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Movie Review: Incredibles 2

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The Incredibles was one of the biggest movie hits of the 2000's and is widely considered one of the best animitated movies in recent years. WMUK's James Sanford says its sequel - Incredibles 2 - is a worthy successor.

It’s been 14 years since we last saw them, but the cast of The Incredibles has barely aged a day – which is one of the major advantages of making a sequel to a classic animated film: You don’t have to allot a certain portion of your budget for fitness trainers and Botox to get your stars back in shape.

It’s difficult not to be a little skeptical and suspicious when a follow-up film shows up more than a decade after the original. But writer-director Brad Bird’s Incredibles 2 is every bit as clever and exciting as its predecessor and pulling off that achievement makes one wonder if Bird doesn’t have a few superhuman powers of his own.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5qOzqD9Rms

Incredibles 2 picks up shortly after the first film ended. Bob and Helen Parr, a.k.a. Mr. Incredible and ElastiGirl, are still living in Municiburg, a ravishingly retro metropolis that looks so 1963 you half-expect to find out Rock Hudson and Doris Day are their next-door neighbors. Superheroes are still illegal in Municiburg, which means the Parrs are forced to conceal their astonishing talents and pretend to be a typical suburban family. Or, in this case, a typical suburban family in which the teenage daughter has the power of invisibility, the pre-teen son can outrun a bullet train and the baby can become a human fireball when he doesn’t get the cookie he wants.

Helen is approached by super-wealthy siblings Winston and Evelyn Deavor, who want to prove there’s still a place in the world for superheroes and see ElastiGirl as the perfect spokesperson for their crusade. So, with the Incredibles in need of both money and an image makeover, Helen grudgingly leaves her kids and husband behind to become a very active activist, saving cities from certain destruction, unmasking would-be techno-terrorists and encouraging her fellow superheroes to step out of the shadows.

Meanwhile, Bob faces his own challenges as he tries to run the household and take care of the kids, a job he soon finds much more difficult than rerouting rockets or subduing killer robots. The domestic comedy plays out like Michael Keaton’s Mr. Mom recast with characters from the “X-Men” series.

The first half-hour or so of Incredibles 2 is funny and bubbly, with eye-dazzling animation; then, the plot kicks in, the stakes escalate and the movie shifts into high gear, with Bird doing a marvelous job of balancing imagination, suspense and some wonderfully warped comedy. Underscoring the action is another first-class score by Michael Giacchino, whose melodies simultaneously celebrate and parody the James Bond themes of John Barry and the intoxicating cocktail-lounge jazz of Henry Mancini and Esquivel.

Holly Hunter and Craig T. Nelson have returned to the roles of Helen and Bob, and they remain a powerhouse team. Samuel L. Jackson once again voices the Incredibles’ partner-in-crime-fighting Frozone, and Sarah Vowell is delightfully sullen and surly as Violet, the Parrs’ angsty daughter. Inspired new additions to the voice cast are Bob Odenkirk and Catherine Keener as the Deavor duo and Isabella Rossellini as an ambassador who needs ElastiGirl’s assistance. Huck Milner takes over the role of Dash, the Parrs’ speedy son, since Spencer Fox, who originated the role when he was 10, is now in his mid-20s. Apparently, not everything stays the same after 14 years – but Incredibles 2 demonstrates imagination and fun never go out of style.

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