Movie Review - The Incredibles 2

On the last day of school we decided to surprise the kids with a trip to the movies after our annual trip to Dairy Queen for Ice Cream.  Both had put checking out the Incredibles in theatres on our summer bucket list, and I'm not lying it was pretty cool to knock it off the list on our very first day of the break.

Movie Review The Incredibles 2

Image Courtesy of Facebook

What's in it for the Kids?
If your kids dug the first Incredibles movie, this offers all of the same characters you love (although for whatever reason the animators decided to completely change what teen hero Violet's love interest Tony looks like - Buzzfeed even wrote an article about it you can check out here).  There are a lot of laughs with baby Jack Jack as he begins to explore the full range of his own super powers.  This provided most of the kid related comic relief for the movie.

What's in it for the Adults?
Although both Incredibles movies are supposed to be set in the past (we have not idea exactly how distant) both adult characters face feelings of incompetence and stress when taking on new job and family related responsibilities - very easy to relate to (although this could be seen as reinforcing old fashioned women in the workforce gender roles - worthy of debate).  The villain in this film, Screenslaver, serves as a creepy Big Brother reminder that felt very Orwellian to my English major self.  Voice work by all of the original characters, Craig T. Nelson, Samuel Jackson, Holly Hunter, and Brad Bird continued to impress, as did the additions of  Bob Odenkirk (Better Call Saul) and Catherine Keener.

The Incredible Family

Best Parts of the Movie
After a 14 year gap this movie hits the ground running, in what is set to be mere days after the first film.  Action sequences are fun and the villain is genuinely scary.  Kids in the theatre six and under were quite scared in specific villain confrontation scenes, so consider yourself warned in what is otherwise a family friendly flick. You don't need to have seen the first movie to enjoy this film.


Worst Parts of the Movie
The movie felt a little long at times, particularly in the first half, but once it got rolling the kids were highly invested in the characters, so much so that we had to force Jack to go to the washroom while it was still on. 

Overall Rating
I would rate this movie 3.5/5, I don't consider it a classic, but the kids enjoyed it and want to watch it again.  A fun way to beat the heat on a hot summer day, but don't sweat it if you wait until it comes to a small screen for streaming near you.

To read my review of A Wrinkle in Time click here

Teenland

An (almost) annual tradition of ours is to go to a Blue Rodeo concert at The Molson Amphitheatre. The  annual concert coincides nicely with The Canadian National Exhibition (CNE).  This timing means we get to go to the show and then afterwards, on our way towards the exit, play a few games and try to share whatever deep fried specialty food everyone is talking about that year.

This year Chris' dad won a 680 News contest for four free ride all day passes to the CNE and kindly gave them to us to enjoy.  We dropped Molly and Jack off for their first ever sleepover alone at grandma and grandpa's house, took a cat nap, and then hopped on the bus down to the Ex a few hours before the show with some friends.

Chris and I on the top of the Ferris Wheel

We had a great time as we walked around the Kiddie land and we figured that next year would probably be a the year to bring Molly and Jack to the Ex.  While we were enjoying the rides I kept being reminded of some of my favourite amusement park summer movies and wanted to share them in the last few weeks before school starts.

For the Kids

Tiny Toons -  How I Spent My Summer Vacation
When my brother and I were kids we watched this movie all the time and thought it was hilarious. This Looney Tunes spin-off has the same crazy antics but with the next generation cast.  We watched the movie with Jack and Molly this past weekend and despite some of the jokes geared at adults being a little dated, it was an enjoyable hour and twenty minutes.  Both Molly and Jack stayed engaged throughout the entire thing.

For the Older Kids (Tweens/Teens)

National Lampoon's Vacation
Show your kids why John Hughes was awesome.  This classic movie (the original Vacation) has the whole family, including Anthony Michael Hall as Rusty, make their way across the country to "Walley World" theme park.  Keep your eyes peeled from roles from some people you may recognize.


For the Adults or Teens - Some darker comedies about Theme Parks and how I spent my summer vacations.

Adventureland (on Netflix Canada right now)
A ride that plays Falco's hit Amadeus on a loop, Jesse Eisenberg being awkward, Kristen Stewart pouting, and Martin Starr practicing his sharp wit.  This movie is set in the 1980s and features the life of recent college graduate James who takes a dead-end job at a local theme park and learns a lot about himself in the process.  Not to be confused with Zombieland, which also stars Eisenberg.


The Way Way Back
Fourteen year old Duncan is forced to spend his summer vacation in a new town with his mother, her terrible boyfriend and his boyfriend's daughter in a strained "family" situation,  Unexpectedly he finds a lot more than a pay cheque at his summer job at the Water Wizz water park (I'm noticing a theme here in these movies).  Starring: Sam Rockwell, Steve Carrell, Toni Collette, Allison Janney and Maya Rudolph.

What are your go to summer movies?

The Canadian National Exhibition is open until Labour Day!

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