Directed by Brad Bird
Starring Holly Hunter, Craig T. Nelson, and Samuel L. Jackson
At long last, the Pixar sequel the public has spent years asking for has hit theaters, and Incredibles 2 has proven to be worth the wait. It's an extremely worthy sequel that is practically equal in quality to its predecessor.
Incredibles 2 begins seconds after the original concluded, with the family taking on The Underminer (John Ratzenberger). Unfortunately this doesn't go as well as they had hoped, thus angering the public and the government, who are still not keen on superheroes. This does however attract the attention of sibling-business tycoons Winston and Evelyn Deavor (Bob Odenkirk and Catherine Kenner).
The Deavors approach Mr. Incredible/Bob Parr (Nelson), Elastigirl/Helen Parr (Hunter), and Frozone/Lucius Best (Jackson) with a plan to bring superheroes back into a positive spotlight, with Elastigirl at center stage. While Helen goes off to fight crime, Bob struggles to be a stay-at-home dad, just as Jack-Jack's (Eli Fucile) multitude of powers start to develop and wreak havoc.
It's a of role reversal of the first film, where this time Helen's off on the clandestine mission for the mysterious company and Bob's at home with the family, but what Brad Bird & his team do with the premise make it so much more than that. The film tackles a lot of interesting topics: gender & family roles, superhero culture, and through the villain, society's attachment to technology and media. The first two definitely get more script time. I do sort of wish the film tackled more of superhero culture, seeing as we are in the height of the Superhero Film Era, but Incredibles is a family film first and a superhero film second.
I must say, I did sort of find Bob's characterization at the beginning of the film a little off-putting, but as the film progresses it works a lot better. It's not about him feeling he deserves to be out there being super more than his wife, it's about him desperate to get back to the only thing he knows how to do, and his insecurity in this new role. It's a very sweet, mature storyline, which you should expect from Bird and Pixar. At the same time Elastigirl's story is equally great, and continues to be one of Pixar's best characters put to screen.
In fact it goes without saying this entire cast of characters is wonderful, and a lot of them get more to do in this sequel. Everyone's been saying Jack-Jack steals the show, and that is 100% true, and when him and Edna Mode share some scenes? Gold. The voice cast hasn't missed a beat either. Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Samuel L. Jackson are leading the way with their Grade-A voice work. Huck Finn takes over the role of Dash from Spencer Fox, and the change is barely noticeable, if at all. Bob Odenkirk & Catherine Keener are also fine additions as The Deavors.
The animation is incredible (oops), the action is stellar, and the folks behind the Fantastic Four films should look at how the animators handled the stretch powers of Elastigirl for her fights. Michael Giacchino's music is again wonderful, and it's awesome to hear that iconic theme in the theaters again. If I had one issue with the film it's the villain. This film's villain is sadly no Syndrome, and beyond predictable, and that's probably the one thing that keeps Incredibles 2 from matching The Incredibles.
This is probably one of my shorter reviews but honestly there's not much to say beyond that. Incredibles 2 is an incredible sequel, and easily Pixar's best non-Toy Story sequel. The characters, tone, and humor of the film are all point, and the story is the next logical chapter for this super family.
Now all the early Pixar films have sequels, so I think the studio can stop making sequels now. I mean, what are they going to make sequels to some of their newer stuff?
The Good Dinosaur Returns? Wall-E: Part 2? Up 2?...Oh...Oh God…
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