Incredibles 2

Incredibles 2 picks up right where the first left off: superheroes may be illegal, but the world’s greatest superhero family is still fighting crime uninhibited. Until, of course, they’re forced to stop. Soon, however, Elastigirl gets an offer that allows her to fight crime and fight for the legalization of superheroes. All is well.

Incredibles 2 was the sequel everyone wanted, but no one expected. Arriving in theaters 14 years after the original, it might have been easy for the world to assume Pixar simply had nothing else of substance to offer from the world of the Incredibles. The world would have been very wrong.

The film sees Brad Bird, director of the original film, make his triumphant return to the series. He wrote the film as well, ensuring the film’s singular, streamlined vision. Bird directs the film spectacularly, maintaining a consistent tone throughout and establishing an effective blueprint for the world the Incredibles inhabit.

Returning to score the film is Michael Giacchino, who scored the original over a decade ago. His score here, while not as memorable as his original one, still underscores the film well and continues to eke out a musical identity for the Incredibles in a densely populated superhero world.

The film’s greatest flaw is its emphasis on the legality of superheroes or the lack thereof. This has been the focus of far too many superhero films recently, but the majority of Incredibles 2 doesn’t seek to tackle the moral complexities of the issue, refreshingly. While the premise of the film may be faulty, it is essentially only used as a springboard for the plot, and so the movie suffers very little from it.

The themes of the film remain as relevant as ever: the nature of family, sacrificial love, and surprisingly, the limitations of human power and human independence. It’s themes like these that made the original so powerful, and they return in full force for the sequel.

Incredibles 2’s greatest strength is its script, written so tightly that hardly a single word is wasted. Despite this, the film never feels rushed, developing its plot at a logically consistent pace. Nearly every character has a well-developed arc, giving the film’s climax an emotional payoff that the first film only toyed with.

The film’s other weakness is its predictable villain. Their true identity is a twist that can be seen coming from miles away, and it hurts the film to some degree. There is also arguably too little time given to the villain to develop, their motivations to fight the Incredibles seeming forced as a result.

Overall, however, the film is another homerun for Pixar. The minor issues of the film really do not detract from the audience’s enjoyment of it in any meaningful way, and aside from these flaws it is an exercise in excellence. Here’s to hoping for one more. 4.2/5.