Entertainment for the family
The superhero family we all came to love 14 years ago is back, and Incredibles 2 is as funny and heartwarming as you’d expect.
The Parr family – brawny Bob Parr aka Mr Incredible (voiced by Craig T Nelson), Helen aka Elastigirl (Holly Hunter), their children Violet (Sarah Vowell), Dash (Huck Milner), and toddler Jack-Jack (Samuel L Jackson) – are fighting a villain named Underminer this time, who is of course out to destroy the city. They have help this time from a new entrant, telecom tycoon and adult fanboy Winston Deavor.
The film dives right into larger-than-life action sequences that are likely to delight adults and kids alike. The Parrs are celebrating their superpowers in this one, not trying to hide them. Mom, in fact, has a new job – celebrity advocate for superheroes – leaving Dad to run the home. There’s some enjoyable slapstick as Bob takes a turn as a stay-at-home dad, and as Violet’s struggles through angsty school life.
Jack-Jack is the highlight of the film – with what director Brad Bird described as the ‘Swiss Army Knife of superpowers’. He can generate fire, turn himself into a monster, clone himself and levitate, among other things only some of which we got glimpses of in part one.
We are also reunited with some classic characters; there’s the sassy superhero costume designer, Edna; and a new villain who goes by ‘Screenslaver’. Writer and director Bird’s second turn with the story is a success, as is the fast-paced music by Michael Giacchino. Pixar works its magic, again.
The animation studio has had more than a decade to perfect its brand of mushy, quirky, visually breathtaking tear-jerkers since the original film.
We’ve seen loneliness in Up and Wall-E; girl power in Brave; pop psychology in Inside Out; and families across borders in Coco. Incredible 2 breaks little new ground but does a good job of representing the dysfunctional family next door. Expect to laugh, cry and go ‘Awww’ a lot.