You're 14 years too late, Disney Pixar! Was the end product worth the wait though? Let's find out.
Incredibles 2 is adult and matured. This is the first thing many fans will notice within the film's few minutes of run. It makes sense since the target audience is the kids who grew up loving the original! But setting that aside, Incredibles 2 is one of those animated features that arrives with long shelf of life in mind. It dealt with topics that were heavy, political and realistic in the most enjoyable methodology possible! By doing so, director Brad Bird and team have treated the audiences as equals.
Picking up right where the first one left off, Supers remain banned. There's a beautiful transition from inciting incident to concurrent narrative that you must not miss! When tight financial situation is burning holes in the pockets of the Incredibles' family, our lead heroes will have to figure out a solution to survive and provide. Due to this pressing circumstance, Mr. Incredible (voiced by Craig T. Nelson) and Elastigirl (voiced by Holly Hunter) each separately spiral down unfamiliar worlds to learn the trades of one another. The latter goes out to fight crime alike old days whereas the former has to be a home-dad. And this was the best decision the filmmakers have made!
Logic applied well as to why Elastigirl was chosen for the task by outweighing Mr. Incredible. His jealousy was too well portrayed! Sure, it's hell lot of fun to see Elastigirl kicking ass. But in all honesty, what's even better was Mr. Incredible's stay at home taking care of his kids! Yes, in sentence, that may sound like the most boring thing of all time. But, you'll have to look at the way the makers have etched this plot with so much of thought and attention! As Edna (voiced by Brad Bird) put it, parenting is a heroic act if done right, and that sums up this side of the story perfectly! Watching Mr. Incredible struggle as he attempts to do a great job at fathering was adorable! Dealing with teenager's relationship and education on top of an infant babysitting altogether made Mr. Incredible go nuts! The key word here is struggle, which was what rendered these sequence of events far more admirable and exciting!
Of course, Mr. Incredible's line of story wouldn’t have remotely worked if not because of baby Jack-Jack (voiced by Eli Fucile)! In fact, the movie had high chances of tanking should he was absent! This toddler was the star of the whole show! Not only was he one of the cutest thing Pixar has gifted us, the revelations about his powers were truly mind-blowing! He shared amazing chemistry with his dad and Edna! With this baby around, priceless humor kept dropping from every corner! Keep your eyes peeled for the raccoon scene! Juggling him in between an intense battle, utilizing him as laser weapon and the grown size version of him were hilarious! The story would have been even bang on if Jack-Jack had strong tie-ins to the main dramatic problem, since so much time was spent on exploring the baby's abilities and it seemed important.
The problem with Incredibles 2 has definitely got to do with the antagonist. It's a weak link! Very, in fact. As soon as Winston (voiced by Bob Odenkirk) and Evelyn (voiced by Katherine Keener) were introduced as the gold-hearted individuals who'd love to help out of nowhere, audiences can easily guess something's not right. It's predictable and the villain's motivation for doing what she was doing was pure nonsense! Other issues were generally certain dull moments triggered by conflictless encounters or simply drape characters, such as the party chat at a high tower and Elastigirl's fans. Even the house remote disaster was unneeded as it contributed nothing of value to the story. Expository dialogues and explanations syndrome infected this picture too!
Just like the first movie, the action sequences here were of epic proportions! Sometimes, it just makes you wonder whether you're watching an animation or live action motion picture! Bullet train chase, house invasion, Everjust halting, Screenslaver trackdown and initial fight with the said villain in a photosensitive lighting room were unbelievably executed! Coupled with the creative uses of powers plus vehicles such as Elasticycle and Incredibile, it was a treat!
You can't point out a single flaw in the technical department. You just can't! The excruciating details achieved through the animation was jaw-droppingly phenomenal! Michael Giacchino's score was alike witnessing miracle unfolding live in front of you! What an energetically pulsating powerhouse it was! The way the sound effects were designed and mixed with rest of the audio materials was magnificent! Editing was crisp too!
With all these being said, one of the main reasons why we endear Incredibles is the family members! The opening argument over the dinner table was the proof of just that! There's always constant debate about the theme and its fingers between these principal characters which happens naturally! With them taking off to solve another crime at the end of the film, we may see a sequel next. Let's just pray and hope it won't take another 14 years!