WesternAnimation 50/50 of an Incredible Split
Really, that's the best way I can describe this film. In someways it's superior to the first film and in other ways it just can't measure up despite having everything it needs to do so.
Starting with were it falls short the villain and the climatic battle just aren't as good. The first film had a fight with a giant robot that was the family finally coming together and working as a single unite this film keeps the family mostly separated and is mostly about getting the boat to not crash. The villain has a solid start when we think it was someone else but soon falls apart when we see who's really behind the mask. Syndrome is easily one of Disney's/Pixar's best villain and sadly Screenslaver just isn't as engaging.
But onto the positives. The world building of I2 is, IMHO, vastly superior to the first film with us getting to meet new supers, Voyd and Winston are a delight (I want the Incredible family to adopted Voyd so badly and Winston is now the Patron Saint of Sheep in Sheep Clothing alongside Asami Sato), the family as a whole is put to better use and I LOVE Bob's arc and how he actually does do a good job being a stay at home dad and how he IS supportive of Helen's achievements. Even though he wants to be the one who's saving the day he knows that what he wants is less important than being a good father and husband showing that his character development from the first film is still very much intact (Star Wars Disney Sequel Trilogy TAKE NOTE!).
Could have been better than the first film it's, again IMHO, just as good and a tie is just as good as a win here. :D
WesternAnimation It's a sequel.
That was pretty obvious. And so is the rest of the movie. If you've seen the trailer, you already know what's happening: Elastigirl gets to be the superhero this time, Bob is stay-at-home dad. The plot twists you can see coming from a mile away, the themes are straightforward and basic.
But it's still a fun movie.
Great credit to Pixar's love and attention to the characters and animation. It's easy to feel for and understand and cheer for our protagonists in every situation throughout the movie, whether they're dealing with villains or homework. There's nothing groundbreaking like the first movie. It's a simple romp in the Incredibles universe. You wanted more Incredibles, here's more Incredibles.
Fun, simple, more of the characters we loved but that's all. Everything else is somewhere between simple and cliche.
WesternAnimation 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.
WesternAnimation What can I say?
It's a good movie.
The thing is, its title is inaccurate.
It is not The Incredibles 2. It shouldn't even be called a sequel. It's the second half of the first movie, only it wasn't released until 14 years later.
The only bad things I have to say about this movie are the raccoon fight scene went on weirdly long and Dash exists in it.
WesternAnimation The Toughest Act to Follow
When The Incredibles came out 15 years ago, it sort of caught everyone by surprise. Here was a Pixar family movie about superheroes that spent as much time showing us marital bickering as it did action scenes. It was a movie that had style, sexual fission, and a deeply cynical outlook. Adults responded well to a kids movie that seemed to be transparently made for adults first.
Now, 15 years on The Incredibles 2 seeks to do the exact same thing. The plot picks up a minute after the end of the first film, with a devastating action sequence that lands the heroes back in court and evicted out of their neighborhood. The family squabble a lot over the difficulties integrating with normal people, and then one of them - Helen (alias Elastigirl) - takes up a too-good-to-be-true offer from a crazy rich, technologically innovative corporation.
There aren't many surprises with this story, which telegraphs it's true villain with big neon lights long before their surprise twist reveal, whilst giving them the exact same anti - superhero motivation as in the last film. More of the same can be good and fine, especially if the same means more fun action, adult themes, art deco silver age style, and fat jazz. Incredibles 2 has all of that. But we've gotten wise to it now, and it isn't quite as impressive on the repetition.
The freshest idea in the sequel is to focus more on Elastigirl, making her the hero and moving her away from the home. Bob (Mr Incredible) is perfunctorily supportive, but he secretly can't get over being relegated to parenting duties, and is bursting to be the chief provider again. It's a neat spin on the previous movie, which allocated superpowers based on stereotypes of family roles (the dad being the strong one, the mother being the flexible one etc).
All of this is to say Incredibles 2 is a good movie, but one in danger of feeling underwhelming if you compare it to the lightning in a bottle that came 15 years before.
WesternAnimation Pixar's Still Got It
After such wonderful films as Thor: Ragnarok and The Last Jedi, I had sworn off movies forever. I didn't think I'd ever be able to enjoy them again.
I was (thankfully) wrong.
This film has the two essential things that every good story needs: (a) good characters with good development; (b) a plot that's interesting and makes sense. It's awesome.
I don't want to spoil anything, so I can't describe what happens, but trust me when I say it's worth the price of admission. You can't go wrong with this one.
Just go see it already!
WesternAnimation That was totally wicked!
Better than the first one. Jack-Jack stole the whole show. The villain's identity is easy to guess but they have believable motivations. Better ones than Syndrome had.
I enjoyed it.
WesternAnimation Very good, but a little lacking
While it did not quite live up to the first film, it was still very good. The aesthetics were greatly improved and the side plot was a lot of fun. However, the main plot was not as engaging as the main plot of the first film. Unlike some viewers, others like me were just enjoying the film and not thinking about who the villain truly was, hence why I did not detect it before the reveal. It wasn't that obvious, but there were clear enough hints for those looking out, which is a little disappointing. I find people who think it's obvious write harsh reviews and generally aren't as nice. Overall, an 8/10, though as a big Incredibles fan I am a little biased.