For a while, Pixar was releasing some sequels that, though decent, were always overshadowing the one Pixar movie it made the most sense to sequel. Finally, with Pixar's gap of a whole fourteen years, we did finally got what we were once teased at the end of the original film. That said, the movie takes place immediately after the events of the first film, when the family works to stop the Underminer (John Ratzenberger). Although the first film ends with the thought of a whole new superhero uprising, the fact remains that superhero work is still just as outlawed as it always was. After the battle, the Incredible family is relocated. In comes a wealthy businessman named Winston Deavor (Bob Odenkirk) and his sister Evelyn (Catherine Keener) who run a telecommunications company called DevTech. In an effort to regain the trust of the general populous, they propose that the heroes work secret missions, a bit more on the spy level, and record their actions through a hidden camera. Elastigirl (Holly Hunter) is chosen to represent the family, leaving Mr. Incredible (Craig T. Nelson) at home to care for his kids. Eventually the path that Elastigirl is on leads her to a new villain known as The Screenslaver (mystery voice) who is using television broadcasts to get a sort of "Q-Anon"-type message out to the public, discrediting supers while DevTech is working hard on trying to give them a newfound respect. Meanwhile, at home, Mr. Incredible (or just Bob) adds the sense of humour to the story as a new stay-at-home parent. This is what adds a lot of the heart to the movie in the different ways he has to care for his kids. Violet (Sarah Vowell) is experiencing some boy problems, after her romantic interest has his memory erased; Dash (Huck Milner) is having a lot of trouble with his math homework; and last but not least, baby Jack-Jack (Eli Fucile) is experiencing a whole new array of potentially dangerous superpowers that Bob can seemingly only keep under control with the promise of cookies. Along the way, he eventually seeks help from return characters Frozone (Samuel L. Jackson) and Edna Mode (Brad Bird), so if you end up missing those characters at all, they each make a generous comeback for the fans. It's interesting to note that after so long, the timing of the story was pretty solid, as it puts Elastigirl in the driver seat. It brings her character out into the open a bit more, and shows she not only has what it takes, but can be a total badass while doing it. This is a film that does the "girl power" thing, but the execution is nice and organic and not so in your face. If anything, I just feel like this gives a generous balance to the first one, flipping the hero/parent roles around. At no point did this feel like a major female empowerment title, but it does just enough of what it needs to in order to fall under the category. It's cool that it's not really a matter of her fighting and having to prove herself so much as she's already established as a badass, and we just wanna see her do her thing. Of all the Pixar sequels out there, this is just ahead of 'Finding Dory' with the biggest gap between films. It was pretty frustrating to see Pixar cranking out so many sequels while this just sort of dangled, but in the end, I finally understood why this really was. Perhaps it was 'Cars 2' that really did it, but Pixar has discovered (and seems to stick by) the idea that first, they need a good story that will appeal to not only fans, but a general audience who may be unfamiliar. The timing of 'Incredibles 2' with its focus on the established female superhero does seem a bit better placed in 2018 than it might have in, say, 2006 or so. That's not to say it wouldn't have worked at all, but I might suggest that it works better for society's presently "woke" culture than it would have back then. As far as those Oscars go, this got its nomination, and everyone at the time probably thought it was going to collect. However, it was bumped off by, of all things, another superhero movie; 'Into the Spider-Verse'. For as much as I enjoyed this movie, I remember being very happy about that on several levels. Not only did it add to the groundwork of superhero movies finally earning Oscars (although they had a few times before this), but it went to show that sometimes even the Pixar shoe-in doesn't quite make it. Once again, however, it's all a matter of how much the audience likes it as opposed to these awards I've been keeping track of through these reviews. Having said that, 'The Incredibles 2' was a actually a great sequel, and well worth the long wait. 4/5
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There was a long, drawn out time frame between the release of this film and when I finally saw it only just a couple of years prior to this review. If I ever brought up not seeing 'Ratatouille', I may as well have been saying I never saw 'Toy Story' with the way most people would react. It was somehow shocking, but in all honesty, 'Ratatouille' was just a movie I didn't think was up my alley. This wasn't like 'Cars' where I initially thought it looked dumb. It just looked like it wasn't really for me. I'm no kitchen connoisseur, nothing popped out as particularly special, and I guess I just didn't feel like I got it. However, I got much more out of it this time upon realizing that the message it's trying to convey doesn't necessarily have anything to do with kitchen skills. In fact, I really regret not paying closer attention to what the film had to say before. It didn't pass me by completely the first time, but this time it actually sunk in. Anyone who has seen this gets it - basically, those potentially considered insignificant can make all the difference if only given the opportunity, and it shows the lesson here with both of its main characters. Starting with Remy (Patton Oswalt), he's a rat who has been gifted with highly developed senses of taste and smell. He has dreams of following in the footsteps of his personal hero, Auguste Gusteau (Brad Garrett), and becoming a well-renowned cook. The fact that he's a rat holds him back a little bit though. After an adventurous series of events leaves Remy alone and separated from his family, he eventually happens upon Alfredo Linguini (Lou Romano); a clumsy garbage boy who is made to attempt to remake someone's soup after spilling it. Remy sees him screwing it up, fixes his mistakes, and soon Linguini is praised for his skills and promoted. With the help of Remy, Linguini creates and recreates various dishes from the menu (did I mention this was Gusteau's restaurant?) and receives more and more praise. Tension is formed as Linguini steals Remy's thunder, taking the credit for his newfound friend's work. So there's also that common underlying "don't screw your friends over" lesson we've seen a lot of before as well. But I would suggest the first lesson I mentioned is the main point of the film. Certain things I appreciated about the film have a lot to do with its overall inviting atmosphere. Here, we have a beautifully animated rendition of Paris, France, that's almost enough to make you wanna just up and travel. But on a more mindful note, the film has a lot to do with the powers of creativity, following your dreams, and the idea that, indeed, "anyone can cook". However, it doesn't fail in providing the message that to be successful in pursuing that dream (whatever it may be), it's still hard work. I think that's what's truly to be appreciated here, and Pixar tends to have this way with about 90% of their films. They simply don't treat anyone like their kids, not even the kids. There's usually an underlying cleverness and reality to what they create, no matter how fantastical it can get. Once again, this is one of the more fun films in Pixar's library, and I'd suggest that it's one if their best all-around feel-good films. It's cute, it's funny, but it's also inspiring, and it kind of does make one think "I want to try something new next time I'm in the kitchen". This manages to hit that middle ground for Pixar in that you can take what it's trying to say seriously, but you also know that the film isn't one that's gonna make you misty-eyed. This makes for a fun flick that leaves you with a smile on your face, and perhaps an increase in appetite because, as I saw, a lot of this is inviting, both as far as the environment and the food go. I think a lot of people get a lot more out of it than I do, but I certainly enjoy it as something to tune into when I might need cheering up, inspiration for creativity, or just to escape to the streets of Paris France for a short time. 'Ratatouille' would go on to win Pixar's third Best Animated Picture Oscar (after 'Finding Nemo' and 'The Incredibles'), this time beating out hardly any competition between 'Surfs Up' and 'Persepolis' (remember those movies?). More importantly, however, the film would enter the hearts of many, and would become one of the more popular titles in the library if only just because it's a feel-good film. This is one of those cases where it doesn't really feel like things have to make sense, because the underdog story it tells is just good enough to look past such nonsense - like a rat controlling someone's limbs with their hair. It's silly, but hey, for some reason, it works! 4/5 By this point, Pixar had pretty much proven themselves successful enough to the point where their name became synonymous with quality animation. Basically, if it was gonna be Pixar, it was gonna be good, especially after 'Finding Nemo' would earn Pixar their first Oscar for Best Animated Feature. They would continue this trend with, 'The Incredibles', which became, arguably, the best superhero movie of its time. It was interesting back in '04, asking people how 'The Incredibles' compared to other superhero titles like 'Spider-Man 2' and some people suggesting it might even actually be "better". For me, that was a little mind-blowing because as far as I was concerned, at the time, 'Spider-Man 2' was easily one of the best. Remember, this was four years prior to 'Iron Man' coming along to breathe new life into what would become an eleven-year story. The time had come where superhero movies were faltering, but would still have the odd hit. There was just enough there to keep fans hanging on, so Pixar decided to come up with their take on the whole superhero thing. It was a huge success, meeting the expectations that come with a superhero movie all while being almost completely original. To this day, people will often call it "the best 'Fantastic Four' movie that has ever been made" (but patience, friends. An MCU version is on the way). The beginning of the film, interestingly enough, tackles something most superhero movies don't touch with a ten foot pole. We first meet the likes of Mr. Incredible (Craig T. Nelson); a hero with the power of super strength, and Elastigirl (Holly Hunter); a hero with the power to stretch, doing the normal superhero thing in a big city called Metroville. As a result of the collateral damage left behind by "supers", however, the public turns against them, often suing them for doing things like accidentally harming them during rescues. Supers are then made to live their lives in secret, never using their powers to save people. Fast-forward fifteen years, and Bob Parr (Mr. Incredible) and Helen (Elastigirl) are married with children, Dash (Spencer Fox), who has super speed, Violet (Sarah Vowell), who can turn invisible, and baby Jack-Jack (Eli Fucile/Maeve Andrews) who doesn't have any powers anyone knows of. Growing tired of the whole suburban setting, Bob will occasionally go out in secret to "relive the glory days" with his ice-powered friend, Frozone (Samuel L. Jackson), moonlighting as vigilantes. Eventually, Bob receives a message from a woman calling herself Mirage (Elizabeth Peña) who calls him into action, and he accepts. But little does he know that the path he's headed down will reveal a lot of secrets behind the sudden disappearance of his old superhero friends. Ultimately, it will lead him to face off against a begrudged former fan of his who calls himself Syndrome (Jason Lee); a guy who wants to take all of the superhero glory for himself, even if it means offing other superheroes in the process. In the meantime, superhero outfit designer, Edna Mode (Brad Bird) sees potential for a new superhero uprising, and it would all have to start over again with the Parr family. For me, this is a lot like 'A Bug's Life' in that I didn't find anything too deep or profound about it, or a lot of subtext, but it does make for a cleverly written, fun movie. I have to admire the originality to this story, and the idea that it tackles what a lot of people might really think about the superhero type. While some would think you're amazing, many others are bound to find you destructive, and this is a movie that tackles the subject in a most interesting way - aside, of course, from 'Civil War', or 'Watchmen', both of which this movie actually beat to the big screen and had no original comic to adapt from. I also just enjoy the family as a whole - there are no truly unlikable characters, and you definitely get that sense of a typical family dynamic with this bunch. All in all this is a very solid action adventure movie that keeps families in mind. One might say it's how to do a PG-rated superhero movie right. While 'The Iron Giant' certainly made a name for writer/director Brad Bird, it would ultimately be 'The Incredibles' that would make his name blow up. Today, people will watch 'The Simpsons' and suddenly spot his name in the credits when back then, he seemed to be just another name. His film here would earn Pixar its second Best Animated Feature Oscar, beating 'Shrek 2', and levelling the playing field a little after 'Shrek' beat 'Monsters, Inc.' a few years prior. I would probably consider this the real beginning of Pixar becoming a sort of "Oscar bait" name. It seemed at this point that Pixar could do no wrong, and I looked forward to seeing whatever they'd come up with next - that is until I saw a bunch of cars with faces talking to each other; but more on that soon. 4/5 |
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