The Incredibles 2 and fragile masculinity

The Incredibles, released in 2004, is a masterpiece. It is one of the funniest films Disney Pixar has ever produced engaging with theme of, for example, superheroes and their seemingly unquestioned jurisdiction when normal law enforcement is outmatched. But what makes it more relatable is its focus on modern day family drama as supers find it increasingly difficult to live a ‘normal’ lifestyle. Fourteen years have passed and finally, we have been given a sequel in the form of Incredibles 2. Not only is it as good, if not better than its predecessor, but it extends its exploration into the idea of what it means to not only be a hero, but to be ‘super’ as well. I’ll be discussing how Brad Bird exposes fragile masculinity in the acts of Mr Incredible/Bob Parr in both films as well as what sort of an impact it has on the ideal of the modern family.

Great photo for the family Christmas Card

One of the opening lines comes from Tony, the high school student who has planned to take Violet out on a date, saying he is “very secure, masculine wise” in response to seeing Violet accidently remove her mask. This theme of men needing to conform to the role of the dominant masculine figure was the central topic in the original. By tapping in on police radio waves, Bob fuels his insatiable desire to save others to feed his need for self-worth. This spirals out of control when he feels he cannot tell his wife he was fired from his mundane, morale killing desk job and instead goes behind her back to pursue well payed hero work for a shady, private, remote island owning company. You know, the suspicious stuff no one seems to notice. This lie almost kills Bob’s marriage to Helen, let alone his entire family. After admitting Bob is not strong enough to lose his family again and witnessing how well Dash and Violet can utilise their powers, we begin to see a new-found dependency on his family who help him no matter what. 

Men at work

On to Incredibles 2, and after a brief taste of family hero work against The Underminer, things almost go back to the way they were, almost… After deciding that Elastigirl is a far safer option, meaning less money spent on property damage, Helen leaves her husband alone with the children. Bob has always been the one to slave through a boring desk job to support his family and watching Helen thwart each challenge the Screenslaver seems to throw at her and receive all the credit starts to crush his self-worth. Dealing with Jack-Jack’s newly emerging powers, Dash’s homework and Violet’s boyfriend issues becomes too much for him as he crumbles under the pressure of parenthood. But why is this? How can a man who is used to saving lives on a daily basis, demonstrating his superhuman strength for the world to admire, struggle with the concept of maths not being the same as it used to be? The main crux of the problem is his belief that everything Mr Incredible does must be done to an ‘incredible’ standard, stating, “I’m not Mr Mediocre or Mr So So.” This leaves us with a man who exhibits a toxic expectation of life: of being the best, the bravest and strongest all of the time. If he is known for his super strength, then why can’t he carry the needs and wants of his family? It all comes down to talking about his feelings with Violet, admitting that in trying to do everything to an incredible standard, he is sorry that he failed. He isn't met with disappointment or anger, only a loving hug from his eldest child, sympathetic to his situation.

More evidence that a papoose isn't emasculating

In this, Brad Bird has written the character of Mr Incredible/Bob Parr to criticise the ideals of the modern man and father. The idea that men can’t admit to failure, and then feel the need to lie as Bob does in both films, only delays the inevitable, needlessly exacerbating the situation. Bird turns Mr Incredible into a man who learns that failure can help build us and that superheroes can suffer the same day-to-day problems as us normal folk. The idea that we treat superheroes as deities, exceptional beings possessing an infallible moral compass, maybe where this stems from. By expecting perfection all the time, we then lose hope in their ideal when we see how their attempt at mundane tasks leaves them defeated. Bob struggles with fatherhood and Helen fails to see what is directly under her nose regarding the Screenslaver's true intentions. In the end, to be incredible all of the time doesn’t make you incredible at all. It is no secret that men struggle with opening up about their feelings and I would hope many men my age, who would have been six when the original opened, have grown to accept that feelings, positive and negative, and see how other superheroes of cinema deal with sharing their flaws with family and friends. 

Why we didn't need Solo: A Star Wars Story

It’s that time again. Time to start writing again after a period of watching many a film whilst away on a semester abroad. Not only this, but the films that I went to see had been covered so well that I didn’t have anything new to add.

Everyone knows that Black Panther was not only a superb film in its own right but was a true celebration of African culture. It contained some of the best action set pieces in any MCU film as well as some of the most well-written characters in cinema. Looking at you Killmonger.

Everyone knows that A Quiet Place surprised audiences with its originality as much as it terrified them. Although, please refrain from eating popcorn during the runtime. Don’t be that person.

Everyone knows that Avengers: Infinity War shook everyone’s collective cores with its story, its compelling characters and *that ending*.

Now, I think I have something worth discussing. Like this film’s predecessor, we didn’t ask for this film. However, very unlike the spin off series Disney seem to want to force down our throats, it is in no way on the same scale of quality.

I am of course talking about Solo: A Star Wars Story. Spoilers ahead!

What could go wrong?

Would that it t'were so simple
to make a Han Solo origins story

I went in, as I do with every film I see, with a general open mind. I wanted it to do everything Rogue One did, but in its own way. Would it blow us away with jaw dropping visuals? Give us memorable characters we will reference for months, even years to come? Tell an exciting story about the Origins of everyone’s favourite smuggler? It saddens me to say that the latest entry in the world of Star Warsdoes none of these things. Despite having plenty of brilliant actors who give great performances, not forgetting Alden Ehrenreich’s odd defying performance as a young Han Solo. Oh, and I’d be forever cursed if I didn’t mention how fantastic Donald Glover is as Lando Calrissian. 

Jack Howard has already published a great video asking if we ever needed a Han Solo origin story in the first place. I’ll leave the link here, but if you’ve already seen it, you’ll know that he leans on the side of wishing it hadn’t been made. I however, would like to go down a different route. I’d like to argue the point that the reason we don’t need a Han Solo origin story is that there is little to nothing to say about our favourite fast talking scruffy looking nerve hurter’s beginnings. Simply put, I feel that there is nothing of interest that isn’t talked about in the original trilogy. With the Kessel run being the main part of the film’s story, this and his debts to Jabba are the only pieces of Han’s history established in A New Hope. Then we have his relationship with Lando established inThe Empire Strikes Back, as well as learning how Solo came to own the Millennium Falcon. We get added context with these events, apart from his dealings with Jabba, but everything else that occurs serves no purpose other than fans to recognise the little details of fan service designed specifically for them. How Han got his Blaster, how he met Chewie, how he speaks Wookie, how he learns to shoot first and learning of his past love interest all add nothing relatively little Solo’s character.

Before the dark times, before the studio interference...

Furthering the point to us not asking for a Han Solo origins story, members of the Star Wars fanbase have instead been begging for a different spin off. An Obi Wan Kenobi spin off about his time on Tatooine would be perfect. Witnessing the ever-watchful protector of Luke Skywalker as well as dealing with life on a planet that houses the infamous hive of scum and villainy: Mos Eisley. He is a beloved character who could genuinely that part of his story told. I know Star Wars: Rebelshas covered Kenobi’s life nearer to A New Hopewith his final face off with Maul, but so much more could be covered! There is capacity for an original story to be told! It’s just a shame that at the time of me writing this that Lucasfilm/Disney have put all spin offs on hold. I know many fans, myself included, are worried about over saturation of the franchise, but if the higher ups in the studio really want to win back their audience, make films for the fans and not for the sake of printing money.

Overall, the film bored me on the sole reason that we don’t find out how Solo comes to becomes who he is A New Hope as well as all the answers we get to what made Han what he is being generally uninteresting. We didn’t need to know how he got his name. We didn’t need to know how he got his pistol. What we DID need to know was how became a scumbag who shoots first. The ending is left very open ended, which might have something to do with Ehrenreich’s three movie contract with Disney. This leads me to ask: What other stories are there to tell? It seems Disney are now just making films for the sake of printing money. However, with Solo: A Star Wars story set to lose $50 million, I imagine Kathleen Kennedy will want to avoid the same fate for Episode IX come December 2019.

A reflection on 2017 and a look into 2018

2017, what a year. I’m sorry it’s been rather a long time since I’ve been active here, but I promise, not all of that time has been procrastination. Balancing Christmas celebrations, essay deadlines due in early January and on top of it all, moving to Hong Kong for a semester abroad! In this time, there’s a lot I need to catch up on. My thoughts on Star Wars: The Last Jedi (spoilers, I was VERY disappointed), a reflection on 2017’s releases and discussing what I’m looking forward to in 2018.

Allow me to set the scene. I’ve finished my first end of semester essay, my room at uni is all packed up, Dad picks me up from Swansea so I can meet my friends for the midnight release of Star Wars: The Last Jedi in Oxford! The excitement had been building for months. I had watched the trailer and all the teasers countless times, the early reviews couldn’t find a bad thing to say about it, we sat down to watch it aaaannnnndddd… oh, was that it? I wanted to say that it was a ground-breaking film that challenged what it meant to be a ‘Star Wars’ movie, but I couldn’t. It gives me zero pleasure in say that The Last Jedi is not a good entry into the Star Wars canon, nor is it a great sequel within its own right. We should have known that Rian Johnson, the director, would take everything established in The Force Awakens and throw it out the window when it was announced he had been given a new, unrelated Star Wars trilogy to write and direct. He has forced unnecessary story on a new planet, created new characters and animals so that he can say, “Hey! Remember that casino planet? That’s my invention!”.

What is it with the Skywalker family
and their apprentices? 

Jack Howard, YouTuber and filmmaker, said that this film is “everything you are and aren’t expecting”, and he is right. Johnson took plenty of gambles in this project, and although it seemed to pay off with critics, the fans were not quite as happy. All I’ll say about the fan base is that a petition was started by the Star Wars fan base to remove The Last Jedi from the canon. Yeah, don’t piss off fan-bases. But there is good in this one! Adam Driver the best part of this film by far with his co-stars, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac and the late Carrie Fisher also giving some good performances. New characters such as Rose Tico, played by Kelly Marie Tran, and Laura Dern’s Vice Admiral Holdo are good additions, but aren’t without flaws. The same can be said about DJ, Benicio Del Toro’s hacker-man, and again I take no pleasure in saying he sucks! His character’s presence is a massive coincidence and getting someone as talented as Del Toro to play him was a huge waste. The visuals are jaw dropping, but that comes expected of a film that cost more than $200 million, unless you’re Justice League (not the only slam I’ll be making on Justice League, I promise).

I had started a full review on Star Wars: The Last Jedi, but with other pieces of writing that required my attention, I couldn’t bring myself to write too much on a film that disappointed me so much. In brief, where it’s good, it’s VERY good. Alas, where it’s bad, it’s also VERY bad. A good friend of mine encapsulated my feelings beautifully, “The more you like (and know) Star Wars, the more you will dislike The Last Jedi”. Let’s wait and see if JJ can fix this void Johnson created with episode IX. 6.9/10

"WHERE ARE THE NOMINATIONS
FOR BLADE RUNNER 2049?"

Now that’s out of the way, let us cast our minds back this year and remember how good this year was for film! I’ll start a film I loved so much that it persuaded me to begin this blog: La La Land. This was the benchmark, and it gives me pleasure to say that said-benchmark was met by gems such as Blade Runner 2049, Get Out and Moonlight. Let us not forget the surprises of this year either! With Thor: Ragnarok giving us the funniest Marvel film ever, and quite possibly the funniest film of the year, we also got Wonder Woman, a film that not only proves that the DCEU is not a total failure (a phrase I use VERY lightly) but gives women of all ages a hero to wholeheartedly look up to, and let us not forget Logan, a film that also challenged what it meant to be a superhero movie; I am ashamed to say I have only seen once having actually bought the Blu-Ray! There were also films that divided cinema go-ers and critics alike, such as: Darren Aronofsky’s Mother! that ended up being nominated for a Golden Raspberry award (otherwise known as Razzies), Alien: Covenant, with even more stupid scientists than Prometheus and let us not forget the fallout from the reviews regarding Justice League and, as mentioned above, Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Overall, 2017 was a fantastic year for film. With sequels worthy of their legendary originals, NOT looking at you Kingsman: The Golden Circle, and some true original phenomenon’s, we can only hope 2018 follows in its footsteps…

Anything but 'Fake News'

…and it does! The first film I saw at the cinema this year was Steven Spielberg’s The Post and, like La La Land did the previous year, the bar has been set astronomically high. In knowing nothing about this films premise, I will be brief in my thoughts as I will not give any major plot points away. Set in the 1970s, The Post focuses on the on-going war effort in Vietnam and life of The Washington Post as it struggles to compete with the other huge broadsheet papers, namely The New York Times. When news of a massive political scandal is leaked to every major paper, Tom Hanks’ Ben Bradlee, editor at the Post, presses for the papers that will not only inform the public of the countless lies they’ve be told by the government, but will make them one of the biggest newspapers in the America. Kay Graham, played by Meryl Streep, is the owner of The Washington Post and despite wanting to make her paper huge in the eyes of America, she must look past her connections with some of the most powerful men in government, some of which have had a personal hand in telling these lies. This is a well shot, well written, well directed jewel of a film that provides insight into a period of history clouded in uncertainty. Furthermore, it is plain scary how applicable the circumstances discussed are in reference to present day America. In saying this, I strongly recommend you check out The Post. 9/10

Now, looking forward into the first half 2018, there are number of films I am aching to see. We might as well talk about Marvel first, considering they look as if they’re looking to dominate the box office all year round:

Black Panther, I won’t lie, by the time I’ve posted this I’ll have seen Black Panther three times. For the time being, I’ll just say it is incredible and that everyone, Marvel fan or not, should see this film.

Avengers: Infinity War, it’s all been leading to this. Having grown up with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, this is the culmination of 10 years of spectacular film making, with some exceptions of course (ahem, The Incredible Hulk). Sorry, did I say something? With Earth’s mightiest heroes teaming up with The Guardians of The Galaxy to battle the Mad Titan Thanos, we’re on for a hell of a treat.

Ant-Man and The Wasp, taking place after Captain America: Civil War but before Infinity War, Scott Lang/Ant-Man must try and balance being a superhero as well as a father but is forced to team up with Hope Van Dyne/The Wasp and her father, Hank Pym, to uncover secrets about their past.

£10 on Cap getting the axe, or the fist but that doesn't
sound right does it...

All three look to all be outstanding films in their own right, but we cannot ignore the fact that these after 2018, the MCU might never be the same again after the arrival of Thanos. Ten whole years after the arrival of Iron Man, I, like many other people my age, will look back and say how lucky we were growing up with such gems. Moving on from one Disney owned studio to the next, Lucasfilm’s Solo looks to tell the origin story of the galaxies most notorious smuggler, Han Solo. With the firing of Phil Lord and Chris Miller, then the hiring of Ron Howard I pray this film comes out to please all, fans and critics alike. Despite many not wanting this story told, including Harrison Ford, there are fears the Star Wars franchise is becoming overly saturated with unnecessary films. I’d prefer if people didn’t tell me the odds when it comes to Solo.

Dat leg tho

Stepping away from the cinematic titan that is Disney, I am in fact excited about a number of films that aren’t dominated by the company set out to monopolise the film industry:

Ready Player One, directed by the directorial legend that is Steven Spielberg and on the novel with the same name by Ernest Cline, this film looks to tell the stories of a dystopic Ohio, as well as utopic Oasis. Following the story of Wade Watts, a 20-something year old looking for more than what reality can give him, he journeys into the creation of James Halliday, the Oasis, so that he might find the whereabouts of Halliday’s Easter Egg, thus granting Wade half a trillion dollars and total control over the Oasis. Lovers of pop-culture everywhere will want to swarm to this one and say, “Was that Tracer? OMG that’s Lara Croft! Hang about, is he driving the DeLorean from Back to The Future?”.

Isle of Dogs, a stop-motion animation from the genius that is Wes Anderson. To stop the spread of disease, corrupt Japanese Mayor Kobayashi forces new laws on his town stating that all dogs are to be sent to a trash island. His nephew embarks on a solo rescue mission to the Isle of Dogs to save his precious dog Spots. With the help from cast-out canines such as Chief, Rex Boss, and Duke, this looks to be as unique as it will be touching. Oh, and with this being a Wes Anderson movie, expect an astonishing ensemble cast of actors.

The Untitled Deadpool Sequel, yes this is the name for Wade Wilson’s next adventure. Don’t look at me, that’s what it says on IMDB! However, looking back on marketing for the previous film, it wouldn’t at all surprise me to see this as the actual name for the sequel. With no plot synopsis, apart from the joke one stating he’s on a journey looking “to discover the importance of family, friendship and flavour”. Again, I’m just quoting the synopsis on IMDB.

How did we get THREE
Cars films before this?!

Incredibles 2, about bloody time! Having waited 14 years for this, Pixar will have to pull out all the stops if they’re going to make it remotely as good as the original. With the trailers giving little to nothing away, little is known about the plot. If this suffers from the dreaded ‘Sequel Syndrome’, people of all ages will be in uproar.

Mission Impossible: Fallout, after a delay in the production, Tom Cruise’s broken ankle being the cause, Ethan Hunt is back! Following on from the events of Rogue Nation, Hunt and his team of IMF agents must deal with the aftermath of their actions. With the CIA and Henry Cavill’s moustache on their case, this entry in the franchise looks to surpass all actions set pieces to date!

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, I’m only putting this here because I love a good ABBA sing along.

"That's amore!"

Moving away from films for a moment, it seems as though I’ve not been true to myself this past year. In my twitter bio and the introduction piece to this blog, I said that I’d also do pieces on television as well as films. Making up for this, I’ll do a quick run through of shows I watched in 2017 and what I thought of them. Just writing about Iron Fist is inexcusable and I apologise.

A Series of Unfortunate Events season 1, come for the story, stay for Neil Patrick-Harris’ outstanding performance as Count Olaf. While I enjoyed this adaptation of Lemony Snicket’s tale of the Baudelaire orphans, the forced secondary storyline, at times, detached me from the events involving Violet, Klaus and Sunny, characters you can’t help but love.

Master of None season 2, loved every second of it. Aziz, you’re a genius when it comes to the television industry, but please right the wrongs of the past by addressing the scandal that came to light this January.

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt season 3, I stopped watching just over half way through. A classic example of a show that was only good for one season, its first.

House of Cards season 5, this is cracking TV. With the election coming to its climax, we see the Underwood’s cling on to as much power as possible despite all the odds. Hard to believe stuff like this used to be purely fictional…

Defenders, how did this go so wrong? With a great cast of heroes, and Iron Fist, we should have been in for a real treat. We were promised a war waged between New York’s Defenders and The Hand, but we received a few light punch-ups. We were promised New York would fall, but all The Hand were after were a few bones so that they could extend their already long lifespans. What happened to all the ninjas from Daredevil season 2?! Nothing but bitter disappointment here.

One of the very few good moments
in the show

Game of Thrones season 7, sorry to say this word again but I was just disappointed when season 7 ended. Coming off the bat of season 6, the best season (debate me I dare you), expectations were astronomically high. Where it had some fantastic moments of action set-pieces and character writing, what was the point of making it 3 episodes shorter? There was far too much service for fan-boys and less of what made it good from the get-go: the human stories. With Season 8 not coming till 2019, and consisting of only 6 episodes, it seems D.B Weiss and David Benioff are making it harder on themselves to give Game of Thrones the ending it (and we!) deserve.

Adios Pablo.
Hola Gilberto.

Narcos season 3, don’t worry, I had the same fears it would inevitably get worse with the death of Escobar. It gives me pleasure in saying that does not happen! With the Cali cartel taking centre stage, these guys can and should be compared to Escobar. The consistency of the shows quality gives me faith that season 4 will continue to be just as good as its predecessors.

Jack Whitehall: Travels with My Father, I wouldn’t use this as a guide to how to do your gap year. Experiencing Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia together, Jack and his Father use this time together not only to visit a new part of the world, but to bond as father and son. With every touching moment however, there is also one of conflict between the two boys. Would highly recommend watching this with your parents if they every suggest a holiday to south-east Asia.

Stranger Things season 2, a word to summarise this season? Bitchin. With the odd moments that took away from the narrative, looking at you Eleven, it still retained a good amount of suspense. You continue to care for these characters and develop different feelings towards other ones you may not have liked as much in season 1, looking at you Papa Harrington. It’s safe to say these actors are going to be the next generation of awards contenders.

The Punisher season 1, a show that redeems the events of both Iron Fist and Defenders. From what could have easily been a show about Frank Castle’s tale of revenge, I’m glad that the writers made a story that is so much more. By tapping into the debate surrounding the 2^nd Amendment, in addition to delving into how PTSD can affect all kinds of soldiers, this is more than just Castle punishing, its him struggling with living in a world that wants to reject him. Not only this, but with fantastic supporting characters such as Micro, we are given sub-plots we are wholeheartedly invested in, outside of Frank’s fight.

Mr. Robot season 3, a successful update. I need to take a moment to say, “Stop what you’re doing and get watching Sam Esmail’s masterpiece”. I’m struggling on how to best describe this show without giving away major spoilers, so I’ll keep this brief: Go in with a clear mind with no preconceptions about the show and just let it tell its story. It can get technical with the hacking jargon but, with it centred in contemporary society, it is not hard to follow. Soon enough, you’ll be asking, “What will I do when the revolution comes?”.

"B0ns0ir, Elli0t"

Finally, Black Mirror season 4, a strangely triumphant season. The best way to describe Charlie Brooker’s hit show is by saying: it’s about the vices of technology and the corruptibility of the Human spirit. This is not entirely true for at least half of the fourth season. Where I did enjoy binging this show, there were episodes I felt were a little out of place in regard to Black Mirror having previously shown us the worst humanity has to offer.

I have consumed far too many hours of TV and film this year, haven’t I? Well I’m too far gone at this point, so I’ll continue devour as much entertainment as I can lay my hands upon. I’ll finish by addressing all those who have supported me during A Ginger’s Journal’s first year in action. To those who have proofread my pieces, to those who openly debated with me about our views on TV and film, and to those who have read any one of my reviews: thank you! I’d promise to try and be more punctual with my posts but as I’m publishing this in February, it wouldn’t mean much. Here’s to another year!