Incredibles 2

The best animated film of the year. The Incredibles 2 is back after 14 years and it's wonderful to watch. The animation is top-notch, the action is phenomenal, the characters are fun and Jack-Jack is delightfully funny. I felt like I was watching a Marvel movie in Anime mode only. An unexpected surprise with a good villain and a nice twist. (31/10/2018)

The first one is better. I guess I didn't expect the second one to surpass it, but it's still one of the most entertaining Pixar movies of the last few years and definitely the best sequel. Brad Bird serves up some truly monumental action sequences, and there's no shortage of them. They can be breathtaking and spectacular when the fate of an entire town is at stake, and playfully entertaining and funny when Jack-Jack gets in on the action. Moreover, the script gives plenty of room for both Elastika's heroic antics and Mr. Incredible and his struggle with fatherly duties, and together, it's a great complement. Again, this is an excellent family action flick that doesn't try to go to great lengths to appeal to kid audiences. So it's a bit of a bummer that the plot itself is unnecessarily predictable and unsurprising, but not so much that it spoils the experience. Pixar has done a good job. (02/08/2018)

I was kind of sorry at first that Pixar didn't take advantage of the 14-year hiatus to let the protagonist grow old, and that it was starting exactly from the point where it left off last time. But in the end, I am very surprised at how successful it was. I also like the fact that the second film doesn't stick to that infamous curse of sequels and does not need to be bigger in every way at all costs. In fact, it’s a lot like the first film and is almost as good. Almost. I was tremendously entertained by the whole sitcom part with Bob in the household, because the sight of a clueless superhero is fantastic, and Jack Jack is great as the main source of entertainment. Unfortunately, this entertainment kind of exceeded the (tolerable) bad guy plot, from which I will remember the perfect animation and that group of very strange heroes. (11/08/2018)

Better than the first film in place, but also not quite as good in places, so it’s a draw. Despite the predictable story, it has so many fantastic twists that it doesn’t matter. Parents will find it easy to identify with the dark bad guy, because it touches a nerve when he tries to explain (chillingly) that TV just isn’t everything. Fourteen (!) years later, Brad Bird picks up where the excellent first film left off, reflecting the current role of women in society, putting the man on maternity leave. He sets up a mirror wherever he can. Jack-Jack, who pulls out all the stops, steals the entire movie. Giacchino’s music is maybe even sweeter than last time. (08/08/2018)

The wait has paid off this time. The first one remains untouchable, but most animated series would kill for a sequel of this quality. Perhaps the adults will enjoy Incredibles II more than the kids, because the childish jokes are few and far between and what comes to the fore is a story that manages to entertainingly combine the work and private lives of a family of five and, next to imaginative action scenes, inadvertently serves the superhero version of female social emancipation. Perhaps I expected it to be funnier and visually bolder, but I’m very happy with the final result and I will say right away that if Brad Bird is left at the helm, I will wholeheartedly welcome another sequel. At least Jack-Jack and Frozone, with Samuel’s traditionally delicate voice acting, still have plenty to offer. (29/10/2018)