I was attracted to Incredibles 2 ever since I saw the vibrant poster. I couldn’t help but investigate the family of superheroes running at the train, all while holding a baby, who was astonishingly shooting lasers at a frightened raccoon. When I squinted even closer, I saw even more superheroes lurking in the background. The mysterious figure over the iconic Incredibles logo only added to the anticipation of watching this movie. When I finally got the chance to see it a couple of months later, it exceeded my extremely high expectations … by a lot. Incredibles 2 is an electrifying movie directed by Brad Bird, a famous director who shares an Oregon upbringing with me. Bird’s exceptional talents won him two Academy Awards for Best Animated Feature and many Best Original Screenplay nominations. He also directed Ratatouille and The Iron Giant, which paved his path to later directing Incredibles 2. Incredibles 2 is a sequel to the movie Incredibles, and both revolve around the Parr family (a.k.a The Incredibles). After Helen accepts a job in order to regain public trust for superheroes, Bob struggles to simultaneously deal with Dash’s math homework and Violet’s boyfriend, who had his memory wiped after discovering Violet’s role as a superhero. Brad Bird manages to fit the entire story in only 1 hour 58 minutes! This allows you to watch it, even if you don’t have a lot of time. One of my favorite parts about the movie is the vivid designs and stunning animation. One of the advantages Pixar had with this film was its team of highly talented animators, which enabled them to have more flexibility over character designs. Another great part about this movie is the variety of characters. Brad Bird also introduced six new “superheroes” to Incredibles 2 with the names of: Screech, He-Lectrix, Reflux, Brick, Krushauer, and Voyd. These additions provide the movie with a rich array of characters and personalities. They play an important role in the final battle, since their abilities are used for good and bad, giving the viewer both perspectives on superpowers. My favorite character in the movie is Jack-Jack (the baby). He has a variety of superpowers such as multiplying himself, turning into a purple demon-looking thing, and becoming a human torch. Even though this movie was a smashing success, I believe there were some parts that could have been done better. One of the criticisms I have is the repetition of superpowers. For example, Mr. Incredible and Brick share the same ability, making each one less special. In the film, Voyd, Elastigirl, and Screech all survived a free fall at some point. Another main problem in this film is the sheer amount of characters. It can help make the movie diverse, but ruin it at the same time. Incredibles 2 cannot focus on one group of people without leaving the others behind. Therefore, they don’t really spend a lot of time on an individual character. This blocks the viewer’s ability to go in-depth on the characters they like. Some characters only appear once or twice in this movie, even though they are really well written and have a unique personality. Overall, this is a fantastic film. It uses high-tech animations and technologies to create a visually pleasing effect. The thrilling plot keeps you on your toes throughout the entire movie, while maintaining a humorous outline at the same time. Even though I believe there are some things they could have improved on, it still deserves a standing ovation at the end. This movie is perfect for people who like superheroes, comedy, and a whole lot of action!
film review
Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Reviewed by Vivaan, 13
Ever felt like an outcast? Have you ever been shunned by everyone in your society? Have you ever felt as if you don’t belong anywhere? Ricky Baker, in Hunt For The Wilderpeople, has. Directed by Taika Waititi and released in 2016, this movie addresses relationships, and how vital it is to have a sense of belonging. Taika Waititi presents relationships in this film by illustrating how Ricky Baker develops with the multitude of relationships he has, both useful and not useful. He conveys that to be able to feel as if you belong is just as crucial, arguably more, as many materialistic things, such as money, and further emphasises that not all relationships are enjoyable. Ricky and Hec – Ricky’s adoptive father – have been together most of the time. In fact, Hec has almost a parallel role to the protagonist in this story. At first, they keep on bickering, but as time goes on, they begin to realise how well they can collaborate, and how much they need each other – the latter was felt especially (spoiler alert) after Aunty Bella’s death. The two gained a lot from each other’s company, particularly as they were traversing the bush. During this time, they really got to understand each other because of their proximity to each other. Ricky and Hec learn a lot from each other during this period of time, such as the fact that Hec is illiterate. Ricky tries to teach Hec haiku, and by the end, Hec recites a very meaningful Haiku to Ricky. When Hec fractures his foot, Ricky does his best to assist him, getting their food and doing most of the necessary jobs. But it wasn’t only Hec who gains from this long lasting relationship – Hec teaches Ricky how to survive in the wild and harsh bush – an action that saves Ricky’s life. Bella is Hec’s wife. When Ricky first arrives at his new home, Bella is the first person who had ever been hospitable towards him, and Ricky is overcome by Bella’s friendliness as he had been used to being shunted around his whole life. Ricky and Bella share some very symbolic moments with each other, such as when she puts a hot water bottle into his bed, or when she gives him the best birthday ever, showing her love for him. Bella is in Ricky’s life for a depressingly short amount of time, but she manages to make a big impact on Ricky’s life. She helps him open up and socialise by treating him as her very own son. For the first time in his life, he had someone to talk to, he had someone who didn’t treat him like an outcast – he had someone to love. After her unexpected death, Ricky carries her ashes around with him as he traverses the bush – which shows that Aunty Bella had earned herself a massive place in Ricky’s heart. Ricky gains many social skills because of Bella and, most importantly, he realises what it is like to fit in. The movie displays relationships by demonstrating how Ricky changes under the influence of his many relationships. Hec and Bella together manage to change and even save Ricky’s life. The movie shows us how much Ricky learnt from them – how crucial they were in his life. He indicates that before Ricky makes any relationships with anyone, he is a very despondent, disagreeable and unsociable character. But, as he arrives with Uncle Hec and Aunty Bella, he begins to understand how much he had been missing out on. This transforms his life forever, as he then begins to see so much more meaning in life. Instead of being the silent, morose, fat Maori boy that he was before, he suddenly becomes a friendly, helpful and fat Maori boy – a drastic change from the past. These two relationships were possibly the two most vital in his life, and they were without a doubt the two from whom he gained the most from. To conclude, strong relationships are vital for leading a contented, happy life, whether you have friends, family, or something more.
“Unforgiven,” a movie review by Abhi Sukhdial, 12
Unforgiven is my favorite Western movie and my second favorite movie of all time, which is really saying something, considering the number of movies I’ve been watching on Netflix since schools closed in mid-March. Most Westerns focus on stories about killing bandits for money or robbing banks, however Unforgiven focuses on the emotions of brotherhood, hatred, anger and grief which most Westerns tend to ignore. It shows us the effects violence (and the inability to turn away from killing) have on who we are–deep inside. Unforgiven tells the story of an old man named William Munny, who used to be a cruel, blood-thirsty gunslinger. But when the movie begins, we learn that his wife has died, which has made him rethink his whole profession. So now he is just a plain, old farmer trying to raise his two young kids. However, when he learns that there is a high bounty ($1000!) on a group of outlaws for physically assaulting a local woman, he decides he has no choice but to pick up that gun again. Along the way, he is joined by his friend, Ned Logan, and the Schofield Kid. Like I said before, Unforgiven is not like other Westerns. Most Westerns have gunslingers kill people on sight, and they’re mostly just fun adventures with twists and turns. For example, The Good, The Bad, And the Ugly is a classic Western movie with interesting characters and an exciting plot line, however, it doesn’t really make you feel any emotion towards all the deaths throughout the film and the pain of the Civil War (the Wild West era began at the end of the Civil War, 1865, and lasted till around 1895). The movie pretends that killing is normal and that it is so easy to do it. Unforgiven, however, takes you deeper into the characters’ actions and the pain. Whenever someone kills another person during the movie, you feel his/her real pain and suffering. The person doesn’t just walk away after wielding the fatal blow, but instead, shakes and shivers in fear and sadness. The movie also presents and develops characters that are perfectly suited for the story. One such character is a gunslinger named English Bob, who travels with a journalist interested in writing a book about Bob and all his “heroic” adventures. The relationship between these characters is perfect because (and I won’t spoil it) English Bob is somewhat of a liar and traitor. The journalist never thinks for a moment that this brilliant gunslinger may actually be a liar, who is just exaggerating about his wild exploits. Such irony! Another great thing about Unforgiven and what makes it so awesome is that characters often have a weakness or tragic flaw that is exposed near the end of the movie, and which fundamentally changes how we perceive them. For most of the movie, Munny’s two sidekicks, Ned Logan and the Schofield kid, claim they can kill a whole group of bandits, but when faced with real killers, they turn into helpless individuals who are scared of killing and scared of what having a reputation as a killer might do to their lives. In most Westerns, such themes are usually ignored. William Munny sums up it well when he says: “It’s a hell of a thing, killing a man. You take away everything he’s got, and everything’s he’s ever gonna have.” The actors of course are all top-notch – they include Clint Eastwood (or the Man with No Name), Morgan Freeman, and Gene Hackman. Their performances are so convincing that they made me think about the real Wild West and how people might have looked, talked and lived during those times. After watching Unforgiven, I kept on thinking about one of the greatest video games I’ve ever played, Red Dead Redemption 2. It’s about a gang of outlaws in 1899 who grow increasingly desperate for money. But as the gang starts to fall apart, the main protagonist, Arthur Morgan, changes his perspective about himself and of his gang. Now instead of continuing to be the bloody killer he used to be, he becomes a loving man and is scared to continue his spree of killing with his remaining gang members. It is one of the only video games that made me cry at the end. Unforgiven is a sweet, but also a sour movie. The premise sounds simple, but as you look deeper into the film, you’ll see it’s extremely powerful. It’s one of those movies that has stood and will continue to stand the test of time. Important note from the Stone Soup Editors: Readers should talk to and obtain permission from their parents or other responsible adult before watching this movie, which is rated R in the USA. More information that may be helpful is available at Kids-in-Mind, which scored it 3.6.5. Unforgiven (1992), directed by Clint Eastwood. Winner of 4 Academy Awards, 3 Golden Globes, 1 BAFTA.
