Incredibles 2 (2018) Disney/Action-Adventure-Comedy RT: 118 minutes Rated PG (action sequences, some brief mild language) Director: Brad Bird Screenplay: Brad Bird Music: Michael Giacchino Cinematography: Mahyar Abousaeedi Release date: June 15, 2018 (US) Cast: Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Sarah Vowell, Huck Milner, Samuel L. Jackson, Bob Odenkirk, Catherine Keener, Brad Bird, Sophia Bush, Phil LaMarr, Paul Eiding, Isabella Rossellini, Jonathan Banks, Bill Wise, Michael Bird, John Ratzenberger, La Tanya Richardson Jackson. Box Office: $608.6M (US)/$1.2B (World)
Rating: ****
The first Incredibles was incredible; Incredibles 2 is incredible too. Pun ABSOLUTELY intended! Sorry, I couldn’t resist. Incredibles 2 put me in such good spirits; I had to open with a goofy pun. Of all the Pixar movies over the past 23 years, 2004’s The Incredibles is the MOST deserving of a sequel (with the exception of the Toy Story movies, of course). It’s been 14 years and I’m guessing that the big question on everybody’s lips is “Was it worth the wait?” The answer, happily, is a great big YES! The good news is it’s not an obvious cash-grab sequel like Monsters University, Finding Dory and Cars 3. It’s also not a mere rehash of the original. It stays true to the heart of the original while developing its characters and themes. It does everything a sequel is supposed to do and does them exactly right.
In the real world, it’s been 14 years. In the reel world of Incredibles 2, it’s been about three months since the family of superheroes defeated the dastardly Syndrome. It begins where the last movie left off, with the Parrs donning their uniforms and trying to stop The Underminer (Pixar regular Ratzenberger) from robbing a bank. They create chaos, cause a lot of damage and fix it so the government shuts down the Superhero Relocation Program for good. This means they’re now on their own. That is, until telecommunications tycoon Winston Deavor (Odenkirk, The Post) offers them a chance to get back in the game and regain public support. He also provides them with a new house to live in (their old one was destroyed in the first movie, remember?).
In need of a public face, Winston and his sister Evelyn (Keener, Get Out) select Elastigirl/Helen (Hunter, Broadcast News) because she’s the least destructive. With his wife out working, it falls on Bob/Mr. Incredible to take care of the kids. Boy, does he have his work cut out for him. Violet (Vowell) is going through a crisis with the boy, Tony (Michael Bird), who asked her out at the end of the previous movie. He saw Violet in her superhero guise and consequently had his memory wiped by a government agent. He has no recollection of asking her out on a date. He doesn’t even remember her. Dash (Milner) is as boisterous as ever. He’s having trouble understanding New Math, a concept that confounds his father. As for baby Jack-Jack, he’s started to develop powers, a lot of them. He can disappear, burst into flames and turn into a little demon. And you thought your baby was difficult.
The villain in Incredibles 2 is Screenslaver who hypnotizes people through computer screens. This is an obvious statement on our addiction to technology and tendency to keep our faces glued to our computer or iPhone screens. It was only a matter of time before some maniac found a way to control people through their electronic devices. Naturally, Screenslaver has an evil plan and it’s up to Elastigirl to prevent it. Of course, she gets a little help from her family.
Like its predecessor, Incredibles 2 is pure brilliance. Once again, it plays with the conventions of the superhero genre which have changed considerably since the pre-Avenger days of ’04. Writer-director Brad Bird (The Iron Giant) introduces a team of heroes, including Void (Bush, Chicago PD) and Reflux (Eiding, Ben 10), to back up Elastigirl. Each one has unique powers although Reflux isn’t quite certain if what he has is a power or a bad medical condition.
Incredibles 2 also makes a statement about changing gender rules in the 21st century. Stay-at-home husbands are as common now as stay-at-home wives in the 50s. Bob is frazzled by the new challenges he faces on the domestic front. He also feels undermined by his wife performing the heroic acts he once did. It’s a threat to his masculinity.
On another level, Incredibles 2 has plenty to say about today’s hostile political climate. Read what you will into the criminalization of superhero activity and the need for complete transparency via body-cams in the uniforms. As for Winston’s goal to “make superheroes great again”, it needs no explanation.
Of course, all of that is for the grown-ups in the audience. These themes will fly right over the heads of the small ones in attendance. It’s okay though because Incredibles 2 is equally successful as a high-flying comedy-adventure. It has a few bravura action sequences including one where Elastigirl deals with a runaway train. Even though it runs nearly two hours, it moves quickly and smoothly. One scene flows into the next with complete grace and precision. It’s constantly in motion. The action scenes here are worlds better than the ones in many live-action movies.
Not only is Incredibles 2 exciting, it’s also quite funny. I got more laughs out of this movie than many recent comedies combined. The computer-animation is flawless. The illustrations have a retro look that is bolstered by a jazzy score by Michael Giacchino. The voice talents do a fantastic job, especially Nelson and Hunter as parents trying to balance their obligations to their work and their family only in their case, it’s pretty much one in the same. There’s a strong message about family contained in Incredibles 2 that doesn’t feel shoehorned in. Bird doesn’t strike a single false note. Once again, he achieves cinematic perfection. Incredibles 2 is funny, fast-moving, beautiful and enormously entertaining. It’s a pure delight. It’s the first truly great movie of the summer…. nay, the year.
