Incredibles 2.
Camera IconIncredibles 2. Credit: Supplied/Supplied

Incredibles 2 film review: worth the wait

Julian WrightEastern Reporter

FOURTEEN years is a long time to wait for a sequel.

Picking up where The Incredibles left off in 2004, the Parr family try to adjust to life without using their powers in a world that has banned superheros.

Bob Parr (Craig T. Nelson) aka Mr. Incredible takes on Mr Mum duties, looking after baby Jack-Jack, and handling the adolescent dramas his other children Violet (Sarah Vowell) and Dashiell (Huck Milner) are experiencing.

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His wife Helen (Holly Hunter) aka Elastigirl sees a second chance for supers to continue to do good work for the community when telecommunications tycoon Winston Deavor (Bob Odenkirk) pitches a publicity stunt to gain public support.

But it becomes more than a stunt when she is up against villain the Screenslaver, who tries to brainwash people with any monitor he or she can hack into.

Writer/director Brad Bird has concocted a follow-up worthy of the original.

Each character has their own arc (even Jack-Jack but to a lesser extent Dashiell), which allows each equal screen time and expands on character development.

The strongest point is that this story allows Helen to go off and have her own adventures and not be relegated to a life of domesticity.

But not only are there socially conscious themes (stay –at-home dad, working mum, teens struggling with identity), this is a rollicking adventure with some heart-pounding action sequences.

It is not hard to see why after a couple of animated films Bird was trusted with the reins to an entry in the Mission: Impossible franchise in 2011.

Fourteen years is indeed a long time to wait, but this time it was worth it.

THE ESSENTIALS

Incredibles 2 (PG)

Directed by: Brad Bird

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

Four and a half stars

Review by Julian Wright

In cinemas now