This film had a lot riding on it. The previous film has been a Pixar classic for over a decade, and I have loved it for years. Could this film do just as well?
I don't know about "better" but this is a very good film that deftly continues the first film's momentum in a very satisfying way.
The animation is one place where it's better. The lighting is gorgeous, the models are more detailed, and the supers really get to flex their powers now that the medium isn't limiting them anymore. As a result, the action is better than ever, and they take advantage of every possibility. These heroes are fighting just like you'd want them to.
The characters are just as we knew them last, and they move forward, too. Helen becomes the face of a new program/publicity campaign to reintroduce supers to the world and make them legal again, and it's great to see her embrace the job, letting go of every inhibition she had before. Bob, meanwhile, struggles when he is left to take care of the kids, with the film showing some direct hits to his ego by Elastigirl's successes, which echo some of Bob's failures in the previous film. Violet's progress with Tony gets reset when he's memory-wiped by Agent Dicker, and Jack-Jack's powers become apparent to the family. Edna gets her delightful moment when she finds a challenge in his multiple abilities. Dash is the least explored, but since he didn't have the strongest struggle before, there wasn't much to build on. Frozone gets more time with the family, which is nice to see.
The plot is great. While Helen demonstrates the benefits of superheroes, a new villain, the Screenslaver, uses mind-control tech to commit crimes and frame supers to undo everything Elastigirl works for in the film. It's a good conflict, but some people may have a problem with the villain's identity, which is easy to see if you're looking for it. I myself was keeping an eye out, and figured it out early. There's a subtle hint that makes it conclusive if you can find it. Some may find it cheesy, but I thought it was pretty clever because they leave that one hint up to you to put together, and once I did, I felt "in the know" and actually enjoyed seeing the tension with the knowledge of who the Screenslaver was and what turns the plan was actually taking. It had the benefits of a second viewing with the satisfaction of learning the truth the first time. Of all the twist villains in Disney's recent trend, this one feels the best implemented and foreshadowed.
The commentary in the film is still good. The novelty of the first was the look at supers' normal lives and the realistic portrayal of how they'd impact society. All of that is continued, and strong as ever, with some new commentary on female empowerment being added. It doesn't feel clumsy or forced, but like it's there to propose ideas and start a discussion.
Overall, this is an entirely worthy successor to the great original film. It has everything you want, and it's a great time.
A sequel this good is truly incredible.
This film had a lot riding on it. The previous film has been a Pixar classic for over a decade, and I have loved it for years. Could this film do just as well?
I don't know about "better" but this is a very good film that deftly continues the first film's momentum in a very satisfying way.
The animation is one place where it's better. The lighting is gorgeous, the models are more detailed, and the supers really get to flex their powers now that the medium isn't limiting them anymore. As a result, the action is better than ever, and they take advantage of every possibility. These heroes are fighting just like you'd want them to.
The characters are just as we knew them last, and they move forward, too. Helen becomes the face of a new program/publicity campaign to reintroduce supers to the world and make them legal again, and it's great to see her embrace the job, letting go of every inhibition she had before. Bob, meanwhile, struggles when he is left to take care of the kids, with the film showing some direct hits to his ego by Elastigirl's successes, which echo some of Bob's failures in the previous film. Violet's progress with Tony gets reset when he's memory-wiped by Agent Dicker, and Jack-Jack's powers become apparent to the family. Edna gets her delightful moment when she finds a challenge in his multiple abilities. Dash is the least explored, but since he didn't have the strongest struggle before, there wasn't much to build on. Frozone gets more time with the family, which is nice to see.
The plot is great. While Helen demonstrates the benefits of superheroes, a new villain, the Screenslaver, uses mind-control tech to commit crimes and frame supers to undo everything Elastigirl works for in the film. It's a good conflict, but some people may have a problem with the villain's identity, which is easy to see if you're looking for it. I myself was keeping an eye out, and figured it out early. There's a subtle hint that makes it conclusive if you can find it. Some may find it cheesy, but I thought it was pretty clever because they leave that one hint up to you to put together, and once I did, I felt "in the know" and actually enjoyed seeing the tension with the knowledge of who the Screenslaver was and what turns the plan was actually taking. It had the benefits of a second viewing with the satisfaction of learning the truth the first time. Of all the twist villains in Disney's recent trend, this one feels the best implemented and foreshadowed.
The commentary in the film is still good. The novelty of the first was the look at supers' normal lives and the realistic portrayal of how they'd impact society. All of that is continued, and strong as ever, with some new commentary on female empowerment being added. It doesn't feel clumsy or forced, but like it's there to propose ideas and start a discussion.
Overall, this is an entirely worthy successor to the great original film. It has everything you want, and it's a great time.