Incredibles 2

Voices of: Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Samuel L. Jackson, Sarah Vowell, Huck Milner, Catherine Keener, Eli Fucile, Bob Odenkirk, Sophia Bush, Isabella Rossellini, Jonathan Banks, John Ratzenberger
Directed by: Brad Bird
Rating: PG
Genre: Animated, Adventure, Action
2018

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: As Elastigirl (Holly Hunter) gets put into the spotlight as the face of the supers, Mr. Incredible (Craig T. Nelson) is forced to stay home and take care of the kids.

Review:

Tim: I infamously disliked the original Incredibles. Everyone was over the moon about Pixar's latest, but it felt like a cheap ripoff to me. I didn't see much originality in that film and I took a very negative view of it. Fourteen years later, Pixar finally releases the sequel. I once again wasn't a big fan of the movie, although I took a slightly more forgiving take this time around. Still, I have to clarify that I believe these movies are absolutely overrated.

The story here had some strong elements to it (it had some weak ones, too). What I enjoyed most about this movie was the role reversal between Elastigirl and Mr. Incredible. In superhero movies, the norm is that the guy saves the day and the woman stays home. This movie was brilliant to flip that story on its head. We get to see Elastigirl in the spotlight, while Mr. Incredible stays home. I have to say, this was the most compelling, interesting aspect of the entire film. One, it gave another female character a strong starring role. Things are improving somewhat in Hollywood with Wonder Woman a resounding success, the Wasp co-headlining Ant-Man and the Wasp, and the upcoming Captain Marvel. There's still a long way to go, though. So, it was a big positive that Elastigirl got so many action scenes. She's a strong female character and I loved her push into the limelight. It was likewise great to see Mr. Incredible take on the most traditional female role of homemaker and taking care of the kids. Obviously, he grumbles significantly about the "demotion". However, Pixar does a fantastic job of telling his story, too. We see the crushing toll taking care of kids has on you (I have two now and as much as I love them, it's not easy). The scenes where Mr. Incredible was worn down, devastated and barely holding on felt authentic and relatable. However, this isn't just a "guy experiences what it's like to be in a traditionally female role" switch. Sure, he's sympathetic. But it's equally fascinating to watch how he copes with his new reality, how he eventually asks for help, and what he does to figure it out. I loved that he was depicted not as a bumbling, helpless man- but as someone who could take care of his kids after getting over some of the early obstacles. It was a mature, complex look at parenting that I really appreciated.

Now, I know I'm sounding very positive so far. I had a bunch of issues with the story, too. The early villain of The Underminer felt like a cheap ripoff of the Fantastic Four villain the Mole Man. The main villain of Screenslaver was okay, but I was surprised by some of the dark imagery here. This is a film that would certainly scare younger kids. The movie loses its focus when it introduces the large collection of other supers. Voyd was kind of cool (although her powers have been done before, and much better), but the rest were completely and totally forgettable. The weird owl guy? Another one crushes things? It just felt like a bland collection of superheroes. I wasn't interested in any of them. They only really serve the purpose of giving the Incredibles a challenge later in the film, but it just felt weak. On the other hand, the Deavors felt complex and believable. I thoroughly enjoyed both their characters. Back on the original hand, Jack-Jack got way too much screen time. I know he's cute and his multitude of powers was kind of cool, but a baby truly isn't all that interesting of a character. Kids will disagree, but they are wrong.

I had a number of issues with the story. I won't go into excruciating detail, but I will highlight one big issue I had. Eventually (AND SPOILERS AHEAD), a number of supers are hypnotized by the Screenslaver via these cool goggles. Our protagonists routinely come up against them and find all sorts of ways to best them- and then leave without taking off the goggles! It was maddening to watch. It's not like the goggles are hard to take off- it's as simple as taking off a pair of sunglasses, as we see towards the end of the film. I started laughing at how many opportunities the heroes missed to take off the goggles and break the supers out of the Screenslaver's mind control. One of the characters is freaking invisible, it would have been the easiest thing in the world to do. There's one scene where a mind-controlled character is laying unconscious on the ground and the protagonists turn and run the other way. It would have taken 5 seconds to take off the goggles. It was a frustrating plot hole in the film.

I know most critics felt like this movie was very good, but not quite as good as the original. I felt the opposite. Both are heavily flawed, but the role switch between Elastigirl and Mr. Incredible pushed this movie ahead in my eyes. So, I suppose I give Incredibles 2 for improving on the original. However, I still liked this movie significantly less than almost all the critics out there. It still felt too derivative to me. I wouldn't call Incredibles 2 a good movie or even a decent one. It was okay. I know that puts me at odds with most people, but I'm okay with that.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Incredibles