THAT WAS TOTAAALLY WICKED! - Incredibles 2 Review

So I went to see Incredibles 2 on the first day it was released in UK cinemas as I just couldn’t wait any longer! If you know me, the first thing you'll realise is that I’m a huuuge Disney and Pixar fan... so I’m always more excited to see these films at the cinema whenever I can.

"Eddie...take a picture of me for my blog!!"

As Pixar are frequently releasing more and more sequels (with Finding Dory and Cars 3 being the latest ones), I’m always really sceptical about them as I’m never entirely sure whether it’s going to compare to the original – particularly when I love original Pixar films SO MUCH! I especially love The Incredibles though, shown through my Twitter and Instagram which (at the time of writing this) both feature quotes from the first film in my bios; this made it even more exciting and even slightly hesitant to watch the second film. However, low and behold, I was over the moon when I came out of the cinema after watching Incredibles 2 because I thoroughly enjoyed this from beginning to end.

As I enjoyed the film so much I thought I would write a short review basically declaring my love for the plot and its characters.

*This may contain small spoilers so be warned if you haven’t seen the film*

I’m just going to start by saying that this is not just a ‘kids film’. To start, I swear there were more adults than kids in the cinema when I was seeing, and anyway, everybody needs a bit of Pixar in their lives – no matter how old you are.

The key difference between this film and the first is the significant gender role swap between the two main characters, Bob (Mr Incredible) and Helen (Elastigirl). This film provided more emphasis on Elastigirl and her abilities as a superhero to show that superheroes aren’t all bad, whereas Bob is left to manage the kids (to which is a real struggle for him).  Despite practically saving her husband in the first film, I thought that Helen was still portrayed as the weaker hero compared to her super strong husband, primarily due to her gender. However, Incredibles 2 completely flips this by showing that she is just as strong as her husband and, to be honest, this was a deal breaker for me. Every time I see the film, Elastigirl’s powers are the ones I want the most… let’s face it, she’s just so badass, who wouldn’t want to be like her?!

Also *spoiler alert*, the fact that both the primary hero AND the villain, Evelyn, are women shows off some serious girl power to audiences, particularly young girls. On the subject of Evelyn, I thought the concept of her character was brilliant! The only issue I have with this character is that I was slightly expecting her to be the villain in some way or another – I wasn’t sure how or why she was going to be against the heroes, but you can just 100% tell by her initial appearance (and I'm not one to usually judge a book by its cover) and slimy interactions with Helen that she wasn’t a good egg. However, comparing her to the previous villain, Syndrome, Evelyn is definitely more capable, fierce and somewhat aspirational in the fact that she’s a character who knows what she is doing and is ultimately the brains of DevTech. For the most part, I respect that; even though she’s evil, it’s good to see female characters with a bit of intelligence – however I’d appreciate it if she didn’t try to kill my favourite characters (thanks).

Girl Power!

Ultimately, Incredibles 2 is 100% funnier than I thought it was going to be. Since I adored the first film with its quick comedy and one-liners, I wasn’t sure how this one was going to compare but yet again, Pixar triumphed again with just the right amount of comic relief in this film particularly with Jack-Jack and Edna.

By far, Jack-Jack was my favourite character of this whole film. Since we only got a glimpse of his superpowers at the end of the first film, I think the creators and animators did such an amazing job at showcasing his superpowers and incorporating them into the actual storyline of the film, rather than dealing with it as a separate issue – although I still don’t understand why Bob doesn’t tell his wife about Jack-Jack’s superpowers until pretty much THE END OF THE FILM… like surely this is a big deal, please tell the child’s mother?!?!?!

One of the most memorable scenes for me is definitely Jack-Jack fighting with the raccoon, soon after we find out he has a lot of different superpowers. The not-so-innocent yet really cute encounter was just so unexpected, and it had the whole cinema in fits of laughter. Also, after this scene, Bob realises that he needs help controlling Jack-Jack and so, he visits his good old friend Edna, who personally I could not WAIT to see. I mean after 14 years, I needed to see what comedy gold she could bestow upon me this time (I was not disappointed). I was so worried that due to the success of the character in the first film, the creators and animators were going to feature her in EVERYTHING, however, she isn’t in the film a huge deal which I’m quite thankful for because it still eludes to the fact that she is THE Edna Mode and doesn’t need more screen time to be THE BEST DAMN CHARACTER. Edna and Jack-Jack’s relationship in this film is honestly the best thing I have seen. She loves to work on new projects and Jack-Jack and his powers are definitely her cup of tea; the bond between them once Bob has picked his son up after a few days recovering from a lack of sleep is priceless!

After my waffling on about Jack-Jack and Edna, you’d probably assume that they’d be my favourite characters throughout both the Incredibles films – however you would be wrong.

 ****THIS GUY*** TRICYCLE BOY WAS MY FAVOURITE CHARACTER AND HE DIDN’T EVEN MAKE AN APPEARANCE IN THE SECOND FILM AND YOU DON’T EVEN UNDERSTAND HOW UPSET THAT MADE ME. *breathe* … I  just want Pixar to know how genuinely disappointed I am that Tricycle Boy did not make an appearance and, henceforth I will be campaigning for a spin-off film dedicated to this marvellous character. Thank you.

Despite this unfortunate travesty, I really did enjoy Incredibles 2! It’s plot and character development were definitely worth waiting 14 years for. The question is, do I think it’s the best Pixar sequel? It’s hard to say, I mean I can’t wait to see it again, and I may have to watch it a couple (a lot) more times before I can truly judge but honestly… can anything really beat the Toy Story sequels?!

Thanks for reading!

Em x

PS. I really loved the short film, Bao, which was shown before the main film. It was bizarre so I may have to re-watch it, but it’s really creative, and it really tugs on your heartstrings (so please be warned).