I was 7 years old when I saw the first Incredibles, and I still love and remember every detail. I re-watched it before writing this review and was reminded to what extent I adore this movie. Watching the newest release was refreshing, which is a common statement I use for movies that leave you at ease when watching them because you can just kick back and enjoy. Everything about this movie, in the technical aspects, was gorgeous. The animation was taken to another level while still being faithful to the original, and this isn’t to knock down the original because the first one was advanced for its time, but they definitely refined and polished what had already been set for the newest crew of artists.
With the superhero genre in what might be considered its golden age, the Incredibles should land a spot there and on your watch list. When you get a chance, don’t let this one pass.
At this point, I’ll bid goodbye to the non-spoiler readers!
Set immediately after the first installment, The Incredibles 2 kicks off with an action-packed chase of the Underminer. From there on, the Incredibles must cope with having lost their protection program due to the chaos their chase for justice caused. The Underminer gets away with all the money he steals, and all that’s left is destruction. The defense from those opposed to the supers having participated in the quarrel at the police station was actually one to think hard about. Insurance policies cover more than a super can (we’re looking at you Man of Steel film with the horrible fight at the end between Henry and Michael). Quickly after, there’s a chance for them to turn things around!
This is when it starts to get predictable for me.
While the movie nailed everything I usually look for (well-rounded characters, steady storyline, great animation or exceptional cinematography in general, and good writing), it did feel less-than-awesome compared to the first one. This isn’t to say that it wasn’t a good or even great movie, but if I were to put them in order, the first one still holds a special place for me. The second one relied on comedic moments more than the first one. The first Incredibles, in my opinion, was more clever and ingenious than the second one. The sequel’s plot redoes the first one with a switch in gender roles. Bob Parr has to stay home and take care of the kids while Helen goes out to save the world in order to make supers legal again.
The premise is nice despite being the same story with the switch. The villain was predictable for me ever since she mentions the mistake her father made for not finding a safe place to hide. I did love how she was criticizing through the Screenslaver the same thing that most capitalist companies tend to do through screens. That was kind of a wink-wink, nudge-nudge at Disney, at least to me, but it’s also something that was very present in Science Fiction novels during those years like Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. Edna Mode was spot on, and I loved every moment of it. Jack-Jack was the star of the show; don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Violet’s subplot with Tony still has me rooting for them. I wish we would’ve gotten more of Dicker, being a family friend and all. A113 was everywhere, but that was just about as much of an easter egg that I noticed.
In summary, it is a great movie that will entertain you from beginning to end. It’ll make you laugh, and it will make you nervous.
This movie gets a 4 out of 5
Love, Josie
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