Incredibles 2

It almost seems unfair to compare this sequel to the first film, as 2004’s The Incredibles was a stone-cold classic and arguably one of the best films made that decade.  But although this belated sequel can’t quite match the quality of the first film, it’s still a hugely enjoyable – and very funny – ride that should appeal to audiences of all ages.

Premise:  Picking up immediately after the events of the first film, with “Supers” still outlawed, the Parr family need to keep their powers concealed.  But when an eccentric CEO offers to work with Helen Parr/Elastigirl to swing public opinion to change the law, it leaves Bob Parr/Mr Incredible alone to look are the three children on his own…

Review:

You can understand why it’s taken writer/director Brad Bird 14 years to make a sequel to The Incredibles, because that film was so close to perfect, how do you follow it?  But surprisingly, when you watch Incredibles 2, you realise just how much was left open at the end of the first film, so this sequel genuinely feels like a natural extension of the first film’s story, rather than a cynical cash in.

At the end of the first film, although Bob Parr (Craig T. Nelson) had overcome his midlife crisis, and his marriage to Helen (Holly Hunter) was as strong as ever, and Violet and Dash had learned to embrace who they are, the fact remained that “Supers” were still illegal.  So when Incredibles 2 opens with the Parr family using their powers to defeat the Underminer (as seen in the closing scene of the first film), it’s perhaps no surprise that they’re swiftly arrested immediately afterwards.

“…balances its various tones perfectly…”

This sets up the main premise of the film, which is that eccentric telecommunications tycoon Winston Deavor (Bob Odenkirk) and his genius inventor sister Evelyn (Catherine Keener) come up with a plan to broadcast Helen Parr’s heroics as Elastigirl, in an attempt to swing public opinion and force the law against Supers to be revoked.  Bob Parr is obviously annoyed when he’s not chosen to front the campaign (too much collateral damage when he’s involved…), but he also recognises that Helen’s his best chance to have the law changed, which will then enable him to live out his dreams as a superhero again.  So he puts his pride aside and agrees to be a stay-at-home dad while Helen goes on her PR mission.

But with great comic timing, as soon as Helen is gone, the other unresolved plot thread from the first film takes centre stage, as baby Jack-Jack Parr starts manifesting his own wide ranging collection of powers.  It’s easy to forget that in the first film, the audience and the villain witnessed Jack-Jack manifesting his various powers, but the rest of the Parr family never did.  So when Bob suddenly becomes aware of Jack-Jack’s powers, just at the same time that he can’t admit to Helen that he’s struggling with the solo parenting duties, it creates some of the film’s funniest moments, including a hilarious sequence with a racoon.

“…Jack-Jack is responsible for most of the film’s funniest moments…”

Just as the first film did, Incredibles 2 balances its various tones perfectly.  It’s a family friendly movie, but there’s also more than enough to attract adult viewers without children as well.  It has plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, and yet there are also tense moments of jeopardy, as well as grippingly kinetic action sequences.  It also has an intriguing central mystery, with the emergence of the new supervillain the Screenslaver, although it is fair to say that the main beats of that plot thread are not a million miles away from the Syndrome storyline from The Incredibles.

It’s only when Incredibles 2 is compared directly to The Incredibles that some cracks do appear.  The first film seamlessly wove the main plot regarding Syndrome’s plan together with the subtext about Bob’s midlife crisis and the Parr’s marital struggles.  In Incredibles 2, the two themes are more disjointed, as Helen’s mission to stop the Screenslaver is largely separate from Bob’s parental struggles.  Samuel L. Jackson makes a welcome return as Frozone, and gets a bit more involved in the main plot this time, which gives the film a bit more of an ensemble feel.  But the older Parr kids have less to do, as Violet is primarily just concerned about her almost-boyfriend, and Dash does little more than struggle with maths homework – although that does free up additional screen time for Jack-Jack, who is responsible for most of the film’s funniest moments.

“…comes surprisingly close to matching the brilliance of the original…”

Technically, Incredibles 2 boasts improved animation over the original (it has been 14 years, after all), and some of the scenes are absolutely stunning in terms of their lighting and animation, while still retaining the gloriously recognisable retro aesthetics from the first film.  But Incredibles 2’s real triumph is that it comes surprisingly close to doing the impossible – matching the brilliance of the 2004 original.  It might not quite manage that feat, but it comes incredibly close.