Picking up almost immediately after the first film (released fourteen years ago!), Incredibles 2 follows the Parr family as public opinion forces them into hiding. Being super is illegal. With the help of telecommunications genius Devtech -- run by the Deavors siblings -- the Parrs and other supers stage publicity stunts to regain their lost reputations. Of course, when a real villain enters the arena, it's time for the Avengers to assem-- Wait, I mean, it's time for the X-- No, that's wrong. The Justice Lea-- Dammit.
I'm only teasing. There's a lot to be said for a superhero movie that can stand on its own in our current age obsessed with the genre. While some complain of superhero fatigue, the studios are churning out these blockbusters at record pace. Thankfully, writer-director Brad Bird knows what he's doing, and Incredibles 2 steers clear of hijacking other media. Its greatest joys are in its pure optimism, bright colors (and, fair warning, disturbing strobe lights), and enjoyment. There is a time and place for the brooding melancholy of Batfleck, and this movie is for the exact opposite time and place.
While it's not always or entirely my cuppa, I still thoroughly enjoyed this late-coming sequel. Jack-Jack steals his scenes (more of them, this time around) as his powers manifest in random and hilarious ways. Helen (Holly Hunter) gets to have extra fun as Elastigirl, the less damaging of the elder Parr heroes, and her girl power is righteously glorified. Bob (Craig T. Nelson) is left at home to get the kids off to school and care for the baby, which leads to unspeakable hilarity (a favorite scene involves the baby picking a fight with an outmatched raccoon). Violet and Dash navigate school and friends with typical flavor and ultimately come to the rescue of their parents.
Sadly, the best parts of the first one have been abandoned. Fashion designer Edna Mode (Brad Bird) is relegated to essentially a single scene, though it is a fabulous one, as she accepts the position of babysitting Jack-Jack. Fellow superhero Frozone (Samuel L. Jackson) is only marginally featured, and his wife is voiced only once. Bob Odenkirk and Catherine Keener do some nice vocal work as the Deavor siblings. However, as the plot enters its second half, I found myself bewildered and a little annoyed that the character development of the Parr family utterly stopped while more and more new characters entered the fray. A whole cast of supers -- brainwashed and controlled by the Screenslaver -- appears as if only to increase the amount of onscreen fighting before the climax.
A second viewing may help with my final critique, but it stands thus: While I fully appreciate a film that caters to both children and adults, I found the references, allusions, and symbolism of this flick excessively numerous and blunt. Come on, the villain is the "Screenslaver", who hypnotizes viewers through the screen. This isn't Black Mirror! Several times the Deavors declare their intention to "Make Superheroes Legal Again" to riotous applause. Really? And, while the scenes of intense ideological dialogue between the Parrs about how they will function in society and cling to their identity are gorgeous and intelligent and challenging, they were far too brief for me to really appreciate, especially when they were followed by extended mindless action sequences.
Maybe I'm being unfair. But Incredibles was never one of my favorite Disney Pixar products, and this movie -- charming and fun and maybe even important as it is -- reminded me why.
IMDb: Incredibles 2
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