INCREDIBLES 2: Belated Sequel Doesn’t Lose A Step

2004’s The Incredibles is the best superhero movie ever made. It managed to do things that no other movie of its genre had done before or has done since, as it balanced a frenetic, action-packed story with real heart and humour while dealing with big issues like having a mid-life crisis and the dangers of toxic fandom. It had darkness in it, but it didn’t take itself too seriously, and it had humour, but it wasn’t afraid to wear its heart on its sleeve.

It is a movie that, with every rewatch, reminds me that while there are some good superhero movies coming out each year, most are pretty terrible in comparison to The Incredibles, and only a handful have ever even come close to its greatness.

The first time I saw the movie, I thought to myself, ‘They’re going to make a dozen of these movies.’ And I eagerly awaited the next one in the series. And then 14 years passed, and Incredibles 2 was released. There are two kinds of sequels that are worrying, the sequel that is rushed and the one that comes out years later once the creators have lost their touch and are trying to recapture old glories.

The Incredibles 2 is neither of those things. It is not slapped together in the hopes that the brand is still strong, and it is not a lazy cash grab. I would go so far as to say that in comparison to the first Incredibles movie, it’s almost an equal.

New and Familiar

Incredibles 2 picks up exactly where The Incredibles finished, with the arrival of The Underminer with his absurdly big drill. There is some derring-do that gets the Parr family in trouble with the authorities and leaves them stranded at a hotel, until a pair of rich siblings played by Bob Odenkirk and Catherine Keener approach them with an offer.

They want the Supers back, and they believe that with the right PR spin and the right person fronting the whole thing they’ll be able to convince the world to overturn the law that made Supers illegal in the first place. Mr. Incredible (Craig T. Nelson) believes he should be the front man but the siblings – The Deavors – think the smart money is on Elastigirl (Holly Hunter), meaning that she will need to leave her husband to stay at home and look after the kids: Dash, Violent, and baby Jack-Jack.

All of this is incredibly savvy on the part of director/writer Brad Bird. Picking up directly after the end of the first movie means we don’t have to jump 14 years and lose the fun of the kids in the movie, and putting Elastigirl front and centre changes the whole thing in a way that immediately differentiates itself from the first movie. The Incredibles was mostly about Mr. Incredible’s yearning for the past and had a villain that was obsessed with him and was mostly set on an island.

With Incredibles 2 we focus on Elastigirl and the setting is mostly huge cityscapes. The coverings have changed but the underneath, the heart of the movie, is still the same. We’re still watching a Simpsons-esque look at a strange, modern family, but in this movie the adventure is different.

It would have been easy for Bird to just hash out something that heavily referenced the original and copied its plot with some changes, but instead we get something brand new and completely familiar at the same time. It is astounding to me that nearly a decade and a half passed between these two movies because they feel as though they could have been made within a year of each other, as they fit together so seamlessly and manage to play off each other with such ease.

At the same time, there are no lazy callbacks or references, no sly asides to the audience about the sequel taking so long. The fan service that Bird has gone for is making a fantastic movie featuring characters you love and who we all wanted back on the big screen.

Humour and Action

As we reach oversaturation with superhero movies, it is very refreshing to be reminded of how the genre can be done in a way that is quick, funny, amazing to behold, and completely fresh. The humour in this movie lands like a good comedy movie. It doesn’t have that thing that modern superhero movies are quite often guilty of where a character tells a joke and then waits for a few seconds before continuing, as though waiting for the live studio audience to finish laughing before the story can continue. With Incredibles 2 the humour is much more organic and never feels shoehorned in ala Justice League.

The action scenes are also a step above what we’re used to. Untethered by pesky things like the laws of physics and the abilities of CGI that plague other movies, Incredibles 2 crafts huge, action-packed set-pieces that make you sit in the theatre wide-eyed and agape at the awesome images in front of you. Putting Elastigirl front and centre is a real masterstroke, as her powers are so dynamic and visually appealing, every time she is in a fight or a chase it is a whirlwind of movement and creativity.

Family and Adventure

A key aspect of the Incredibles series’ success is in its title. The movies aren’t called Mr. Incredible or Elastigirl. They are about the whole family and the trials and hardships that come from raising a family, or being a teenager, or being a little kid who wants to show off but has to hide the very thing that makes him unique. Bird’s characters are wonderful, realised people and they act like real people who just happen to have amazing superpowers. They are a family unit that clearly loves each other but is also prone to outbursts and squabbling, and they don’t feel the need to reassert their love for each other every two minutes like an unrealistic Hollywood family.

Incredibles 2 manages to say a lot about the role of the parent who stays at home and the hardships of that role without hitting the audience on the head with it, much like in The Incredibles where they said a lot about mid-life crises and the role of the breadwinner but it was all nestled inside a mile-a-minute action story. It is wonderful to see a man taking the stay at home position and working out how to cope with it in his own way, and with help from friends and an eccentric tailor.

Speaking of Edna, it would be very easy for a lesser filmmaker to see her impact as the breakout character of the original and find a way to shoehorn her into a majority of the movie, but Bird gives us a little bit of Edna, let’s her steal every scene she’s in, and then leaves us wanting more.

Incredibles 2: Conclusion

A triumph of a sequel and a reminder of what superhero movies are capable of. Don’t get me wrong, I am a big fan of the superhero genre but nothing that has come out since 2004 has really floored me in the way the original Incredibles did, until now.

Incredibles 2 is a fast-moving, heartfelt, gorgeous, well-acted, tightly-plotted, and funny movie that left me with a big smile on my face and the need for another one of these movies, which will hopefully be released sooner than 2032.

What did you think of Incredibles 2? Was it an equal or too little too late? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!

Incredibles 2 was released worldwide on the 14th June 2018. For all international dates, go here.