The question that has
been asked for 14 years, “When will there be a sequel to the Incredibles?” Everyone loved the first movie and with so many
possibilities for a sequel to be made, it’s no wonder that people are excited
for this second film. However, with such a long gap in-between the first and
second movie in terms of timeframe of release, there’s always that sense of
doubt for the sequel to not live up to the original and will be a significantly
weaker film. Thankfully, Incredibles 2
is not that movie, not only does it live up to the hype, but also might end up being another sequel in
the vain of Blade Runner 2049 of
truly excellent follow-ups that will be debated on possibly being even better than
the first.
The
story takes place shortly after the original with this time the characters of
Bob, Helen, Violet, Dash and Jak Jak Parr all trying to fit into this world of
superheroes still being outlawed. Fortunately a business tycoon wants to makes
it so heroes become popular again, so when an evil new threat takes on the
city, it seems like a perfect opportunity for the supers to make the ultimate
comeback. One critique the film plot has is that there are certainly some
rethreading of familiarity on this film, not a complete rehash, but there are
certain elements of the plot that show a lot of parallels between the first
movie just with some role reversal. Instead of Mr. Incredible being the one
going out to fight crime, its Elastigirl while Bob is at home taking care of
the kids. However, what keeps it from being a complete rehash and not as
repetitive is that the film still manages to take it’s time to develop and
flesh out these characters. We get a strong sense of what these characters go through
and even more time dedicated to them, making them all the more interesting, and
even the themes surrounding them are incredibly interesting and different
enough from the first to keep it fresh. Everything from the idea of media
taking control of what we see, the idea of fatherhood and what’s the best way
to handle it and even the idea that changing back to the way things were in
some capacity could have some benefit to it if done right. It’s a very thematic
movie in that sense, but it also doesn’t manage to be too boring for the
audience with numerous exciting action set pieces and also a lot of comedy that
actually works very well with in the film. The writing manages to make these
characters and situations sound so real and not too ridiculously kiddie which
in many ways is fantastic for a film like this. Even though it is mature, it
doesn’t quite go to the dark places of the first movie, though it’s not quite
trying to, as this is more fixated on being exciting and fun more than the
first and it has an absolute blast with the material given. It’s a follow up
that may not be quite as deep but is just so energetic and is written so
maturely that it’s hard not to appreciate on some level.
With
a cast of old faces returning after so long, one would hope that Incredibles 2’s characters still
manage to be the same likable ones we remember from the first and thankfully
they are. In fact what makes this film a little more appealing is that where
the first film was mostly centered around Mr. Incredible, there is a
significantly amount of more screen time for the rest of the family.
Elastigirl, Violet, Dash and Jak Jak all have more than enough moments that
really highlight them as characters. Whether it be more of a character arch
with Violet learning to work with her father after huge mistakes are made, Jak
Jak’s hilarious antics of being the unpredictable baby or Elastigirl just
having a ton of amazing action sequences that show off her powers in the best
way possible, we get more time of seeing these characters in action and it’s
wonderful. It also benefits that where the first movie just fixated on the
family working as a team in the third act, this movie balances things out way
more by showcasing the family working off one another and having some character
development consistently throughout the film and it’s wonderful to see. The screen
time for more characters doesn’t just stop with the family, side characters
like Frozone and Edna Mode also get a lot more screen time and every single
moment with them is glorious from both an action and comedy perspective. The
only major fault with some of the returning cast really is two things, the
first being the replacement for Rick Dickler, who was replaced due to Bud
Luckey’s unfortunate passing. Granted, the actor gives a good performance,
however what somewhat kills it is that the voice sounds nothing really like the
original character, which is odd considering nearly all of the voices sound the
same even the new voice for Dash is practically identical, so it’s odd to hear
such a jarring voice change, even when all of the cast does an excellent job.
The other is there are a couple of design changes that, while are not bad and
not necessarily for major characters, are also a little jarring to see some of
them look so different when not much time has really pass in-between both
movies. As for the new additions, while there’s not a whole lot of screen time
dedicated to most of them, they all have some very great things to offer,
especially with the newer superheroes having some incredibly unique and fun
powers to witness and also to see them play off against the original cast which
is a plus. The only downside to the cast is the new antagonist to the film. Not
a terrible one by any means, in fact this character does tie into the film’s
themes of reviving something old and making it good again, which is a neat
idea, but the whole playout of the character feels rather predictable from the
start, even with some of the depth to this character. It also doesn’t help that
Syndrome was a hard act to follow so this villain may feel automatically weaker
from the beginning. Regardless of how some of the character pan out, the film
still manages to be have a cast just as excellent as the first with more
bonuses added to it.
There is no doubt that even if people may
find Incredibles 2 not quite as good
as the first, one thing that is undeniable that the film is more impressive
from a visual standpoint. The first Incredibles is still a fantastic looking
movie in many department, but as with even the best computer animated movies go
after a certain amount of time, it has shown its age and is starting to look
dated in some areas. With a sequel this late, there has definitely been an
upgrade of better looking animated films and the Incredibles 2 looks absolutely fantastic from an animation
standpoint. The characters not only look better than ever animation wise but
also have so much energy and life to them with how they move and showcase their
powers in so many creative ways, even in an age that’s arguably over saturated
with Superhero movies. Also beneficial to the film’s look is the environments
and lighting which all create for an aesthetically pleasing movie that captures
a classic 50s style in practicly every single frame, making the film so beautiful
to look at. But one cannot mention the Incredibles without Michael Giacchino’s
outstanding score, which not only continues with this one, but he does the
impossible by making an already god-tier movie soundtrack even better. It has
all of the great themes we’re used to hearing from the first movie and captures
the jazzy sound so perfectly, but also becomes a character within the movie,
not just being background noise but also being in tuned with exactly what is
being played out on screen. It’s a score that is best described through one of
the first film’s most iconic moments as “Totally Wicked”.
Incredibles 2
is a follow up deserving of its name; it is nearly every bit as good as the
first film with some minor enhancements along the way. It’s smart, funny,
creative and an all-around experience to behold for sight and sound. It is one
masterpiece of a film that not only deserves to be seen by everyone especially
over the mediocre blockbusters we have been getting, but one that is a start of
a new era. In the mix of every bad live action Disney remake, this movie not
only paves the way for more great animated movies, but more great follow-ups to
already great animated films that deserve a sequel that make animation fans
proud to be a part of the medium. With Lego
Movie 2, Frozen 2, Wreck-It Ralph 2,
and How to Train Your Dragon 3 on the
horizon, we can only hope that they will be able to maintain the standard and
quality that Incredibles 2 gave us. Incredibles 2 is not only a start of a
beautiful new era but is also a film that is satisfying in every single way
possible and is worth anyone’s time.
