Bob Odenkirk, Catherine Keener, Jonathan Banks

Release Date: June 15, 2018

Genres: Animation, Action, Adventure

Rated PG for action sequences and some brief mild language

Runtime: 1h 58min

Review:

Incredibles 2 delivers a crowd pleasing following up to the 2004 original.  The original film is a classic on many levels so there was an incredibly high standard left to meet.  Additionally, in the 14 years since the first film came out there’s been a massive change in the movie landscape with superhero films ruling the box office.  So the biggest question is whether or not a sequel would be as relevant or impact full as the first film.  Writer/Director Brad Bird pulls off the monumental task with relative ease.  Bird delivers a visually striking film that keeps the stylish visuals from the first and expands on it.  The film picks up right after the first film ends and moves easily into the plots of the sequel which is filled with dense topics like marriage equality and gender politics.  It’s script runs a fine balance of generally digestible joy and deeper themes while never becoming a bore.  The voice cast from the original film all slip back into their roles without missing a step.  Newcomers Bob Odenkirk and Catherine Keener mesh well with the cast even if their characters are slightly under served which is one of the films few missteps.  Still, Incredibles 2 pulls off the rare feat where the sequel is a worthy follow up to a classic.  

A