— by Rod Gustafson
PARENT PREVIEWS –
Making Media Entertainment An Easier Choice For Families
Incredibles
2
PG
OVERALL RATING:
B
PIXAR ANIMATION STUDIOS/
WALT DISNEY PICTURES
Released on DVD:
November 6, 2018
VIOLENCE: (C+)
Frequent scenes of violence are depicted throughout this movie. A female character confronts a male:
a fight ensues that involves fantastical weapons that emit electrical pulses. This scene is depicted with
bright flashing lights that may cause discomfort or harm to sensitive audience members. A secondary
character is shot at point blank range – we see the pistol fire but we do not see the impact of the bullet
or the corpse. Other altercations include kicks, punches and hand-to-hand conflict. A couple of “jump”
scenes may be too scary for young children. Vehicle chases and crashes occur with occupants put at
risk. A villain digs beneath a city, causing buildings to collapse and fall into the ground. A toddler with
super powers gets into a tussle with a backyard raccoon; the raccoon is seen somewhat injured with
smoky fur.
SEXUAL CONTENT: (A) An adolescent crush between a girl and a boy is depicted.
LANGUAGE: (B) About a half-dozen mild profanities, including two uses of terms of deity.
ALCOHOL / DRUG USE: (C+)
Social drinking is portrayed and, in one scene, two characters
drink with the underlying purpose of relieving stress.
S
equels of movies like
The Incredibles have
a very high bar to live
up to. So high that even a “good”
movie feels like a bit of a failure.
Sadly, “good” seems to be the ap-
propriate adjective to describe In-
credibles 2, and it may be indica-
tive of Pixar’s need to produce too
much, too fast within a corporate
environment that is jeopardizing
its trademark culture of creativity.
The beloved Parr family picks
up right where we left off a little
over a decade ago. The Underminer
(voice of John Ratzenberger) has at-
tacked the city and the Supers’ attempts to
save the day have failed... once again. And,
again, that means they are considered a threat
to the populace. So much so that the gov-
ernment has given up on their funding and
fired Rick Dicker (voice of Jonathan Banks),
the civil servant who protected superheroes
when all went wrong.
Holed up in a one-star motel, Bob Parr,
wife Helen, daughter Violet, son Dash, and
toddler Jack-Jack are dealing with the pros-
pects of homelessness, unemployment, and
family friction.
Yet, there’s still hope for this incredible
family. Promoter Winston Deavor and his
sister Evelyn (voices of Bob Odenkirk and
Catherine Keener) have a long history with
Supers and feel they must be allowed to work
within society. Using their marketing skills,
the pair of siblings launch a PR plan that puts
Helen, a.k.a. Elastigirl, on center stage as
the ideal superhero. On the downside, stud-
ies have revealed Bob is far more likely to
cause collateral damage during his rescues,
leading to negative headlines. So the envious
husband is left at home with the kids.
For additional
information on this
film’s content, visit
www.parentpreviews.com
together, both on and off the job, and the
film’s conclusion reinforces the benefits of
everyone doing their part. Likewise, there
are many humorous moments, especially
when Bob visits Edna Mode to get some
parenting advice and respite care. How-
ever, the film’s unnecessary violence and
profanity, along with a complicated plot,
make it far less suitable for children.
TALK ABOUT THE MOVIE WITH
YOUR FAMILY…
Essentially flipping the former story
into a Mr. Mom scenario, the movie dives
into action sequences with Helen taking on
a bad guy who uses TV and other screens to
hypnotize the population. Meanwhile Bob
deals with domestic drama.
The divide-to-conquer scenario is simi-
lar to the first installment, only last time it
was Bob who went off to hunt the villain. In
both movies, the most entertaining and en-
gaging part of the script is watching the an-
tics on the home front. Elastigirl faces a foe
who is both complex and abstract: switching
back to Mr. Incredible dealing with the pres-
sures of suburbia comes as comic relief in
more ways than one.
Given its mass audience, parents may
be surprised by the intensity of the violence
in this movie. Also unexpected – and unnec-
essary – are a few mild profanities that just
don’t fit the usual Disney/Pixar tone. Round-
ing up concerns is a scene where Helen and
Evelyn sit down for a drink to relieve work-
day stress.
So do the positives outweigh the nega-
tives? Fortunately, yes, but not to the same
extent as the original. The Parrs still work
This movie depicts a father, Mr. In-
credible/Bob, having to care for children
and initially having a very difficult time
doing so. Is this a fair representation or a
classic stereotype? Does Helen/Elastigirl go
through similar challenges when she returns
to “work”? Is raising a family more difficult
than most “jobs”? How is caring for children
usually portrayed in media?
When a character is arrested, another
says the offender “is rich” and “will get no
more than a slap on the wrist.” Why do you
think this comment is included in the script?
Can you think of examples of “rich” people
avoiding the consequences of the law? Can
you think of people who are not wealthy that
have also circumvented legal punishment?
Is Hollywood’s portrayal of the privileged
people somewhat hypocritical?
VIDEO ALTERNATIVES...
This movie is a sequel to the 2004 ani-
mation, The Incredibles, which was written
and directed by Brad Bird. Bird was also the
creative force behind The Iron Giant and
Ratatouille. Another Dad has trouble taking
care of his offspring in the movie Honey, I
Shrunk the Kids.
OFFICIAL SITE
https://www.pixar.com/feature-films/
incredibles-2#feature-films/incredibles-4
November 2018 WNY Family 33