Supremely satisfying sequel has sophistication and wisdom rarely seen in animated realm

Hit Man, starring Top Gun and Anyone But You’s Glen Powell, is on target to be one of the best movies of 2024, writes Leigh Paatsch.

A long-awaited sequel brings back the Pixar magic, and a hit-man action rom-com is one of the year’s best.

INSIDE OUT 2 (PG)

Riley’s emotions are back in Inside Out 2. Picture: Supplied

Director: Kelsey Mann (Onward)

Starring: the voices of Amy Poehler, Maya Hawke, Tony Hale, Lewis Black

Rating:★★★★

This second thought is no brain fade

Released to major acclaim in 2015, the original Inside Out was the last bona fide masterpiece from Pixar Studios, marking the end of a golden run of classics from the trailblazing animation house that spanned two decades.

While it has been steadily downhill for Pixar ever since, the belated arrival of Inside Out 2 should not be interpreted as a cynical cash grab.

Though no one will be ranking this sequel as highly as its predecessor, it is still a supremely satisfying screen experience, deploying both a sophistication and wisdom rarely seen in the animated realm.

As was the case before, the new movie unfolds entirely within the mind of its young heroine, Riley (voiced by Kensington Tallman).

It is inside the operations centre of her brain (nicknamed ‘Headquarters’) that the same group of individual emotions continue to guide Riley through life.

Joy (Amy Poehler) remains the driving force of the collective, with Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Disgust (Liza Lapira), Anger (Lewis Black) and Fear (Tony Hale) chipping in when required.

However, just when it seems that it is business-as-usual for these skilled guiding lights – who still call the shots from behind a colourfully complicated control panel – a spanner is thrown in the works.

With Riley entering her teenage years, the onset of puberty opens the door at Headquarters to a whole new squad of emotions. Picture: Supplied

Riley is now entering her teenage years. The inevitable onset of puberty opens the door at Headquarters to a whole new squad of emotions, not all of whom will be acting in the best interests of their subject.

The always tense and overcompensating Anxiety (Maya Hawke) is the leader of this nervy new pack, which includes the less-than-helpful likes of Embarrassment (Paul Walter Hauser), Envy (Ayo Edebiri) and Ennui (Adele Exarchopoulos).

Once the battle lines are drawn between Riley’s old and new emotions, the movie cleverly dabs away at a vividly recognisable portrait of a rookie teenager’s inner turmoil.

To the movie’s everlasting credit, a compelling storyline adventurously journeys into previously uncharted recesses of Riley’s mind.

Not all Riley’s new emotions act in the best interests of their subject. Picture: Supplied

While there are too many stunning new locations to be listed in their entirety here, special mention must be made of the discovery of sarcasm (a grand canyon which can swallow an emotion whole), the fleeting nature of a teen crush, and what occurs during the chaos of a brainstorm.

Though it will probably assist most younger viewers if they have already seen the first movie, there can be no denying Pixar has crafted a refreshingly original work that will warmly resonate with all ages.

Inside Out 2 is in cinemas now

HIT MAN (M)

Adria Arjona and Glen Powell in Hit Man. Picture: Netflix

Rating:★★★★½

Now streaming on Netflix

This effortlessly enjoyable and impressively executed true-crime affair is easily the best original movie to debut on any streaming platform this year. In fact, it is one of the best movies of 2024, period.

Under the flawless direction of decorated filmmaker Richard Linklater (Boyhood), Hit Man tells the remarkable story of Gary Johnson (brilliantly played by Glen Powell), a mild-mannered New Orleans college lecturer who landed a part-time job posing as a hired assassin in undercover police operations. What starts out as a sort-of-cool side-hustle gets brain-bendingly complicated when Gary gets involved with a woman who wants her ex-husband killed. Having persuaded the beautiful Madison (Adria Arjona) to drop the idea, Gary ill-advisedly assumes he is free to pursue her as the love he has been waiting for his entire life.

An involvement with Madison (Adria Arjona) complicates a side-hustle for Gary (Glen Powell). Picture: Brian Roedel/Netflix

However, when it comes to averting the rising suspicions of his own police unit, Gary has to think fast and act even faster to cover his tracks.

Without giving anything away, some wildly inventive scripting and the potent screen chemistry of Powell and Arjona combine to deliver one heck of a great final act. A definite don’t-miss.

THE WATCHERS (M)

Dakota Fanning in The Watchers.

Rating:★★

General release

If you go out in the woods today … well, you won’t be coming back any time soon, that’s for sure. Especially if you stray into a certain densely forested area in rural Ireland, where cars will inexplicably break down and mobile phones can cease to function in the blink of an eye.

That’s not even the worst of what is facing Mina (Dakota Fanning), the latest lost soul to be absolutely stranded in this doomed region. This lonely American pet store clerk ends up taking shelter in an eerie joint where she and a collection of other missing persons are living under a bizarre form of house arrest. Going outside just isn’t an option, largely because of a host of spectral beings prowling the perimeter and perpetually peeking inside through a one-way-mirrored wall.

Mina (Dakota Fanning) is in an eerie joint where she and a collection of other missing persons are living under a bizarre form of house arrest.

While this isn’t a bad idea for a low-impact horror movie – the same premise filled a best-selling book by author A.M. Shine a few years ago – there is a rusted-on dullness to proceedings that first-time director Ishana Shyamalan (daughter of famous screen spooksmith M. Night Shyamalan) cannot scrape away.

Originally published as Supremely satisfying sequel has sophistication and wisdom rarely seen in animated realm