Michelle Martin

That’s incredible

Wednesday, June 20, 2018

There’s something a little too ironic about going to a movie on hot June day to watch a family of cartoon superheroes battle to vanquish a new supervillain named “Screenslaver,” an evil genius who controls people — both normal and heroic — by hypnotizing them through the screens they watch.

But such is the main conflict in “Incredibles 2,” the sequel to the 2004 film that made the case that people should be allowed to use their gifts for the greater good, no matter how unusual or strange they might be.

While the sequel took 14 years to be produced and released, it picks up just where the first movie left off, with the Parr family trying to keep their powers under wraps at a time when superheroes have become illegal because there’s simply too high a cost — mostly in damaged infrastructure — to their heroics.

At the same time, the family is dealing with all the issues normal families have: Bob (Mr. Incredible) has lost his insurance job, so one of the parents has to find paying work soon; teenage Violet is having a miserable time crushing on a boy whose memory has been wiped because he saw her take off her mask; elementary-age Dash can’t sit still long enough to master New Math; and no one knows yet about Baby Jack-Jack.

Enter an uber-rich tech mogul who wants to bring superheroes back, and we’re off and running.

For Teresa, who watched the first movie on DVD less than a week before we saw the sequel, it was a lot of fun. On the way home, we talked about what powers we would most like to have, and whether or not we saw the twist coming.

We laughed over Mr. Incredible’s struggles to care for the family while his wife, Elastigirl, was out being the breadwinner, even though he really did an admirable job, including asking for help when he needed it.

And we cheered at the end when the whole family came together to defeat the villain, using all their diverse powers together, in ways that might not have been obvious at the beginning. Teresa cheered loudest when the kids’ powers came into play, forcing their parents to take them seriously. Oh, and when Dash learned to control the car.

Much like the body of Christ has many parts, each bringing its own gifts, the Incredibles need Dash’s speed, Violet’s protective force fields and Jack-Jack’s — nope, that would be a spoiler — along with Dad’s super-strength and Mom’s elasticity to save the day. 

For a summer break from the heat, or a way to spend a rainy afternoon, “Incredibles 2” was, well, pretty incredible.

Including its message to spend more time playing — and working — with your family.

Topics:

  • movies
  • family life

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