The Incredibles 2 (2018) : Review

So, this is what it feels like to wait 14 years for a kids’ movie. Well, I suppose the strangest thing happened during that time- I grew up. Although the movie isn’t bad, it does not offer anything new. And that isn’t bothersome at all. Come to think of it, this is the truest form of our heroes and the movie couldn’t have been made in any better way. It may be our fault for coming too far from all those things which appealed to us as kids but nonetheless, sentiments aside, I gotta review it.

The story

The movie is the story which was advertised. This time Mrs. Incredible goes out to fight crime at the behest of a rich media tycoon who is in awe of everything related to superheroes and wants to bring them back in positive light and end the ban on vigilante activity. Now this does not bode well with Mr. Incredible. Although he supported her as much as he could but the new responsibilities of taking care of the children on his own turned out to be too much of a task for him. But by the end, the family again finds their tuning and everything becomes well after the villain being defeated.

The music

The film’s music was quite reminiscent of the first one and gave a very good retro feel overall. It won’t be well to say it stood out at moments of high intensity but it still blends very well with the environment and the tall stakes action scenes.

The presentation

The pace of the movie was commendable. Some of the action scenes were quite extraordinary too. But everything else? As I said, I might be too old to enjoy. Despite that, the film never feels boring or over extended. It is enjoyable and adorable but not too visceral. Personally, I found the first half of the movie to be better than the second. The main villain reveal wasn’t much of a shock as well but it was still thoughtful, instead of just some corny British guy who wants to rule the world etc etc. The voice actors all did a marvellous job but the voice of Helen particularly stood out because of Holly Hunter’s thick accent and maybe made the character seem a little too old than it actually was. The direction and presentation of everything else almost remains the same in a good way. The whole movie is very similar to the first one but that should be deter anyone as it does come in the way of telling a new story.

The verdict

All in all, it’s a great movie. Even better if you haven’t matured a bit in the past 13 years. The movie is very similar to its predecessor but that’s how it should’ve been made. It is not the movie’s fault that the world around it is now different. The movie tries its best to triumph despite all odds just like the heroes it depicts and the hapless Dad who is stuck with people he barely knows- his kids. Elastigirl wears her spandex again this time and sets out to save the day by herself but ironically, Mr. Incredible is again the one who leads the picture. This time he is not the hero but this time he has a bigger responsibility- parenting. And this responsibility almost defeats him but he proves that persistence and care can champion even against teenage children and a monstrous baby. So, I’d recommend to go for the movie for the nostalgia and the adulation you have for crime fighting genre ignited by the first movie.

"The author feels he never really grew up."

note- the review was written when the movie was originally release but posted later.

Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018):- Review

Woo! Another Star Wars spinoff. Did we need it? Does Hollywood love money? Do my readers know what a rhetorical question is? Welcome everyone to the review of the star wars spinoff of one the most beloved characters in the galaxy far far away.

The movie starts with our hero being a petty thief who just made the biggest score of his life and now wants to run away from his poverty ridden, crime addled, disease spreading hellhole of a planet with the love of his life Daenerys Targaryen and also almost succeeds but could not take her with him. Now he enlists in the galactic empire to become a pilot but drops out midway and ends up running with some more thieves who are also about to hit a big score.

At the end of it all, the greatest achievement of Han Solo was tricking a trickster into giving him the iconic Millennium Falcon. And inbetween it all, we also saw the infamous Kessel Run which Han Solo claims to have been made in less than 12 parsecs. I guess that was the highest point of the movie (if there were any more even),
The film’s music seemed uninspired and the characters and their relationships were as hollow as the android bones. Maybe the only properly developed and well written character was the android companion of Lando Calrissian who sacrificied herself for the cause and ultimately become one with the falcon's navigation system.

Han Solo was never a character who could succeed in a franchise like Star Wars without the influence of force sensitive accomplices. Its hard to see him as the main protagonist and he is hardly the anti-hero. The movie does have some good action scenes, chases and a very very badly coordinated heist where they kill the love interest of an older guy just to force the audience into being sentimental which is kinda hard to be, given how stick figure like characters we have. And then there’s the mandatory betrayal to make us gasp but at the point it occurs, it is almost pointless.

The main villain is like an overly cheesy vamp who does nothing except replace the regular danger of the galactic empire. Is he a big mafia leader? God knows how. What was interesting was seeing Darth Maul at the end. Now like everybody else, I am also wondering how is that possible after his death along with Qui-Gon years ago but atleast this gives the movie a teensy amount of allure at the very end, which it very much lacked throughout its runtime. And yeah, there’s a budding rebellion too. And obviously, Han ends up helping the rebels.

The Verdict

If you want to watch all the movies in the star wars cinematic universe (like the author) then unfortunately you cannot avoid this. For the others, it might probably be a good decision to give it a miss and relish in something else. If you’re feeling like there’s nothing else to do and the tickets are rather cheap near you then you can go to be enthralled by some great action scenes and a very simple storyline. Infact if you’re a fan of simple things in life and like star wars for gun battles and spaceships, then you might even enjoy this.

"The movie ends finally in post apocalyptic Wakanda."

note- this review was written when the movie originally released but has been posted late.