Incredibles 2

Incredibles 2 – The Parr family, blessed with super powers, must remain hidden like all ‘supers’ as using superpowers is illegal. However, a super loving billionaire employs Helen Parr (better known as ‘Elastigirl’) to try and change the negative public perception of supers and make them legal again. In order to support her Bob Parr (‘Mr Incredible’) must become a house husband, despite wanting the limelight for himself. But with the rise of a new supervillain who can hypnotise through any screen, will the Parr family be able to stay together as the world outside falls apart?

Incredibles 2 (2018) – Director: Brad Bird

By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=52190148

Rating: PG

Running Length: 118 mins

Starring: Holly Hunter, Craig T. Nelson, Sarah Vowell, Huckleberry Milner

Genre: Animated, Crime

REVIEW: ‘INCREDIBLES 2’

The original ‘Incredibles’ was released in 2004 and we have had a whole host of superhero movies since then. But director Brad Bird’s take on the genre was always the family unit – that just happened to have super powers and a mega villain to fight. WIth such a long gap between the original and ‘Incredibles 2’, Bird plays it relatively safe by essentially rehashing the plot of the first movie but with a gender flip. This time around it is Elastigirl / Helen Parr who is employed to do the work of a mysterious rich benefactor, leaving Bob / Mr Incredible behind to raise the children and keep the household safe.

In practical terms this means that the character arcs hit much weaker this time around. Violet is still dealing with shyness and teen angst. Dash is still buzzing with energy and wanting to help. Bob is still fuelled by frustration at not living his glory days. All so easy and so samey. However, having the mother who has had to put her considerable skills on the back burner whilst she supported her husband and raised her family now be let loose to bloom is a very relatable story, and a welcome one. Bob’s ‘stay at home dad exhaustion’ is again relatable – even if his initial bitterness does grate. And Jack-Jack’s explosions of multiple super powers is a delight to watch. Many parents may find a lot familiar here!

Elastigirl aside, most characters hit the same beats as before so the Incredibles 2 connects less this time around. But the core asthetic remains effortlessly cool and engaging. With a sparkling soundtrack and achingly stylish production design, everything from the gadgets to the fights through to the powers and back to the gadgets again is an endless delight to bask in. ‘The Incredibles’ was easily Pixar’s’ coolest movie and with a sequel, the animation is stunning throughout. If you want a feast of popcorn munching enjoyment then ‘Incredibles 2’ will leave you very happy, even if it resonates less so second time around.

CONTENT: IS ‘INCREDIBLES 2’ SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN?

In the Pixar short proceeding the film, Bao, in an emotional moment something which has been loved is ‘destroyed’ and causes one mother character to cry. This emotion lasts for around a minute. 

PHOTOSENSITIVE EPILEPSY WARNING – several scenes have strobe lighting or similar lighting effects and we will point out the strongest of these.

During the initial scene of the movie, each member of the Parr / Incredibles family is trying to fight a villain called ‘The Underminer’. Jack-Jack, the baby, is passed from family member to family member as the parents need to fight the threat but the children do not want to babysit. We mention this purely as it may upset children who have young siblings to see that no-one wants to look after the baby and are potentially putting him in danger out of selfishness.

A conversation at dinner between the Parr family quickly escalates into raised voices. Bob and Helen differ in opinion and struggle to present a united front to their children. This type of family argument may upset children sensitive to such things.

During a flashback, a middle aged man wakes up after hearing a noise in the house. He assures his wife that he will be fine and goes downstairs to call for help. However, he is discovered and killed. There is a close up of a gun shot which happens in slow motion but the impact is not shown. In voiceover it is said that the wife, who was the narrator’s mother, ‘died a few months later’.

Jack-Jack escapes the house and gets into a fight with a racoon. This is a very comedic scene as it shows off all of Jack-Jack’s numerous powers and he is never hurt or in any real danger. However, this scene may make approaching wild animals seems more appealing to young children and you may wish to have a discussion about the dangers of doing so.

EPILEPSY WARNING The ‘Screenslaver’ has a look that may scare children. They wear a large mask like a gas mask that covers the whole face and talk with a voice distortion. The appearance of the screen saver is marked by distorted and hypnotic screens with repeating patterns. Early on these aren’t strong for people suffering with epilepsy, but it does make the villain of the Screensaver seem scary.

When Elastigirl / Helen tracks down the Screenslaver she stretches her arm under the door to open the locks. When she is doing this the Screenslaver can be seen standing in the dark and watching her arm, but when she opens the door they are gone. This means we know she is being watched and her investigation of the Screenslaver’s lair makes it quite tense.

STRONG EPILEPSY WARNING – Elastigirl is pushed into a cage-like room and trapped. The walls, floor, and ceiling all turn into screens which project hypnotic black and white shapes whilst the two fight. Elastigirl is shocked with a cattle prod-like implement several times, weakening her; the cattle prod also hits the walls of the cage several times, causing the hypnotic images to violently flash each time. This scene is a very exciting but the intense fight could be a concern for epilepsy sufferers.

A fight where several ‘supers’ fight each other gets intense. The Parr children (Dash and Violet) are attacked by many adult supers with strong powers. Violet uses her shield power to protect them but her attacker ‘crushes’ this bit by bit until it looks like they will be crushed inside. The moment is short and the rest of the fight is exciting without too much threat.

EPILEPSY WARNING – Several characters are gathered into a large room on a boat in order to hear a presentation. However, the walls turn into screens and broadcast a hypnotic sequence of black and white patterns. This lasts for a few seconds.

Several key characters get hypnotised by having hypnotic goggles placed over their eyes. This means that close characters have to fight each other. This, combined with seeing usually friendly and protective characters ‘turn evil’ may upset some children.

During a flight the air is purposefully extracted slowly. One character has a face mask but another established good character does not. As the air gets thin they start getting giggly and weak which the other character describes as the stages of ‘hypoxia’ – i.e. suffocation. The character struggling to breathe half laughs as they say ‘I don’t want to die’ but we know this is meant seriously.

CAN I SEE A CLIP?

VERDICT: IS ‘INCREDIBLES 2’ FOR KIDS?

Although ‘Incredibles 2’ is rated PG there is in fact very little unsuitable content here. There are a few scary scenes and some family based threat but otherwise the rest of the movie is standard action fare and so we would recommend this movie as suitable for ages 4 and above.

• Violence: 3/5 (lots of comic book style fights and superpowers but no injury detail and no suffering shown)
• Emotional Distress: 2/5 (concern for family welfare)
• Fear Factor: 2/5 (the Screenslaver can be quite scary, as can seeing ‘good’ characters hypnotised)
• Sexual Content: 0/5
• Bad Language: 1/5 (mild blasphemy, one use of ‘crap’)
• Dialogue: 2/5 (verbal threats. One character says ‘are you going to kill me?’)
• Other Notes: Deals with themes of work / life balance, reliving your youth, parenting, prejudice, intellectual boredom, a working mother getting the limelight, teenage romance and fighting for social change

Words by Mike Record

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