When The Incredibles came out 15 years ago, it sort of caught everyone by surprise. Here was a Pixar family movie about superheroes that spent as much time showing us marital bickering as it did action scenes. It was a movie that had style, sexual fission, and a deeply cynical outlook. Adults responded well to a kids movie that seemed to be transparently made for adults first.
Now, 15 years on The Incredibles 2 seeks to do the exact same thing. The plot picks up a minute after the end of the first film, with a devastating action sequence that lands the heroes back in court and evicted out of their neighborhood. The family squabble a lot over the difficulties integrating with normal people, and then one of them - Helen (alias Elastigirl) - takes up a too-good-to-be-true offer from a crazy rich, technologically innovative corporation.
There aren't many surprises with this story, which telegraphs it's true villain with big neon lights long before their surprise twist reveal, whilst giving them the exact same anti - superhero motivation as in the last film. More of the same can be good and fine, especially if the same means more fun action, adult themes, art deco silver age style, and fat jazz. Incredibles 2 has all of that. But we've gotten wise to it now, and it isn't quite as impressive on the repetition.
The freshest idea in the sequel is to focus more on Elastigirl, making her the hero and moving her away from the home. Bob (Mr Incredible) is perfunctorily supportive, but he secretly can't get over being relegated to parenting duties, and is bursting to be the chief provider again. It's a neat spin on the previous movie, which allocated superpowers based on stereotypes of family roles (the dad being the strong one, the mother being the flexible one etc).
All of this is to say Incredibles 2 is a good movie, but one in danger of feeling underwhelming if you compare it to the lightning in a bottle that came 15 years before.
The Toughest Act to Follow
When The Incredibles came out 15 years ago, it sort of caught everyone by surprise. Here was a Pixar family movie about superheroes that spent as much time showing us marital bickering as it did action scenes. It was a movie that had style, sexual fission, and a deeply cynical outlook. Adults responded well to a kids movie that seemed to be transparently made for adults first.
Now, 15 years on The Incredibles 2 seeks to do the exact same thing. The plot picks up a minute after the end of the first film, with a devastating action sequence that lands the heroes back in court and evicted out of their neighborhood. The family squabble a lot over the difficulties integrating with normal people, and then one of them - Helen (alias Elastigirl) - takes up a too-good-to-be-true offer from a crazy rich, technologically innovative corporation.
There aren't many surprises with this story, which telegraphs it's true villain with big neon lights long before their surprise twist reveal, whilst giving them the exact same anti - superhero motivation as in the last film. More of the same can be good and fine, especially if the same means more fun action, adult themes, art deco silver age style, and fat jazz. Incredibles 2 has all of that. But we've gotten wise to it now, and it isn't quite as impressive on the repetition.
The freshest idea in the sequel is to focus more on Elastigirl, making her the hero and moving her away from the home. Bob (Mr Incredible) is perfunctorily supportive, but he secretly can't get over being relegated to parenting duties, and is bursting to be the chief provider again. It's a neat spin on the previous movie, which allocated superpowers based on stereotypes of family roles (the dad being the strong one, the mother being the flexible one etc).
All of this is to say Incredibles 2 is a good movie, but one in danger of feeling underwhelming if you compare it to the lightning in a bottle that came 15 years before.