bigal_a Reviews

Incredibles 2 (2018)

Much better than I feared

[7/10 · 25 April 2019]

When I heard the synopsis of this film, I feared it would be going down the social justice rabbit-hole as so many other popular franchises have done.

My main fear was that Elastigirl was going to shine effortlessly and Bob was going to be totally out of his depth and incompetent. And in truth, there was some of that, and a little bit of feminist by-play between Elastigirl and Evelyn.

But, to be honest, I think even super-mum Helen would have had her hands full with Jack-Jack, who shines in a scene where the baby fights a racoon, emerging untouched and the animal slinking away terrified.

And Bob does get to grips with his enforced home life, getting the ever-enjoyable Edna Mode to look after Jack-Jack (which she seems to enjoy), so he can get a night's sleep and get back on his feet. So he ends up effectively and clearly teaching maths to Dash before an exam, and getting lovelorn Violet back on his side. Even when Jack-Jack returns, Bob seems reinvigorated, almost reveling in his baby son's burgeoning powers.

Not to say too much about the climax of the film, but suffice it to say that all the kids play their parts, as well as some new supers with bizarre powers that the Deavor siblings have gathered from around the world.

And at the end, Mr Incredible, Elastigirl and Frozone end up fighting as a team, together again.

I liked it, and I probably will watch it again some time.

CAT. 8 (2013– )

Saying a film is science fiction doesn't mean it can be nonsense

[25 August 2013]

I watched this film yesterday with queasy disbelief. The simple fact is that nothing - but nothing - can fly between the earth and the sun in less than 8 minutes.

That isn't susceptible to "as far as we know", either. It is the basis of one of the most tested, verified and successful scientific theories of all time.

Even if a massive CME had been caused immediately by the incoming glittery beam of science-stuff, it could not have reached the earth in less than 16 minutes. And the sun is so big that like a big container ship, it doesn't exactly turn on a sixpence. By the time anything happened, the affected part of the sun would have turned away from the earth, and the CME would have missed.

I would have had a lot more respect if there had been an "omigod" moment and a prediction that something nasty was coming in, say, 24 hours, and the film wouldn't have had to run for 24 hours to show it either.

This is only one little point in a film I begrudge having spent the time to watch it. IMO it is a turd sandwich with really thin slices of bread either side.

Saying, "hey, it's just SCIENCE FICTION, Negative Nancy" does not relieve the film of the responsibility to have at least one foot planted firmly in plausibility. They could have done this properly at no greater cost, with no impact on the story, and I would have given them kudos for having done so.

No plausibility, no kudos. This film's nonsensical trashing of the scientific method does not render it any the more entertaining. It's just sloppy, rushed-looking and tedious.

I shan't be watching it again.