Anthony's Film Review - Incredibles 2 (2018)

The second Incredibles movie is more fun than the first...

Pixar, a subsidiary of Disney, has once again released a 3D animated film that is a sequel to one of its earlier movies. It's happened enough that I usually don't get too excited about a sequel to a Pixar movie. That's not the only trend the studio is doing, however. Another is that, in such sequels, a supporting character from the earlier movie becomes the main character in the sequel. Think of Cars 2 and Finding Dory as prime examples. Incredibles 2, a sequel to its original from 14 years earlier, also follows these two trends. But something amazing happened once I saw it. I ended up liking it more than The Incredibles in 2004.

I think it has to do with the fact that the movie was released in a new era championing women more than ever. Instead of Bob Parr/Mr. Incredible returning as the main character, his wife Helen Parr/Elastigirl assumes the role of the principal protagonist in Incredibles 2. What's really interesting is how the movie makes itself relevant to women, not with obvious references to real-life news and politics (which barely came to mind while I watched this movie, anyway), but with the familiar real-life situation of a mother taking on an employment opportunity while the father assumes the role of a stay-at-home dad. That's what happens here. With superheroes being illegal because of the collateral damage they are perceived to cause, the heads of the Parr family now have to find new work to make ends meet. Soon, a billionaire offers Elastigirl a job as a superhero who would improve the public's perception of superheroes. And because Mr. Incredible doesn't get that same job, he is the one to stay home with the kids and do daddy duties.

Even though Mr. Incredible doesn't get to see action as a superhero, he definitely sees action as a father. He is preparing breakfast for his kids: the speedy Dash, the force field/invisibility girl Violet, and the baby Jack-Jack. He is helping Dash do complex math homework. He is dealing with Violet getting ignored by a boy at school. And he is trying to keep Jack-Jack at bay as the baby demonstrates many never-before-seen super powers. It's delightful to see a movie about the everyday hassles of fatherhood while enjoying the creativity in combining it all with the characters' superhero powers. Plus, this story thread plus Elastigirl's adventure do merge when things heat up with the villain of this movie.

Compared to the villain in the first Incredibles movie, who is the kind of character I would call misguided, the antagonist of Incredibles 2 is a bit more hateful and vengeful. Obviously, I won't reveal the villain's true identity, but I will talk about the masked persona. The villain of Incredibles 2 is a mysterious figure called the Screenslaver, who uses large-scale hypnosis for some yet-to-be-revealed evil plot. This is where I shall point out something that is both an interesting piece of trivia as well as a warning for certain individuals. There are scenes in this movie where the Screenslaver is doing some hypnosis accompanied by flashing lights. When I went to my local movie theater to watch Incredibles 2, there was a warning, at the box office counter and on the theater screen before the feature presentation, that Incredibles 2 contains sequences of flashing lights that may be sensitive to individuals prone to seizures. Let that be a warning if that applies, but otherwise, I admit that the flashing lights in the movie were cool.

If you love animated action films, Incredibles 2 doesn't disappoint. It's fun to see how each member of the Parr family handles situations with their powers, both individually and together with one another. But it's not just the Incredibles. There are also a couple of other superheroes who make an appearance, all because Elastigirl's efforts to promote superheroes are working. There's one superhero named Void whose power is the use of portals (just imagine a female version of Dr. Strange). There's also one who has strength like Mr. Incredible but uses force telekinetically. There's even one named Reflux, whose name is exactly related to what you may be assuming: he has bad acid reflux and uses that as a weapon.

With all of this plus a story that seamlessly unites superheroism, family life, and politics, Incredibles 2 is a Pixar sequel that is worth seeing. It's good enough that an Incredibles 3 is expected and will surprise no one upon its announcement. I will also say that, after seeing this movie, Pixar sequels should no longer be assumed to be a rehash of the original, unlike how some movie sequels are made. The creativity and attention to detail that go into developing the story of an original Pixar film also apply to a Pixar sequel. The willingness and ability to do so even with a gap of more than a decade between films of the same series are, for a lack of a better word, incredible.

Anthony's Rating:

For more information about Incredibles 2, visit the Internet Movie Database.

In addition, check out my review of The Incredibles.