INCREDIBLES 2
US, 2018, 125 minutes, Colour.
Voices of: Craig T.Nelson, Holly Hunter, Sarah Vowell, Huck Milner, Catherine Keener,
Eli Fucile, Bob, Samuel L.Jackson, Sophia Bush, Brad Bird, Isabella Rossellini, Jonathan Banks, Barry Bostwick, John Ratzenburger.
Directed by Brad Bird.
X-Men? (and X-Women) can relax. Apparently, super heroes have been banned for some years but but there are moves to have legislation to make them legal and acceptable again. Something of this helps to explain what is 14 years since the first Incredibles film came out and won an Oscar for Best Animation. It was highly popular and, at last some might say, here is the Incredibles family again.
These days, one has to be careful about inclusive language, not using super heroes to cover men and women, some finding superheroines to exclusive. The solution here is to call all these characters, Supers.
And, not only issues of inclusive language. There are issues of equality, sometimes the male Super standing aside while the female Super goes on mission. That certainly happens here.
At the beginning, the whole family is involved, mother and father, daughter and son. However, now there is a baby – who turns out to have more superpowers than you can shake a stick at! After the initial adventure, excitingly-paced, with help from an uncle and an agent who cannot only debrief memories but eliminate them, especially after the daughter has been recognised by the boy at school that she has a crush on. When they meet again, he has no idea who she is!
There is also a campaign going on, some villains, wearing special goggles which fixates them, are working for the Screen Saver, trying to get audiences back into real life and not dependent on screens. The manager of the television company, Winston, is the enthusiastic promoter of the cause which is to gather authorities from around the world to sign the document legalising Supers. He has a very talented IT and beyond sister,
The mother, known as the Super, Elastogirl, is sent on a mission to save a runaway train – quite an exciting sequence early on in the film. Since she is out on mission, father has to stay at home doing the domestic duties, nodding off as he reads a bedtime story to the baby, discovering all the powers that the baby has, trying to support his moody daughter, teach his son math complexities for his homework, do all the chores. And by the look of him, he doesn’t have time to shave!
With Elastogirl supporting the family, it is only right that the villain should be female and that there should be a lot of confrontation. There is. Also in the act are a whole range of characters who look as if they had graduated from Monster University, all with their special powers – but taken over by the villain, wearing their fixation goggles, combating the Incredibles.
For the final confrontation, the whole family joins in, and baby joins too.
So, something for family audiences, children with powers, parents with powers, lots of action, themes about media and influence, and equal opportunities for mother and father both professionally and domestically. (Who could ask for anything more!)
1. The popularity of the original film? A claim? Super heroes and superheroine’s – Supers? The in Incredible is being introduced before the Marvel Universe?
2. The work of the director, writing, direction, animation? And his work on a Mission Impossible film?
3. The quality of the animation, the delineation of the characters, features, moods? The range of situations? The media? Action sequences? Special effects for the powers? The musical score?
4. The voices, localising the characters? Idiosyncrasies?
5. The original film, the introduction to the family, their powers, going into action, family life, relationships? Heroes? 14 years passing, the new film? Legislation,?
6. The initial action, the whole family involved, their skills and powers? The secrecy? Tony Seeing and her reaction?
7. The new baby, look, the doom-gout touch, the extraordinary powers, activities and house, the development of the powers?
8. Frozone, Lucius Best, functions, friend of the family, the assistance of the friend who had the power to eliminate memories? Eliminating Tony’s memories?
9. Helen as The Leicester girl? Demure appearance, the transformation? A special car of stretching and the range of uses when she went into action? The mission? The train, the helicopters?
10. Television, the campaign, the villain as this Screensaver? The new legislation? Winston, the salesman, always cheery? The contrast with Yvonne, her brains and intelligence, in the background?
11. The initial villains, the glasses, the fixation? The initial defeat, the action?
12. The range of comic Supers, the different types, the touch of the monsters, comic, and names and powers, their being used by the villain, having the glasses, going into combat?
13. Bob, at home, the baby, going to sleep while reading, the chores, his stubble, dealing with violet and her moods, with – and his maths homework, trying to cope, the baby and all its powers? His being tired? The outing to the diner for violet to meet Tony?
14. Bob taking the baby to Edna, the type, her voice, design, invention, enjoying having the baby?
15. Evelyn, the discussions with Helen, the revelation of the truth, her character, her ambitions, thwarting Winston? Her being the Screensaver? Her cause, fanaticism?
16. Lucius Best and his being caught up in the final action? The signing of the document?
17. The television, the interference, the compere and the glasses? The monsters becoming enemies? The confrontation, the whole family involved, Ellen discovering the baby with powers, taking of the blasters of the Supers, everyone on side, Evelyn being defeated?
18. And, underneath all the action, the happy family?
