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Friday, June 22, 2018

"Incredibles 2"


After 14 years, “The Incredibles” made an incredible return. Led by the same director, Brad Bird (“Tomorrowland,” “Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol”), it's as if the Incredibles family never left.

Things have changed a lot though. It's illegal now to be superheroes because they leave behind large collateral damage while doing their do-gooder work. Even the government has ended the program that protects them. As a result, the Incredibles family – Bob Parr (Mr. Incredible) and his wife Helen (Elastigirl), and kids - teenager Violet, middle child Dashiel and baby Jack-Jack have been forced to live in a cheap motel. Mr. Incredible would soon have no choice but return to insurance work to make ends meet.

When a brother-sister team (Winston Deavor and Evelyn) of a tech company approaches them to change people's perception of superheroes, garner public support and eventually have the law overturned, they jump on it with reservations.

Elastigirl, who has a cleaner crime-fighting record, is the chosen one, leaving the proud Mr. Incredible the caretaker of their kids.  Elastigirl goes to work, wearing a body camera to show people first-hand accounts of saving the city.  Staking out, sneaking in and out, spying and fighting crimes.  The villain is Screenslaver, who hypnotizes people through computer monitors.  There's a larger master villain at work though, with a bigger purpose.

Meanwhile, sleep-deprived, stay-at-home dad Mr. Incredible is left dealing with Violet's first crush incident, Dashiel's math homework problems, and discovery of Jack-Jack multitude of superpowers (Edna Mode comes to the rescue!). Speaking of Jack-Jack, the superpowered baby is the source of many laugh outloud moments with the raccoon showdown as the highlight.

Action scenes are crisply rendered and cleanly cut.  Superheoic acts move at a breakneck speed, like stopping a runaway monorail, speeding mega-yacht or crashing jet.  "Incredibles 2" is an incredibly fun, action-packed family adventure.