Incredibles 2

Incredibles 2

Starring Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Sarah Vowell, Huck Milner

Directed by Brad Bird

The Story:
After protecting the world from the Underminer, superhero family the Parrs are still living in hiding because superheroes are still seen as more a liability than an asset.  The law is still in effect of no superpowers being used, to the chagrin of Bob Parr (Craig T. Nelson), who wants his family to be super in public. The family is forced to stay in a motel after the incident to try and stay out of hiding.

Then Bob's friend Lucius (Samuel L. Jackson) comes to them with a proposition from a wealthy tycoon who wishes to abolish the anti-superhero law and bring supers back to the forefront.  They're introduced to brother/sister team Winston (Bob Odenkirk) and Evelyn (Catherine Keener) Deavor, who put tiny cameras on the superhero suits so they can show their side of the story, and choose Helen (Holly Hunter) to be the first one to try it out.

Bob is resigned to taking care of the children - Dash (Huck Milner) who is having problems with math, Violet (Sarah Vowell) who is dealing with rejection, and baby Jack-Jack, who is experiencing newfound powers for the first time.  As he plays stay-at-home dad, Helen is out there again as Elastigirl, stopping a series of crimes spearheaded by the mysterious Screenslaver, who uses television and media to hypnotize his victims.

The Synopsis:
Back in 2004, the superhero genre was still in its infancy.  There was no Marvel Cinematic Universe, and overall superhero films received mostly negative reviews (such as "Daredevil," "Elektra," "Hulk," and "Catwoman").  It's during this time that director Brad Bird released his latest Pixar classic, "The Incredibles" - an animated film about a family of superheroes - and the results speak for itself: over $630 million dollars worldwide, and the film was a bonafide success.

Almost immediately there were talks of a sequel, but as the years went by those rumors began to decrease, because Bird said he wouldn't make a sequel until he found a script as good as the first.  Finally, fourteen long years later, we get "Incredibles 2," and unlike other sequels that came out long after the expiration date of the first, this one lives up to its predecessor and doesn't skip a beat.  It's like the last fourteen years never happened, and "Incredibles 2" was released right away after the first.

That's how the film starts, ending with the events right after the first film.  It's ingenious that they went this direction, because it makes you feel like no time has passed, and it shows in the vividly beautiful animations - back in 2004, it was truly before its time, and even in 2018, it's still lavishly beautiful and exceptionally filmed.  It's brisk, bold, and a vision to behold - with the exception of the flashing lights seen throughout the film that could be an issue for people with epilepsy.

The family dynamic is as strong as ever, as Bird once again balances the excitement of being super with the humdrum activities of daily life, as well as showcasing the swapping of gender roles.  Bob is not the breadwinner anymore, but it's Helen who's chosen to go out and stop crime and change the viewpoints of politicians toward superheroes.  She gets to have all the fun and get the glory, while Bob is at home taking care of the children.  Some films would see this as a negative for Bob, but Bird manages to make his job every bit as important as Helen's - even their friend Edna mentions that "done properly, parenting is a heroic act - done properly."  We see Bob connecting with the kids in ways he didn't before, as he struggles with common core math with Dash, help Violet over a boy that she likes but he doesn't know she exists (for humorous reasons), and Jack-Jack, who's just a baby but experiencing all sorts of superpowers for the first time (seventeen, in fact, by Bob's count).

Meanwhile, Helen gets to exhibit all her superpowers for the world to see, and take down the big bad in exciting, thrilling ways.  This is where the animation really shines, as she tries to stop a speeding train, thwart a helicopter attack, and fight bad guys throughout the town in a filming style reminiscent of any Marvel film.  Plus the film tackles the issue of body cameras by having one installed on Helen's new suit, so the world can see through her eyes the true importance of superheroes, as well as keeping herself in check.

The children too are given more substance to their characters than the first, with the exception of Dash, who's easily the most underwritten of the children here.  While Violet struggles with typical pre-teen angst, and Jack-Jack steals the show with his newfound powers, the only issue Dash deals with is understanding math.  It's unfortunate, but not everyone can have their moment in the sun here - and with the film being a little over two hours, it's also the longest computer-animated film ever.

Speaking of Jack-Jack, he's easily the most exceptional part of the film, as we get to witness with him all his newfound abilities - from teleportation to transforming to a monster, to laser eyes and changing to fire.  You never know what abilities he'll do next, or who he'll use them on - there's particularly one scene between him and a raccoon that will have you dying in laughter, wishing you'd get to see a short film between these two in the future.

With any good superhero movie, you need a great villain, and that's what Screenslayer delivers.  A delicious pun on how we rely on technology today, the Screenslayer uses that technology to hypnotize unsuspecting people to do the bidding of the villain, while exposing the need for tech to keep us from truly living our lives to the fullest, and exhibiting a true hatred for all things super.  As the story progresses, we see the real reason behind the madness, and causes us to ask questions ourselves about the importance we put technology in our lives.

Still, it's great to have the family back together again, and as with the first, beautifully tells several different stories at once while never skimping on any of them.  There's the 007-style music once again delivered by Michael Giacchino, the dazzling effects of any remarkable superhero movie, the biting social commentary, timely themes, and most importantly the true power of family.

The Summary:
Delivered fourteen years after the original, one would expect a sequel to not be as good as the original, but "Incredibles 2" is every part equal to its stellar predecessor, resulting in yet another homerun for Pixar.

The Score: A+