Film Review: Incredibles 2 (2018)

Honey, where's my super suit?

Incredibles 2 (PG)

Starring (Voices): Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Sarah Vowell, Huck Milner, Samuel L.Jackson

Director: Brad Bird

The Plot: Following a failed attempt at defeating the Underminer, things aren't going well for the Parr family: they're broke, living in a motel and superheroes are still outlawed. Things look up when they're contacted by Winston and Evelyn Deavor, owners of the communications firm DevTech, who have a plan to restore Supers by putting their good deeds in the public eye - and they want Elastigirl to be the one to do it. Taking the job, Helen begins crime-fighting again while Bob unsuccessfully tries to adjust to being a stay-at-home Dad, dealing with Violet's dating issues, Dash's complicated math homework and Jack-Jack's many manifesting super powers. When a new villain called the Screenslaver arrives, who uses powerful hypnosis and intends to wipe out Supers for good, the whole family will need to come together once more to stop them . . .

Check out the trailer for the film here.

Review: Can you believe it's been almost fourteen years since the original The Incredibles? Released way back in November 2004, the film still ranks as one of Pixar's best, and as well as the critical and commercial success it was also an important technological milestone for Pixar themselves - it was their first film featuring humans as the main characters (as opposed to minor or supporting characters in Toy Story and Monsters Inc) and they had to work really hard to get things like hair, muscles and movement right. And get it right they did, as the film's visuals - particularly it's retrofuturistic theme - still hold up well today. But it's the story and the characters that have remained beloved by Pixar fans, and nonesomore than its director Brad Bird, who has long spoken of wanting to do a sequel, but only if he could come up with a script he felt was as good as the first. Well, fourteen years is a long time to wait (Finding Dory, with a thirteen year gap between it and Finding Nemo doesn't count in my opinion, as it's not really a sequel), but finally the Parrs are back and I'm happy to tell you that Bird and the talented people at Pixar have produced another winner - Incredibles 2 is fantastic.

The first really smart decision by Bird is the setting: rather than have it be, for example, ten years later with the kids grown up, the story instead picks right up where the first film left off. If you remember The Incredibles, it ended with the family attending Dash's sports day, Violet awkwardly asking her crush Tony on a date, and the villain the Underminer making a grand entrance, prompting the family to suit up ready to battle him. Brilliantly, Incredibles 2 opens on that very scene, giving a seamless transition from the first film to this one and a terrific action set-piece to kick things off as the family attempt to bring down the Underminer while constantly handing Jack-Jack off to one another to look after as they each try to use their powers to help. It's a great sequence that not only provides an exciting and funny opening to the story, but acts as a small refresher of who each character is and what they can do for those who have forgotten. More importantly, it's a very clear statement that the much-loved tone of the first film is present and correct.

In another smart move the original voice cast is back, with two exceptions that couldn't be helped: Dash is now voiced by Huck Milner, as his original voice actor Spencer Fox has "aged out" since the first film and has too deep a voice these days, while Rick Dicker (great name), the Parr's handler who helps relocate them, is now voiced by the great Jonathan Banks as his original voice artist Bud Luckey (a Pixar animator who's credited with the creation of Woody from Toy Story) had retired and then, sadly, passed away earlier this year - the film is dedicated to him. The rest of the cast are all present and correct and do another great job, and they're joined by the excellent Bob Odenkirk and Catherine Keener as Winston and Evelyn Deavor. Listen out for the legendary Isabella Rossellini in a small role as an Ambassador who's key to Winston's plan to get Supers made legal again, and don't worry dahling - the brilliant Edna Mode returns and is once again voiced by director Brad Bird.

  
The main story of the film is split into two threads: the first - and leading - one follows Helen (as Elastigirl, complete with a sparkly new uniform that she doesn't like) who goes off to work for DevTech, while the other follows Bob who faces being a stay-at-home Dad for the first time in his life and having to deal with looking after the kids 24/7. This split works in a number of different ways. Most of the action sequences surround Helen as she at first tries to battle the Screenslaver alone - there's a really good set-piece where she has to stop a runaway train - and this allows us to see more of her kicking ass and being Elastigirl the superhero rather than Elastigirl the mom, but it also shows the effects of her being away from her family. On the flipside of this, most of the film's humour (and there's a lot of it) comes from the thread following Bob and this acts as a natural compliment to the action. Bob's woefully unprepared for having to deal with the kids all the time, and there's a lot going on with them: Jack-Jack's many superpowers are manifesting, to Bob's initial delight (there's a hilarious scene where Jack-Jack battles a raccoon he spots raiding the family's trash can), but these coupled with the regular problems of looking after a baby soon see him having zero sleep. Dash is struggling with math homework that Bob can't understand ("When did they change math? Math is math!"), while Violet is having a meltdown due to her crush Tony having his memories wiped after seeing her without her mask during the battle with the Underminer, forgetting not only their date but who she is entirely. Bob's attempt to fix the situation doesn't help, taking them for a meal at the restaurant Tony works at, in a very funny scene that prompts Violet to shoot water out of her nose.

The main reason that the film works so well is that it balances all the aspects of the story, just as the original The Incredibles did. There's plenty of action and excitement with the family all using their powers, there's loads of humour as I just mentioned (Bob's visit to Edna Mode is a particular high point, especially when Jack-Jack imitates her), but we also get some tender moments such as Helen on the phone to Bob missing her family, or Bob staying up all night learning Dash's math homework so he can help him, or again with Bob and his apology to Violet for messing things up with her and Tony, admitting that he while he was a superhero the right choices were always obvious to him, but as a parent he doesn't know how to do things right. The third act, where the action ramps up, also devotes a good chunk of its time to the kids themselves, allowing them to take centre stage as they head off to rescue their parents and Frozone who have fallen under the control of the Screenslaver, and this was really nice to see. From a technical standpoint the film is, as you would expect from Pixar these days, absolutely terrific. The visuals are stunning, giving a new life to the characters (Pixar have come a long way since 2004) whilst still retaining the same look and feel of the first film, while the score is once again composed by Michael Giacchino and just as excellent.

The only real negative that I could find is with the film's villain Screenslaver. The revelation that the villain is actually (spoiler alert) Evelyn Deavor doesn't come as a surprise, and while she's given a genuine reason for hating superheroes, she just doesn't come across as well as original villain Syndrome from The Incredibles. This doesn't detract from the overall experience, as everything else about the film more than stands up to the original, but it's just a shame that the villain of the piece doesn't. Don't let that put you off though - Incredibles 2 is a brilliant film that's action-packed, incredibly funny and heartwarming to boot. The wait of fourteen years was absolutely worth it.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Another winning film from Pixar and worthy sequel to the original The Incredibles. An exciting story that's both full of action and incredibly funny, while maintaining the much-loved look and feel of the first film and sending a strong message about the importance of family. A weak villain aside, this is a brilliant film and well worth your time. Now, where's my super suit?

Film Review Round-Up: Tag & Leave No Trace (2018)

I'm back with another review round-up for you this week, and it's been an interesting one - I've been treated to a very funny, silly film in Tag, and then to one of the best films I've seen this year in the powerful, heartbreaking Leave No Trace. Read on for my thoughts on them both . . .

You're it!

Tag (15)

Starring: Ed Helms, Jon Hamm, Jeremy Renner, Jake Johnson, Hannibal Buress and more

Director: Jeff Tomsic

The Plot: Childhood friends Hoagie (Helms), Bob (Hamm), Kevin (Duress), Randy (Johnson) and Jerry (Renner) have been playing the same game of tag for over thirty years - now, as middle-aged men, they devote the month of May every year to the game, often using elaborate disguises or interrupting important events to tag one another. However, in all the time they've been playing, Jerry has never been tagged once, and with Jerry's wedding approaching he plans to retire from the game undefeated - but Hoagie has other ideas. Gathering the others and accompanied by Hoagie's wife Anna (Isla Fisher) and reporter Rebecca (Annabelle Wallis), who is writing a story on Bob's company, the group descend on the wedding to try and finally tag him - but Jerry is ready and waiting . . .

Check out the trailer for the film here.

If you hadn't already gathered from the plot or the trailer, this is a very silly film that doesn't take itself seriously at all, and sometimes that's exactly what you're looking for. As the marketing and the beginning of the film itself tells you, it is actually based on a true story - you see footage of the real people who have been playing this game of tag since they were kids, and were featured in a national newspaper - and that kind of makes it even better, as what a brilliant, harmless thing it is for a group of friends to do.

The film is extremely funny, which is the most important thing for it to get right. The cast have a good chemistry together, and the actual scenes where they attempt to tag Jerry (who has skills that wouldn't out of place in a Bourne film . . . hey ,wait a second) are some of the funniest of the film as they go into slow-motion with Jerry expertly dodging and dispatching his friends as his internal monologue describes the action ("Hoagie throws himself at me in a pussy-like manoeuvre"). There's some crudeness to it (Jerry and his wife faking an abortion is a low point) but it ends with a warm-but-serious vibe that serves to remind how important friendship can be.

This isn't a film that's going to win any awards, or one that attempts to tell a serious story, so it would be unfair to judge it on that. It's a very funny, enjoyable piece of nonsense though, and an ideal distraction from the horrible shit going on in the world today. One final note of interest - Jeremy Renner broke both his arms on the third day of shooting this film, so in 90% of the footage of him he has CGI arms. That's one hardcore game of tag.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

A highly enjoyable, deeply silly film that makes no pretence about what it is. It doesn't try to be serious (regardless of the message at the end) and most importantly, it's extremely funny throughout and has a great cast who bounce off each other well. Sometimes a good laugh is what we all need, and Tag does a good job of providing it.

Take me home . . .

Leave No Trace (PG)

Starring: Ben Foster, Thomasin McKenzie

Director: Debra Granik

The Plot: Army veteran Will (Foster) suffers from PTSD and lives off the grid in a national park in Portland, Oregon with his thirteen year-old daughter Tom (McKenzie). The pair are content with their routine, isolated life, living off the land, however when Tom is accidentally spotted by a hiker, the authorities come for them and force them to accept a regular house, a job for Will and school for Tom. While his daughter begins to enjoy some of the new experiences, Will is unable to cope with this new existence and takes Tom out into the wilderness again in search of a new place to live, on a dangerous journey that threatens to break the strong bond between them . . .

Check out the trailer for the film here.

Review: Wow. Just, wow. I was absolutely blown away by this film and I can tell you now that this will be in my top ten of the year - at the moment it's a close contender for number one. The film is on a limited release and was only in my local cinema for a week, and I'm so glad that I caught it - if it's still playing near you, I urge you to go and watch it.

Debra Granik's last film in cinemas was in 2010 with the excellent Winter's Bone, a bleak tale that featured a great performance from one Jennifer Lawrence. Granik has excelled herself here with Leave No Trace, a film that she co-wrote, adapted from a novel by Peter Rock. It's a powerful, beautiful, heartbreaking story that deals with the themes of love, familial bonds and mental disorder without going over the top in the way they're presented, and it's grounded by two incredible performances.

Ben Foster has, over the years, forged a career in playing extreme characters, but here he gives what is in my opinion his best performance to date. Will, like his daughter, is a quiet and reserved character, whose PTSD is something that they never discuss but are clearly both aware of. Foster's portrayal of the symptoms and of his aversion to "modern" life is both believable and sympathetic, and the chemistry he shares with Thomasin McKenzie is wonderful. And boy what a find this young actress is - she's absolutely brilliant. Tom is, like Will, quiet, but much more curious about the world, and McKenzie plays this flawlessly. She tugs at your heartstrings throughout the story and her character's gradual transition from utter devotion to her father to the painful realisation that they may not work together after all is masterful. The scenes they share together are powerful, particularly the conclusion, and the bond between them is completely believable.

Some parts of Will and Tom's story are left deliberately vague - we don't learn much about Tom's mother, for example, or how they began to live in their reclusive way - but when you have a story that's as powerful and engaging as this one is, these things don't detract. It's a beautifully shot and presented film with strong direction by Granik, and it left its mark on me. It's a stunning film.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
A strong contender for film of the year. A powerful, heartbreaking story that's beautifully written and presented, and features two incredible, stand-out performances from Ben Foster and Thomasin McKenzie. This one almost slipped under the radar, as some films do, but I urge you to seek this one out if it's still playing at a cinema near you - it's incredible.   

Film Review: Sicario 2: Soldado (2018)

Sometimes you need more than a hitman . . .

Sicario 2: Soldado (15)

Starring: Benecio Del Toro, Josh Brolin, Isabel Moner

Director: Stefano Sollima

The Plot: After a deadly terrorist attack on the United States, one of the attackers is revealed to have been smuggled into the country through Mexico, backed by its drug cartels. Given free reign to wage war on the cartels, Matt Graver (Brolin) assembles his crew, including the deadly assassin Alejandro (Del Toro), and they begin a series of illegal operations within Mexico in an attempt to turn the cartels on each other. One operation is the staged abduction of Isabel Reyes (Moner), daughter of the leader of the most powerful cartel and the man who gave the order for Alejandro's family to be killed. When their plan to return her to Mexico goes wrong and the crew is separated, Alejandro tries to safely escort Isabel back to the US, while Graver is ordered to "clean up" the mess - including Alejandro . . .

Check out the trailer for the film here.

Review: I'm a big fan of Sicario. Released in 2015, it was a gripping, hard-hitting film about revenge, told through the framework of the ongoing conflict between the US Government and the Mexican drug cartels. It was a film that was unflinching in its portrayal of the brutality perpetrated by both sides, and it not only featured some of the most beautiful cinematography I'd seen that year, but a powerful final scene where Alejandro confronts his family's killer in a masterful display of emotion from Del Toro. The film also introduced me to Taylor Sheridan as a writer (I'd seen him on screen before in TV's excellent Sons of Anarchy) - if you've been reading my blog for a while you'll likely remember that name, as not only did he go on to also write the fantastic Hell or High Water in 2016, last year he both wrote and directed the brilliant Wind River which made number 4 on my top ten films of the year. When I learnt that a sequel to Sicario was being made I was concerned at first, fearing some kind of continuation of the series without the involvement of anyone from the first film. To my relief, however, while Denis Villeneuve isn't in the directors chair again this time, Sheridan has returned and written the script, while both Josh Brolin and Benecio Del Toro reprise their roles as well. So is it as good as the first film? Sadly, no. This is still a gripping, violent tale that carries powerful themes, but unfortunately the story just isn't as strong and doesn't hold up to the high standard that Sheridan has set in his other work.

The film begins with a powerful statement, showing a horrific terrorist bombing that some will find upsetting to watch. This actually sets the tone for where the story is headed: while the first film was a personal tale of revenge against one specific cartel, here the scope is broadened - the hurt inflicted is on the whole country this time, so now all of the cartels are a target. As Graver tells Alejandro, "No rules this time." As the first film explained that "Sicario" is the Spanish word for hitman, here we learn that "Soldado" is Spanish for soldier (interestingly, the film is being marketed internationally as Sicario: Day of the Soldado, rather than Sicario 2 as it is here in the UK). The action shifts away from Arizona and southern California to Texas, and focuses on the extensive human trafficking being undertaken by the cartels as they smuggle migrants across the border. There's a sense that the whole experience is being taken up a notch. But . . . and there's a but. Part of the reason that I felt the first film's story worked so well was that it was framed by Emily Blunt's character, an FBI agent on the outside brought into the shadowy world that Graver operates in and horrified by what she finds. Sicario 2 lacks this, as our two leads are the characters who operate in this world without question, so certain are they of what they're doing and the tactics that are required, and so this time its left up to the audience to decide whether there is a line and if it should be crossed. While a minor character (Graver's superior) does express disgust at what happens, this doesn't have the same impact when the story is being told through the eyes of characters who don't care.

The story attempts to take a different tack by focusing its second half on Alejandro and Isabel, who become separated from Graver's crew when they come under attack from cartel-controlled police. Their journey back to the US is an interesting one, allowing more insight into Alejandro's character (a scene where they encounter a deaf man and his family is particularly effective), but it's a complete shift from the first half and it does mean that the main thread of the story is over almost before its begun. The potential clash between Alejandro and Graver, who's been ordered to take him out to clean up all evidence of their mission, never happens, which is disappointing. Alejandro has a death/resurrection sequence that, while in keeping with the mysterious nature of his character, is difficult to believe, and the ending arrives rather abruptly, leaving several story threads unfinished. One of these story threads, of an American teenager named Elijah who has links to Mexico and begins to work for the cartels, plays an important part of the story and it would have been nice to have seen more time devoted to it and, featuring as he does in both Alejandro's "death" and the film's final scene, a less ambiguous ending would have been more effective.

It's a shame that these problems exist, as the rest of the film holds up very well. The performances from Del Toro and Brolin are both excellent, with Del Toro particularly given more to work with here, and I was impressed with the young Isabel Moner, who does well with her character's transition from a girl used to having everything on a plate due to the fear of her father, to a scared one who realises how very real the danger she faces is. There's also good support from Catherine Keener as Graver's commanding officer, and look out for the mighty Matthew Modine as the Defence Secretary who green-lights the operation.

From a visual perspective the film is also very good, shot very well with an effective, string-led score that emphasises the emotional beats and leads into the action sequences. Those, as you'd expect, are brutal and unflinching, with some excellent gunfights and choreographed sequences. But it's the themes of the film that are the most powerful: it's portrayal of terrorism, of human trafficking and the suffering of those involved, and of the greed and callousness of the cartels controlling it is what will leave the biggest mark on you as a viewer. It's just a shame that Sheridan's story isn't as strong this time round.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
While this is a gripping film that deals with powerful themes, the story just isn't as strong and marks a rare misstep for writer Taylor Sheridan who leaves the audience not only needing to decide upon the morality of what's displayed, but to guess at the conclusion as well. There are strong performances throughout, excellent action sequences and the whole thing is well shot, but it isn't able to capture the same spark as the original film. A real shame, but still very much watchable.