Even though we’ve always been Disney fans, there was a period of our lives when we moved away from the world of Mickey and Co. and this period includes 2004, the year in which The Incredibles came out in theatres. In the end, we saw the first chapter of the adventures of the family of superheroes and we also liked it, but it did not stay in our heart (unlike other films of the period, that we watched at a later time). How was Incredibles 2, in theatres in Italy since September 19th?
Previously
We had left Mr Incredible and family while they were preparing to face a new villain. How did it end? We find out in the first daring scenes of Incredibles 2. However, the mission does not go as planned and the Parr find themselves abandoned by the government, without a home and without a job. But they still have an ally, in fact, a huge fan: Winston Deavor, a telecommunications mogul who wants to help the supers to revamp their image. There is only one small “problem”: Winston and his sister Evelyn want Elastigirl as the face of the communication campaign. Bob must then take care of his children, while Helen goes on the streets to fight crime and a new super-villain: the Screenslaver.
A tip: before going to the cinema to see Incredibles 2, watch the first chapter again, unless you want to spend the first few minutes wondering what the hell is going on. We didn’t do it, so we can not make comparisons between the two, but we can tell you that now we really want to watch again the first film, just to realize how the action scenes have evolved over the last 14 years. Those of The Incredibles 2 are spectacular and have nothing to envy to those of Marvel’s blockbusters (indeed, maybe Iron Man and friends could take inspiration).
The merit goes to Elastigirl and her superpowers, which lend themselves well to more dynamic and less muscular scenes. This time she is at the centre of the action, while Mr Incredible has the role of “housewife” (which is certainly not less tiring and dangerous). We were very pleased with this roles reversal and the message that Helen gives to the young viewers: girls can do whatever they want. They can be tough as Elastigirl and at the same time take care and worry about the family, obviously feeling the lack of the kids, but without guilt. And the same goes for the boys: doing the housework does not make Mr Incredible less incredible.
The “kawaii” component of the film is surely little Jack Jack, the protagonist of one of the most hilarious scenes (spoiler alert: a racoon is involved). We also meet again one of the most beloved characters of the first chapter: the legendary Edna Mode, here in a double garment (forgive the pun) of designer and babysitter. Less memorable is the villain, whose identity is easy to find out, which is nevertheless a pretext for a not so veiled criticism to today’s hyper-technological society and by the cinematographic craze of superheroes.
The Incredibles 2 is one of those films that children like, but adults like even more. We advise you to go with your little sister/cousin /daughter because, despite it’s action and superheroes, it’s a perfect movie for the superheroines of the future.