Incredibles 2
Of all of the Pixar films that have spawned sequels, none outside of the “Toy Story” franchise has been more warranted of one than Brad Bird’s “The Incredibles.” A colorful entry into the superhero genre infused with the energy and style of old school James Bond and “Mission: Impossible” spy films, Bird’s film told the story of a superhero family who had been in hiding for too long after the government grew weary of them causing destruction, and the kids who are finally able to show their own abilities themselves. For 14 years, fans have been waiting for a follow-up, and finally, Bird is ready to tell the next part of the story.
I’m someone who very much loved Bird’s original film, but I can’t say I’ve been as eagerly awaiting a sequel as other people have. Those moderate expectations helped me tame my ideas of what to expect the film as it began to finally play in front of me. I’d suggest even the die hards to temper those expectations- you’ll enjoy it more.
The film begins, quite literally, where the first film ended, as a supervillain named Underminer (Pixar mainstay John Ratzenberger) showed up right as the Parr family- Bob (aka Mr. Incredible, voiced by Craig T. Nelson), his wife Helen (Elastigirl, voiced by Holly Hunter), their daughter Violet (Sarah Vowell), their eldest son Dash (Huck Milner), and baby Jack Jack- had dispatched a deranged fan-turned-supervillain. Underminer is here to rob a bank, and he is able to get away with it, even with the full strength of the Parr family- and their buddy Frozone (Samuel L. Jackson) after him, resulting in much damage to the city. Not long after, their vision of being openly superheroes comes crashing down as the government pulls the agency that used to take care of people like the Parrs. They’re soon living in a hotel room, with only two weeks of leeway, before the brother-sister team of Winston and Evelyn Deavor (Bob Odenkirk and Catherine Keener), whose father was once an ally of superheroes, offers them a scenario that might allow them to get back in the good graces of the world again, with Elastigirl leading the way.
One of the first things that occurred to me when the story started to reveal itself, both during previews, as well as during the film itself, I couldn’t help but this of the 1983 comedy “Mr. Mom,” where Michael Keaton got laid off, his wife (Teri Garr) enters the work force, and he is at home watching the kids. Having this be the premise that starts the story is a good one that also parallels the first film, where Bob was off doing superhero stuff by himself while lying to Helen about it. Helen isn’t lying here- Bob knows what’s up- but the jealousy he feels while enduring the stress of dealing with what Violet, Dash and Jack Jack are going through. One of the great moments in the first film was how Jack Jack revealed himself as very much one of the Parr family, in a way no one in the family was aware of. Here, they figure out the truth, and yeah, Jack Jack is kind of awesome. I honestly wouldn’t blame people if they felt he was the highlight of the film. Jack Jack feels like the icing on the cake for me, though, of what is a delightful animated adventure.
The emotional aspect of the first film, and how the Parr family was dealing with each of their respective dilemmas, was a big part of why I loved the first film, and here, we get more of the same. Just like we saw Helen struggle without Bob around in the first film, Bob is run ragged by the kids as they try to get through school (for Dash) and romance (for Violet), who follows up on her interest in Tom, the boy she was talking to at Dash’s track meet. Bird’s screenplay is a great and natural continuation of what was going on in the first film, and that’s part of why it was so fun to watch. If it feels a bit slight, however, it has more to do with the fact that it’s a straightforward movie that doesn’t feel as fresh or exciting as the first film did after over a decade of superhero cinema, even if the Deavor siblings- wonderfully voiced by Odenkirk and Keener- make for a couple of great new additions to Bird’s thrilling superhero universe, which he populates with some fine new superheroes, as well. With Michael Giacchino doing his thing, once again, delivering a terrific score to keep Bird’s animated adventure popping as the Parrs are back in action after all these years. The stimulating sequels of “Toy Story” this is not, but “Incredibles 2” is a film that is worthy of the Pixar brand, and how they continue to find fun stories to tell with emotional weight behind it. I wouldn’t say no to a third one. If not, though, I’m satisfied with what Bird delivered.
