The Muddled Philosophy Of INCREDIBLES 2

Warning: Spoilers for The Incredibles and Incredibles 2.

After 14 years, we finally have a sequel to one of the best Pixar films in its filmography. For the most part, Incredibles 2 lives up to the hype, featuring lovable characters, smart humor, and some of the most dynamic animation we’ve ever seen from the studio. As a sequel, it’s almost everything you could ever ask for. But 14 years is a long time –a long time to digest Brad Bird‘s original Incredibles and understand exactly how it stood the test of time as an animated film.

And that amount of time to absorb the first Incredibles is why a small part of me sees Incredibles 2 as a disappointment; not in the sense that Bird made a bad film. It’s a sequel with interesting ideas that aren’t fully realized, and I believe the causes are in its muddled philosophy and storytelling.

But before I get into the nitty gritty details of the second film, we need to first revisit how the original film nailed its thematic focus.

The Incredibles: Egalitarianism and Diversity

The first Incredibles centered on superheroes and their place in human society, and whether or not they even have one. Throughout the film, the Parr family lives a quiet life under their respective secret identities, under the care of the Superhero Relocation Program. They must live in secrecy, going to great lengths to hide their powers. From a thematic perspective, this is where egalitarianism, the political idea that all people should be equal, is introduced. Through its lead character, supporting players, and even the main villain, the film will then go on to express its anti-egalitarian stance.

Mr. Incredible (Craig T. Nelson) equates egalitarianism to forced conformity. He criticizes programs and organizations that celebrate mediocrity instead of exceptionalism (he shrugs off Dash’s “ceremony” of moving from the fourth grade to the fifth grade). If there’s a world where superheroes actually exist, forcing them to hide their powers is equivalent to robbing them of their identities.

The impressive feat of The Incredibles is that these ideas trickle down even to the supporting characters. Dash is taught to never be ashamed of his powers, but they elevate his troublemaker personality. That and his biggest frustration is not being allowed to participate in sports. Violet’s initial low self-esteem and lack of confidence is directly correlated with her suppressing her powers. These are subtle but clever character arcs that spin the theme of conformity into diversity and embracing one’s specialty –an inspirational message to the younger audience, no doubt.

Last, but certainly not least, the film’s thematic core drives the backstory and motivation of its villain, Syndrome. His very goal as a character is to sell his inventions to make everyone in society be super, thereby rendering actual superheroes no longer “special.” This works because we learn that Syndrome used to be Buddy, Mr. Incredible’s biggest fan. Connect the dots together and it makes sense that Syndrome would form this idea from his personal vengeance against an oh-so-special individual. But it is his toxic attitude and his psychopathic way of going about his plan that makes him a compelling villain to the Parr family and for the film as a whole.

Every bullet point of plot or character in The Incredibles is interwoven with the concepts of egalitarianism, conformity, and diversity –a very complete way of executing a thematic focus and having it apply to the Parr family’s growth, the very premise of superheroes among humans, and the villain’s origin and motivation. It’s one simple but deeply layered trajectory.

This is where Incredibles 2 fumbles.

Incredibles 2: Screenslaver and Self-Reliance

The villain in the second film, the Screenslaver, is hidden almost for the entire movie. We don’t get a confirmation that Screenslaver is Evelyn Deavor (Catherine Keener) until the last half hour, shredding away precious time that could’ve deepened Evelyn’s backstory and motivation.

That’s not to say her philosophy is boring, because it’s anything but.

We learn through backstory that Evelyn and her brother Winston lost their father in a house break-in. Instead of hiding in the safe room, their father chose to contact the superheroes to come save him, not knowing that superheroes have just been banned. No one came to save him, and he was shot dead. Winston and Evelyn took this tragedy into two drastically different directions. The former took it as a driving force to lift the ban on superheroes by changing people’s perceptions of them. The latter, who becomes the villain, took it as evidence that the presence of superheroes causes humans to become overly reliant on them.

She then takes an extra step to talk about humanity’s media consumption. She calls society out for their lack of participation and their complacency. On paper, this philosophy is an interesting continuation of the first film. The problem is its execution.

At one point in the film, Screenslaver gives a crucial monologue about society. We are given lines such as, “You don’t talk, you watch talk shows,” and, “You want superheroes to protect you, and make yourselves ever more powerless in the process.” These are fantastic lines… that are sadly overshadowed by what’s actually going on in the scene: Elastigirl (Holly Hunter) leaps building to building to track down the location of the Screenslaver via her signal broadcast. All of these thought-provoking lines are sadly just an audio track in the background of the scene. Compare that to Syndrome’s monologue toward Mr. Incredible in the first film. Not only his words are front and center in the foreground, but the film even dedicates half its runtime for this chemistry to play out. In Incredibles 2, there is very little interaction between the hero and the villain and therefore less time for its thematic ideas to really solidify.

But the real trouble is Screenslaver occupies only half of the film. The other half of Incredibles 2 is almost a completely different movie, solely about parenting.

Incredibles 2: Two Conflicting Narratives

Unlike the first Incredibles, where every major plot and character point contributes to its overarching theme of conformity and diversity, Incredibles 2 is saddled with two separate plot trajectories, with certain character arcs contributing to only one or the other. In the sequel, the themes of self-reliance and parenting don’t weave together seamlessly. Rather, they feel like two competing stars wanting the spotlight, and they share the same amount of screen time, thus the same amount of value. For that reason, the narrative of Incredibles 2 constantly feels fragmented, and consequently, both the villain and the philosophy become muddled.

When I think of the first Incredibles, I think of an interesting family dynamic that’s trying hard to find their place in the world while maintaining who they are and who they’re meant to be. Incredibles 2 gives me an uneven reflection. I mainly think of Mr. Incredible raising the kids and learning how to be a good father. It’s where the excitement, humor, and surprises mainly come from. And that is why Incredibles 2, despite being an enormously entertaining film, comes off as a slight disappointment. It’s thoughtful, yes, but it leaves so many ideas up in the air and never fully addresses them.

It is here where I can’t help but wonder how Incredibles 2 would be different if it weren’t a direct continuation of the first film. Again, 14 years is a long time, and the film begins as if we never left. Would the film be different and have more opportunities if it had a bigger time jump? Is there a better narrative to give to Mr. Incredible and the kids so that they elevate the philosophy of the film, rather than steal attention away from it? Let’s just hope we don’t need another 14 years to answer those questions.

Do you agree with my thoughts? Why or why not? Let me know in the comments below!

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