Hola Dannie aqui!
Last Thursday I got to go see an advance screening of Disneys highly anticipated and long awaited "INCREDIBLES 2." My son and I have waited fourteen years for this sequel, to a film that was immediately cherished by many families including my own. My son was four years old, I remember how everyone including us left the theater saying, "Wow-that was a superhero film done right!" and "This is an amazing family film."
To be absolutely honest, I woke up on Tuesday of last week frantically after two days of sickness, with the misconception the screening for "INCREDIBLES 2" was that day at 2 pm. I interrupted my main squeeze "Cody Jarrett" from some gardening and rushed into the shower, truck, then theatre. Only to find out I was two days early. I felt incredible, incredibly ditzy, granted I was getting over being sick. However, to be honest, I think the fourteen years of waiting for it had me on edge, I was overly eager to check this film out. My hopes for this film were high, and after 9 or so months of posting trailers, other information, images, and quotes I was scared I had perhaps seen too much. I thought naively for a second that maybe they had given the film or best of moments away, seeing as the advertising was so insanely cool. I was so wrong. Below I really begin my review, I will start with the newest Pixar short that played before the film. "BAO", read on for more- and my INCREDIBLES 2 review!
-----------------------------------------"BAO" the Short film that played before "INCREDIBLES 2"-----------------------------
When the short begins, it immediately made me hungry with a softened light and close-up on a pair of hands carefully, patiently folding and stuffing Chinese dumplings for what later we see is for a husband and wife. The kindness that the wife puts into the dumplings and the ferocious nature her husband wolfs them down and flees to work, left you feeling for this lonely lovely lady. Suddenly magic happens! Slightly disturbing, insanely cute, the plot of this short left me, at one point totally agasp. I was not expecting a certain point in this short, and it was beyond shocking; a spot in the short that if you are not left uncomfortable, you may want to see a therapist. The tale is maternal, beautiful, deeply psychological, horrifying for a series of seconds, and emotional. The brief little animation illustrates the internal battle that happens within a mother when learning to let go. I found this especially touching as my son who just graduated, is about to turn 18 and move out on his own soon. A combination of worry and pride, my brain goes immediately to the BEATLES classic hit "SHE'S LEAVING HOME."
Ok folks, now for the INCREDIBLES 2 REVIEW!!!
First off, the opening titles were stylized very much like some of the production art that I have been worshipping since first glance way back when they first came out and some of the new more avant-garde posters and PR work. These guys did a great job with a modernized animated art deco introduction leading us to our favorite incredible family's current state, which no matter how you looked at it was a bit dire.
The film starts off with a daring, groundbreaking and illegal adventure in crimefighting that somehow felt incredibly fluid, the graphics were immediately above and beyond. It left the eternal quote: "If a law is unjust, a man is not only right to disobey it, he is obligated to do so." by Thomas Jefferson floating about my consciousness throughout maybe the first fifteen or twenty minutes of the film.
However, what first gripped me was the music. Holy mother of Carl W. Stalling! Composer Michael Giacchino, I have liked, admired and enjoyed his work on the first INCREDIBLES flick as well as many of his other works over the years since the mid-nineties. I knew the music would be good. It was beyond good, the soundtrack to this film is GENIUS. I immediately ordered it on ITUNES. I can only say, Mr. Giacchino everyone knew you were good, but the composition of this soundtrack, leaves me wanting a copy of everything you have ever written, to see the evolution of a musical magician. Sound editing, graphics, music, it was all there wrapped in an exquisite script.
The family dynamic of the film is one in which I believe many audiences will identify with, like in the first film the relationships are complex, emotionally realistic (considering the circumstance) and above all an unbreakable unit.
We start off right after the last film, picking up on a family that once was a financial success now on the brink of financial destruction. A family guided by a moral need to do what is right no matter the dangers; of course, Elastigirl the mother has conflicts with her families situation. Violet the ever-disgruntled teenager struggles with what all teens do, acceptance, love and the struggle to find one's own identity outside of her parents' influence. Dash, oh Dash the egomaniacal little brother that has definite impulse control issues, and a need to be heroic. Dash is the quintessential younger sibling constantly a pain, but an undeniably loveable thorn in Violet's side.
After Elastigirl is heralded as the public relations favorite to coax the public back into loving and not fearing the "Supers." Mr. Incredible is left manning the home fires and dealing with super parenting issues, as well as nursing a hurt ego. The dimensions of these characters are handled with perfect balance, at no point does it even remotely seem like "old hat." Mr. Incredible's character is just as lovable, physically strong, super, and what is added to the character is some humor that is so hysterically perfectly handled that you leave knowing what super really is. Any parent having to learn the "new Math" will understand, any parent who tries their best and learns from failures (communication, boundaries, etc...) will feel for Bob Parr, because like all great parents do, Mr. Incredible refuses to give up.
Elastigirl, the most responsible of the family is forced to "provide" not just monetarily but also politically. Having to fight for not only her children's right to be superheroes (if they choose) but as well the rights of all supers now afraid, ashamed, and in hiding (yes, we meet some new supers). We see her struggle with the decision to embark on this new career, her paranoia of leaving the kids in the indestructible hands of her husband, and the excitement of being a solo heroine... We get glimpses through conversation into a past we never and more importantly her husband had no idea of. For instance, at one point she exclaims something along the lines of- "You don't know everything about me, heck I had a mohawk!" That makes me want to dress up as her for Halloween even more!
What is best about this film, is the way the characters all organically seem like a true team, a real family, and honestly during every action filled second of Elastigirl's badassery all I could think of was... Damn Fantastic Four could work, it could be this awesome. Elastigirl's powers were stretched to epic abilities that of which made the audience and me speechless and enthralled. She was utilized to the utmost, she was surprisingly innovative, limber, and all in all a Mama you don't want to cross. Also at no point did I find her powers comedic, when she's in action she (unlike her husband) accesses every possibility calculating the estimated damage. Like all hero's she is far more than just her powers. The fact that her character had me at moments actually biting my nails and twisting in my seat with anxiety makes me smile from ear to ear.
Now, Jack-Jack.
Jack-Jack is amazing in every scene. The trailers have ruined nothing. See this film with family and/or friends as soon as possible.
Stay Strong, Live Good, Love Movies!
Dannie aka Pekosa Peligrosa
