Jungle
Incredibles 2

Incredibles 2

Movie
Director(s): 
In Theatres: 
Jun 15, 2018
Grade:
A
Running Time: 
118 minutes

The original Incredibles came out way back in 2004, and since then the state of the superhero genre has completely changed. The Marvel Cinematic Universe didn’t exist at that point, with Sam Rami’s Spider-Man trilogy still on the upswing with Spider-Man 2 just hitting theaters as the biggest superhero film of the year, and the darker and less campy, more realistic, Batman Begins was still a year off. The Incredibles has never been your traditional superhero movie. Even back in 2004 the film addressed the struggles of trying to live a normal family life while balancing being a superhero in disguise. 14 years later and Incredibles 2 doesn’t miss a beat as the franchise doubles down, exploring identity and family roles while still delivering a fun and action-packed superhero adventure.

 

Continuing exactly from where the first film left off, Incredibles 2 opens three months later with the Parr family facing off against The Underminer. Despite them working as a family team now, the Underminer still manages to get away with millions of dollars and cause even more in damages to the city. As a result, Supers become permanently banned altogether. That doesn’t stop the Parr family however as they team up businessman Winston Deavor (Bob Odenkirk) and his inventor sister Evelyn (Catherine Keener) to restore their good name. Only this time it’s not Bob (Craig T. Nelson) who is doing the heavy lifting. The Deavors want Elastigirl (Holly Hunter) to be the new face of Supers so Bob has to stay at home and take care of the kids while Helen is out on the streets fighting crime. Contrary to what Bob thinks, raising kids can be just as heroic as being a Super.

 

That’s honestly what makes Incredibles 2 nothing short of incredible. It’s not just another iteration of the superhero genre we’ve seen time and time again but it actually reaches beyond what makes them super and instead focuses on what makes them normal, mostly parenthood. It’s refreshing seeing Elastigirl being the one to constantly save the day while Mr. Incredible stays at home watching the kids and doing chores. Helen’s excitement for being in the spotlight for once is infectious. It does take Bob a little while to warm up to the role reversal, and his initial attitude can be pretty insulting at times, but the film manages to bring the whole family aspect together quite wonderfully. It’s a team effort, and by the end of it all you can’t help but love the partnership between Bob and Helen. Director Brad Bird does a wonderful job at making both equally entertaining, but by far the biggest improvement over the original is Jack-Jack.

 

The end of The Incredibles revealed that Jack-Jack had a few powers of his own, and the sequel continues to build on that repertoire. When Bob finally finds out that Jack-Jack has powers, it’s complete chaos. The youngest Parr can phase through walls, make copies of himself, shoot lasers from his eyes, and explode as a fiery demon monster; all of which lend themselves to some rather hilarious scenes at the household, including an amazing fighting sequence involving a raccoon. Move over Rocket, there’s a new favorite trash panda in town.

 

It’s difficult for sequels to come anywhere close to the originals but Incredibles 2 does an incredible job at continuing the story. It may not be better, but it comes pretty close. Following last year’s Coco, Incredibles 2 is another home run for Pixar Animation, and is more along the lines of Toy Story 2 as opposed to Cars 2. It’s a sequel that has been well worth the 14 year wait.

Matt Rodriguez
Review by Matt Rodriguez
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