The Incredibles 2 – Movie Review

14 years ago, I remember loving The Incredibles so much that as I watched the end credits roll, I wanted to see the movie again — immediately. However, I wasn’t anticipating the sequel quite as much as you’d think. I was worried that there would be nowhere interesting for the story to go, or that I’d be annoyed at spending more time with the tween-kid characters, or that they’d overkill on the fact that baby Jack-Jack has powers. As much as the movie was somewhat fun and well-polished, most of my worries about the sequel also kind of came true.

So much of the appeal of the original movie was its freshness, not only in telling a comedic super-hero story, but one with Pixar’s flawless family-focused lens and patented visual flair. It was great how the Parrs (as a married couple of retired super-heroes) struggled with everyday family life issues while also saving the world from super-villainy. Now they are back again for the sequel, and I was hoping for something that was a step up. (After all, they’ve had 14 years to get it right.)

Following straight from the epilogue that concluded the first movie, the Parrs are fighting a super-villain who’s terrorizing downtown, while struggling with the fact that super-heroes have been legally banned. They save the day, but with some collateral damage that really puts them in hot water with the government. Along come the Deavors, Winston and Evelyn, a pair of billionaire siblings who want to rehabilitate the super-hero image with his marketing and political savvy, and her tech wizardry. Unfortunately, rather than “larger-than-life” flair and spectacle, this premise felt a little like it was cast from the same mundane mold as the MCU’s Sokovia Accords (from Captain America: Civil War) or the interminable debates in Star Wars‘ galactic senate. What didn’t help was when I saw their TV (which was not a flatscreen) and realized that their retro aesthetic was actually making the movie feel a bit dated (which seemed contradictory considering the main villain is a tech-based baddie named Screen Slaver).

The parenting/family life angle was off as well, with Bob (aka Mr. Incredible) a bit too self-involved and old-fashioned to support his wife’s turn in the super-spotlight. I get that he’s used to being a professional super-hero, but are we seriously expected to believe that he’s not even “dad” enough to have spent any time alone with his three kids in all these years? (His daughter’s a tween already!)

Before I write any more negative comments about this movie, I have to say that I did really enjoy it. It still has that Pixar sense of humour, warmth, and heart. The animation super-studio has got creative capital to burn, and even though this effort is not a slam-dunk it’s still a solid, fun, summer movie. I loved a clever, funny scene with baby Jack-Jack facing off against a dastardly raccoon creeping around their home. Though it went on a bit too long, there were many great visual gags with the infant’s many powers getting out of hand. Also, I love me a super-powered smackdown; and with the introduction of other heroes into the story there was a Civil War-style opportunity to have the new characters tussle with the Parrs in some fight scenes that was pretty fun as well. Thirdly, a reappearance of scene-stealer Edna Mode in a call-back to the costume demonstrations from first movie was surprisingly refreshing. Unfortunately the Incredibles franchise has so much to live up to, not only from its own legacy, but also from the last decade of super-hero cinema that has super-saturated our zeitgeist. (4 out of 5)

As happy as I am to have enjoyed this as a movie sequel, I kind of wish they had made a TV show instead. I would have loved to see these characters in weekly adventures in super-heroics, mixed with themes of modern family life, all within a smartly-conceived, satirical, tongue-in-cheek, comic book universe. Maybe that’ll be something coming to the new Disney streaming channel one day.