"Incredibles 2" Movie Review

By: James Southworth
Rating: 4/5 Stars

There is no denying that I love Pixar as an animation company. Most people do, and it's completely justifiable that they continue to be the most popular in the sphere of animation. They have been highly consistent over the years, releasing wonderfully animated films that can appeal to children and adults alike in different ways. But, of course, Pixar hasn't always been bulletproof. They have released some medicore (not awful, but not memorable either) films, and most of them have actually been their sequels (besides obviously the "Toy Story" sequels), particularly the "Cars" follow ups. I have always questioned why there were Cars sequels and even an unnecessary (but still pretty decent) sequel to "Finding Nemo". I mean, why wouldn't Pixar do "The Incredibles" instead, a film that had an ending that was ripe for great sequel potential? Well, fourteen years later, we finally have one. Needless to say, I was very excited for it, as the first "Incredibles" is one of my top 5 favorite Pixar films. We are once again back with the Parr family, with this film taking place directly after the events of the first film. After the Underminer defeat ends with more damage than good being done, the Parr s have to go into hiding again. Then an opportunity comes knocking at their door in the form of Winston Deavor, who wants to make superheroes legal again. Thus, Helen Parr instead of Bob gets recruited on to be a superhero, and for the first time in a long while she gets to relive her glory days solo. Meanwhile, Bob has to try his hardest with a new challenge: being a stay-at-home dad.

Director Brad Bird stated in interviews previous to this film being released that he didn't want to make a second Incredibles movie without being absolutely for sure that he could do it right. Now that is something that I can completely respect, especially in a movie culture where sequels and remakes are pushed out to the point of tedium. The fact that Bird took this long to continue honing the story he wanted for this film and trying to make it the best he possibly could made me very excited to see how this film would hold up. Thankfully, this movie is excellent. It gave me, for the most part, a lot of what I wanted out of an Incredibles sequel. One of the things that the first Incredibles did so well was giving some surprisingly powerful character development to most every character, particularly the adults (something you don't typically see in movies aimed at children). The second Incredibles does this as well, and in fact this may be the one aspect where the second film actually does a little better than the first. Bob and Helen's relationship is still a joy to watch, as you can tell how much they care for one another and how they both try their best to provide for their family despite living a superhero lifestyle. There's one particular conversation between the two of them where they are talking by a pool that was just so great to watch. This film takes a surprising amount of time to leave breathing room for characters to just talk to one another. In fact, the whole subplot with Bob being a stay-at-home dad is relatively low-key, with not too much action occurring. But it still works, because the relationships between Bob, Violet, Jack-Jack, and Dash are so well-established. It is also very interesting to see how Helen acts as a superhero by herself. She embodies a certain confidence and poise that comes across as inspirational and not forced. I like that the movie still keeps her sense of motherhood in tact as well, showing how she can be a powerful woman in more ways than one. The same goes for Bob. He has only ever seen that his power can come from being a superhero, so it's actually touching to see him realizing that there's a sense of heroism he can gain from just being a parent, too. The family dynamic is the heart of this movie, and what really made me like it so much.

I'm sure no one will be surprised when I say this, but of course, the animation in this movie is awesome. Pixar only seems to be upping their game with each film they make. I like all the flairs of classic 60's movies this film has, which is clearly the style that Bird was going for. There are so many shots that are just gorgeous, especially some of the cool night shots. The use of lighting in this movie can be interesting too. There's even a scene where Helen is going into a darkened apartment room, trying to uncover a mystery about the main villain, the Screenslaver. The scene is almost shot like a horror/suspense movie, and I could actually feel the tension. A scene like this shows that Brad Bird doesn't want to talk down to children, but rather wants to create animated films that treat them like equals and the intelligent people they are. I wish more animated companies did this more frequently, as it works so well in this film. Lighting is also used in a really cool way in a fight scene between Elastigirl and Screenslaver, with the flashing of the lights creating a cartoony/almost comic-book looking fight animation style. I'm sure that I am not the only one who thought it looked that way. In fact, all the action scenes in this film are pretty awesome, including a hilarious one including a racoon (that's all I'm going to say about that; you need to experience the scene for yourself). There's a whole lot of hilarious gags done with Jack-Jack in animation that always come across as charming. I was afraid that a character like Jack-Jack could be overused, but Bird knew who to utilize him just right.

The voice acting in this is respectively great. It was a delight to see most of the original voice cast returning. Craig T. Nelson is still an absolute natural in playing Mr. Incredible, effectively balancing the character's innate heart of gold with his natural strength. Bob was already my favorite part of the first Incredibles, and he comes across as even more likeable in this film. A big part of that is due to Nelson's dedicated work in making this character feel as real and fleshed out as possible. Holly Hunter is clearly having a blast in voicing Helen, and taking this character in directions we haven't seen from her before. Sarah Vowell continues to do great work as Violet, and Huck Milner does well at matching the original voice actor for Dash. It was slightly unfortunate to me that Samuel L. Jackson didn't have quite as much in this movie to do as Frozone, but I still liked any time he came on to the screen. Like in the first movie, Brad Bird hilariously voices Edna Mode, and once again, Edna practically steals the show. There's an intriguing relationship between her and Jack-Jack that is created. I don't want to spoil it, but it's just so freaking funny. The whole scene with her had me and the whole audience laughing hard, so I'm sure I missed several great punchlines here and there. It was a delight to have Bob Odenkirk in this movie as Winston Deavor. It's clear that Odenkirk is confident in this role, and really makes Deavor an interesting (though unfortunately underutilized- more on that in a moment) role in the film. Jonathan Banks as Rick Dicker also isn't in the film for that long, but I enjoyed the work he did. The "Breaking Bad"/"Better Call Saul" fanboy in me wanted to see Banks and Odenkirk share a scene together, but it unfortunately did not happen. Still, the idea of Bird putting them in another universe together seemed like an intentionally clever move.

For all the stuff I like about "Incredibles 2", it isn't without its flaws. One of the bigger problems I had with it is that, in some ways, it seemed like a bit of a repeat of the first movie. The idea of a superhero coming out of hiding, of superheroes being illegal, of a villain that wanted to take all superheroes out and replace them with technology; all of that felt very familiar. It's not too irritating in my opinion, but it was something I noticed. The film makes up for it because of the characters, but the plot itself may not be the best plot that Pixar has done. The plot was, in fact, very predictable, especially in figuring out who the villain was. The reveal wasn't surprising at all, and the villain's motivations, while making sense in relation to the plot, still aren't that interesting. I almost would've preferred that the Screenslaver stayed a mystery, as I actually found them to be a bit menacing previous to the reveal. There was a great scene where they are talking about how people would rather be passive than involved in the world around them. There are definitely points in the movie where it feels like it's being nostalgic towards the first just for that purpose, rather than furthering the plot. This, once again, isn't something that bothered me a whole lot, but it was still noticeable. The main problem was definitely the villain, as well as not developing Winston Deavor that much. I wanted to know more about Winston. I understood his motivation in wanting to make superheroes legal again. I still think there could've been even more done with him, like maybe he could've had a more established relationship with Elastigirl. He just sort of seems like an ambitious business-man; there's not much to him beyond that. I also wish that more development had been given to Dash and Violet. Their characters by the end of this film seem exactly at the same place where they were in the ending of the first movie.

The problems with this movie didn't detract significantly, if at all, from my enjoyment of this movie, if I'm being honest. I just have to point them out. Also, be warned that there are several moments of flashing lights in this film, which are definitely possibilities of causing seizures for those who have epilepsy. I don't have epilepsy, but the flashing lights even came across as a bit irritating to me. "Incredibles 2" does not match up to the first, but I don't know how it could for me, with the first one being one of my favorite Pixar films ever. This sequel is still very much so a worthy follow-up, with the animation, thematic arcs of family, and the voice acting all being top-notch. I am so glad that this sequel is out in the world. With how successful it has been, I'm crossing my fingers for a third one. I definitely recommend this movie, as it is one of the better Pixar sequels in recent memory!