In this Golden Age of Superhero Movies, it’s difficult for a superhero movie to stand out. After all, there are so many superhero films and it’s virtually impossible to watch them all. Surprisingly, “Incredibles 2” manages to distinguish itself from the competition through its stylised approach to familiar elements from the genre.
By starting where “The Incredibles” left off, “Incredibles 2” keeps the aspects that made the first one a refreshing and entertaining take on the genre. It resists the temptation to become darker, grittier and more “realistic” (which befalls many sequels), which is admirable in and of itself. Of course, since the film is targetted at children, it can’t be all that dark – but the fact that it never once strays into such territory shows that it doesn’t succumb to the lure (and plague) of “grittiness”.
The humour also hits on two levels – the more visual and straightforward funnies for younger audiences, with more cynical and sarcastic jokes for mature viewers. That’s not to say that there are inappropriate jokes in the film, just that you’ll find more sophisticated humour in this film. And if you’re sharp enough, you’ll realise that one of the name puns gives away the big twist of the plot.
There’s also a fair bit of superhero vs superhero action, which is an interesting to utilise the characters without constantly endangering average, everyday citizens. I’m a little on the fence about whether I want to see this though – admittedly, I wanted to see some super-powered villains, but the problem with supervillains is that they are usually single-use characters that are hard to incorporate in later films.
“Incredibles 2” is also pretty toyetic in the sense that there are multiple costume changes (already thinking of all the toy possibilities). We’ll probably see them in the Disney Infinity series, since there are multiple costume changes.
While the animation is sharp and fluid, one thing that stood out a little were how they all seemed to have eye rings/bags. It does seem like a function of the animation style, since the bottom eyelids of the characters have a tendency to seem like dark eye rings or eye bags. It’s a minor quibble, but a fairly distracting one at the beginning of the film.
The plot also seems a little too small in scope, befitting a television episode rather than that of a film – but then, the emphasis is more on super-powered heroes rather than super-powered villains. Still, it does seem a little convenient that the plot contrivances result in everyone being at the same place for the great big set piece battle at the end of the movie. In addition, one wonders why the supers weren’t a little more vigilant against the villain’s plot, which seemed like it could be foiled really easily with one or two suspicious, competent heroes.
Still, it’s a great entry into the “Incredibles” franchise – no superhero fatigue here!
“Incredibles 2” is out in cinemas:
– 14 June , 2018 (Singapore)
– 14 June, 2018 (Philippines)
Should you watch this at weekend movie ticket prices? Okay.
Should you watch this more than once? No la.
Score: 3.9/5
Secret ending? No, but there are some fun clips in the credits.
Running time: 118 minutes (~2 hours)
“Incredibles 2” is the sequel to 2004’s “The Incredibles”.
The film sees the Incredibles on the run even as they face a menace that could threaten the existence and legality of all superheroes, while they face the challenge of raising a super-powered baby.
“Incredibles 2” is directed and written by Brad Bird. It features the voice talents of Craig T. Nelson (Mr Incredible/Bob Parr), Holly Hunter (Elastigirl/Helen Parr), Sarah Vowell (Violet Parr), Huck Milner (Dash Parr), Eli Fucile (Jack-Jack Parr), Samuel L. Jackson (Frozone/Lucius Best), Bob Odenkirk (Winston Deavor), Catherine Keener (Evelyn Deavor), and Brad Bird (Edna Mode).
This is an original article on marcusgohmarcusgoh.com
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I’m an independent scriptwriter who’s written for popular shows like Lion Mums, Crimewatch, Police & Thief, and Incredible Tales. I’m also a Transformers enthusiast and avid pop culture scholar. You can find me on social media as Optimarcus and on my site.
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