FULL BREAKDOWN

Rating: 8/10 (11 February 2019)

BREAKDOWN
Writing (Brad Bird): Here is where the film faults, unfortunately. It had a great foundation that is tripped up by the execution in the script. Making the Screenslaver reveal a big deal was fault #1 and could have been better if dramatic irony was used and we as an audience knew who Screenslaver was but Mrs. Incredible didn't due to her being caught up in her own ego. The dual storylines of Mrs. Incredible and Mr. Incredible were each necessary on their own, but the balance between the two felt off tonally and should have been mixed in a better way. Despite these faults, the allegories to immigration and media manipulation present in the script make this film much more enjoyable. Also, the writing of the new supers is fun and their powers are handled well. My biggest problem after watching this film a second time is the ending. I would have loved to see more fighting between the Incredibles + Frozone and the new supers. It seems the new supers were handled with such ease that they never seemed like a problem besides that first scene at the Incredi-House. Seeing a more prolonged fight would have been more enjoyable than them trying to stop the boat which they could have done while fighting the other supers and would have been more impressive. 5/10
Performances: Craig T. Nelson, Samuel L. Jackson, and Holly Hunter are perfect in their roles just like last time. The entire cast is fantastic, especially with the new addition of Bob Odenkirk who, once again, brings a character to life with a vibrant performance, this time through voice. 9/10
Cinematography (Mahyar Abousaeedi/Erik Smitt): This film is stunning visually with beautiful frames and smooth, long shots. The most stunning visual, in my opinion, is the fight with Screenslaver in his apartment and the room is flashing with the hypnosis. The animation combined with the excellent lighting and cinematography made it a jaw-dropping scene. 9/10
Editing (Stephen Schaffer): The editing here is amazing during action scenes but sub-par during down moments. It was clear it was tough balancing the two storylines through editing. Sometimes a tense moment with Elastigirl would be interrupted by a cut to what Bob was doing with Jack-Jack. However, it didn't happen enough to qualify a poor rating. 6/10
Visual Effects (Josh Holtsclaw): The animation is INCREDIBLE, pun intended, in this film. Miles ahead of its predecessor. Somehow they managed to make each scene even more stunning than the last through the animation alone. 10/10
Enjoyment: The fights in this film are a lot of fun. And I mean A LOT of fun. The only fight that could have used work was the fight against the new supers at the end. Making that the climax as opposed to the boat being diverted away from the city would have bumped up this rating. Also the poor balance during slow moments takes a hit here because sometimes it makes the movie boring or takes away from the tension. 7/10
Musical Score (Michael Giacchino): Michael Giacchino does it again and makes an exciting score that is perfect just on its own. After seeing this film the first time, I could not get enough of the score and would listen to it while doing chores and writing. Somehow they manage to add on to the excellent score from the first film. 10/10
Sound Mixing: The sound in this film is exciting and loud and mixed well, but we don't get enough atmospheric tone which could have enhanced the film. But with what it is now, it's still great and fits the overall tone of the flick. 8/10
Production Design (Ralph Eggleston): The production design of this film is amazing. Each set speaks for itself and says so much about the characters that own them while also providing excellent backdrops for fights or intimate scenes. 9/10
Summary: 'Incredibles 2' is a visual stunner with mostly exciting setpieces, but suffers in its downtime and its ending. However, it does not fail at providing an excellent allegory to the times we unfortunately live in. 8/10