Well. After 14 years of patiently waiting, I sat in the theatre about to see the sequel to a movie I grew up with. It was an insanely surreal moment, and yet I didn't even have the time to process it.
First of all, I am SORRY that this is coming out on Sunday (!) rather than Thursday as I promised. I did see the movie on Thursday, but I was way too tired to write the review immediately afterward (Incredibles 2 is long as fuck, and I didn't get home until almost 11). And after that, well, I had to sort out my feelings before I could finally come up with a measured response for the movie. I think I've got that response today.
Before the movie began to play, this message came up on the screen from Brad Bird and the voice actors, essentially saying, "We made you wait 14 years, sorry about that, thanks for showing up." Yes, that's right - this is the first sequel I've ever seen where the creators have actually come onscreen and apologized for how long it took to make the damn thing. But was it worth the wait? Well...
Just a warning: I'm going to start off with a fair bit of criticism. Keep reading, because I've got good stuff to say as well.
Don't get me wrong - I absolutely hate having to say that I didn't love Incredibles 2. And some part of me wonders if I'm treating the movie unfairly - if I need to see it again to really solidify how I feel about it. But I know how I felt walking out of the theatre, and it was a sense of disappointment and hollowness. My most vivid thought: "They made us wait fourteen years for that?"
But again, I feel as though I'm treating the movie unfairly. I get the distinct impression that, were I to erase all memories of The Incredibles from my mind and just watch the sequel on its own merit, I would love it. It's just that, when a movie follows up such an awesome predecessor, it would take a miracle for the sequel to equal the original. Incredibles 2 doesn't, and it doesn't even really try. The movie felt more like a 118-minute showcase of how Pixar has improved animation-wise in these fourteen years. More on that later.
In this sequel, Mr. Incredible (Craig T. Nelson) takes a backseat to Elastigirl (Holly Hunter), who becomes the real star of the show. The former is relegated to stay-at-home dad duty, and, as you've probably read in other reviews, the movie ably tampers with that trope. Meanwhile, a pair of mysterious, wealthy siblings, the Deavors (played by Catherine Keener and Bob Odenkirk), offer Elastigirl a job fighting crime, and if you're thinking "Hey, this is the same as the first movie," you're not wrong. In many ways, Incredibles 2 feels like the gender-flipped mirror image of The Incredibles, and the movie even subtly acknowledges this fact: when Elastigirl calls the Deavors to accept the job, she says, "This is Elastigirl. I'm in," a twist on how Bob accepted his job offer in the first movie.
As you might expect, a villain - who, of course, turns out to be someone the hero knows - emerges from the shadows and starts wreaking mayhem. Here, it's the Screenslaver, a character with tenuous ideology and an even more tenuous presence in this movie. I don't want to give much away, but the Screenslaver, in-costume, doesn't actually appear for all that much of the movie; in fact, their suit and goggles get ditched partway through, which was very disappointing to me, as I thought it was a fantastic design for a villain.
This baddie doesn't seem well thought-out; their reasons for wanting to defeat superheroes are shaky at best. Screenslaver hates supers because the presence of supers means ordinary people don't have to deal with their problems, and also something about cell phone addiction, I guess? Which is weird, because this takes place in the 1970s as far as I know. These viewpoints could be interesting if they were actually explored or refuted, but Screenslaver's beliefs aren't really given their due: they're just thrown out there, confusingly, and then ignored in favor of moving on to the next action setpiece.
Originally, after seeing Screenslaver's design and hearing their menacing deep voice (which, oddly enough, is far higher-pitched in the movie than in the trailers), I had commented that they're a much more frightening villain than Syndrome - but this actually isn't the case. Like I said, the scary costume gets tossed aside halfway through the movie and never appears again, in favor of showing us the person underneath, which was a disappointment. As well, the character's half-baked dogma doesn't pack a punch like Syndrome's did, and we never experience that bitter emotionality that we got from Syndrome. Syndrome, a petulant child who threw a 15-year murderous tantrum after being rejected one time, feels much more real and visceral than Screenslaver, who hates superheroes for a reason that feels much sillier and unrealistic. Screenslaver's reasons take a lot of reaching, more so than Syndrome.
And don't get me wrong - I think this villain could easily have been just as understandable as Syndrome, but the movie doesn't do much with the themes it presents. When the bad guy gives a long monologue about their tragic past and their reason for wanting supers to stay illegal, it doesn't feel genuine. When Syndrome - an original, comedic, sadistic villain - monologued about his bitterness in the first movie, it felt like a much more natural moment. This is because Syndrome is a superhero superfan who's deliberately positioning himself as a villain, aware of all the tropes that come with being one, and after the speech is over, he laughingly lampshades the fact that he's been monologuing. That was such a great moment, such a cognizant moment.
Screenslaver has no such moment - this movie doesn't feel so much like a parody, like lampshade-hanging over superhero tropes, than a direct and hamfisted usage of said hero tropes without any meta acknowledgment of them. That parodic theme is sorely lacking from this sequel. When Screenslaver monologues, it's a tired rehash of the standard villain speech, and that's a problem with the whole movie. It seems content to utilize the standard rather than seeking to subvert it. Screenslaver is your standard flat, cackling villain without a soul. And... I just don't enjoy that. With 50 Marvel movies coming out per year, to stay relevant, the Incredibles need to feel different, fresh, aware. And... after 14 years... they just don't anymore.
This problem I've mentioned with Screenslaver, where the movie is just going through the motions of having a standard villain rather than seeking to acknowledge and chuckle at the status quo, is a problem with the movie at large. This might just be a product of the fact that, like, 25 Marvel movies have come out since the first Incredibles, not to mention the DCEU. But Incredibles 2 doesn't want to deconstruct superhero tropes; the movie is perfectly happy to simply go through the motions. It doesn't feel clever anymore.
There are many new hero tropes that could've been mocked or subverted by Incredibles 2, but it just doesn't bother to be anything other than an animated imitator of its contemporaries. This franchise is not a parody, or even a mildly clever aping, of hero films anymore. It's just another one of their endless ranks. And that's just too bad, because in this oversaturated world, the Incredibles need to be clever to keep up.
If you think that's way too much complaining for one review, hold onto your hats, because I've got more. I think this movie used up its PG rating on having the character Evelyn Deavor swear a lot (seriously. Is this the first time a Pixar character has said damn, hell, AND crap?), because there's pretty much no darkness or adult content in this thing. I know what you're going to say: it's a kids' movie, that's to be expected - except, it's not. The first movie had some serious adult themes, but this one? Nada. It's lighthearted through and through. That, too, was a disappointment.
Though the movie was funny and entertaining, it lacked the drama and the genuine feel of stakes that the first Incredibles had. It seems like a superhero movie made for kids, not for everyone. The "for-parents" part of the movie comes directly from Bob, whose dad skills are close to nil, and who displays some worryingly regressive and hackneyed "Mr. Mom" tropes. As soon as Helen leaves the household, Bob spirals out of control without a woman around the house, and cannot deal with the simplest of things, including but not limited to washing clothes, buying batteries, and getting eggs. Come on, Pixar. Are these really the themes you want to display in 2018?
Though the movie was touted - and derided - by many as feminist propaganda as soon as the first trailers were released, I really didn't find this to be the case. There's not much feminist thinking to be found in Incredibles 2. Sure, Helen gets the spotlight, but that's just about it. The movie doesn't want to ruminate on the implications of a woman getting the spotlight while her husband stays in her shadow; it simply presents this dusty trope without doing anything with it. The closest it gets to nodding at the idea is when Bob says, "She's a credit to her... well, you know!" And I'm only assuming he was going to say "sex." Like almost every other theme in the movie, Incredibles 2 would rather present it to us, unchanged and unacknowledged, than actually being creative with it.
But what about the characters? Well, we get several new ones. The Deavor siblings - smooth-talking salesman Winston and his slouchy genius sister, Evelyn - are fantastic. Their designs are awesome, their outfits are outstanding, and I just love 'em both. Too bad the movie doesn't actually do much with either of them. They're just kind of... there. Going through the motions. They're both featured in a lot of the movie, but somehow still feel underused.
The same goes for the new roster of "wannabe heroes," who all have awesome designs, and yet are criminally underappreciated. I actually question the choice of casting a big-name actress like Sophia Bush to play the character Voyd, an Elastigirl superfan with a beautifully-designed costume and ingenious superpowers who ends up having, like, ten lines tops. And it's an identical situation for Samuel L. Jackson's Frozone - how much did he get paid to be in five minutes of the movie?
Edna Mode's two brief cameos mirror her two appearances in the first movie, and once again, she shines like a freaking jewel and needs to be given her own spinoff, ASAP. But unfortunately, in this sequel - unlike in the first movie, where she designed the Incredibles' costumes - she doesn't actually do anything important in this one. She's just... there.
Speaking of ASAP, you know that "You better be back ASAP" line that Frozone's wife speaks in the trailers? Well... you'd better be damn well satisfied with that, because that's all we get. She, too, is criminally underused. With this being one of the longest animated movies of all time (seriously!), there's no excuse for so many characters feeling underused. Literally every single character except for Jack-Jack, actually - including the main family - feels underappreciated in this bloated blockbuster.
Okay. I'm done complaining. Now I'm going to praise it.
First things first. Incredibles 2 is gorgeous. There aren't enough boot-licky adjectives to describe how great this movie looks; the entire thing feels like Pixar showing off what they can do visually. Smug bastards. Every texture, every color, every beam of light and grain of sand, everything is a sight to behold. It's just a beautiful film. My eyes probably have diabetes from all that candy.
As well as looking fantastic, the movie is gut-bustingly funny, another asset in its favor. Incredibles 2 trades dark humor and adult themes for slapstick comedy, and I have to admit, it works. The movie wouldn't be half as funny without the character of baby Jack-Jack, who's probably the brightest star in this sequel. With scenes like the one where Jack-Jack has a tussle with a raccoon (who quickly learns that it picked the wrong damn baby), the film really hearkens back to the days of classic Looney Tunes cartoons, like Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner. In addition, there's a particular scene with Violet at the Happy Platter that had me in stitches, as well as dozens of small instances throughout. It's just really, really damn funny.
The movie is heartfelt, as well; for all the darkness it lacks, it makes up with sweetness. Incredibles 2's main theme is what it means to be a family, or, more specifically, what it means to be a father. And I'm not a parent, but as far as I can tell, the movie nails it. The most heartwarming parts of the movie come when Bob is trying his best to be a dad to his kids (despite the tired, dated Mr. Mom thing I mentioned earlier). In many ways, it seems like the parenting-themed portions of Incredibles 2 are the parts of the movie that Pixar really cared about creating, and the superhero stuff is just an afterthought. You can take that as either a criticism or a praise.
The action scenes are fantastic, well-executed and staged and choreographed, just a wonder to behold. I felt exhilarated watching Elastigirl swing and stretch around, using her powers to her advantage as she pursues a helicopter or tries to catch a runaway plane. One of the things the movie does best is using Elastigirl's abilities to create the most dynamic action scenes possible. It doesn't fare so well with Mr. Incredible - who, like many other sidelined characters, is given very little to do in this movie, hero-wise. But Elastigirl's awesome fight sequences more than make up for any other deficiencies. She's truly the hero of the movie, and she shines brightly.
I need to spare some praise for the new characters, specifically Evelyn Deavor, who I love, and who is my wife now. This character is just a delight: the way she moves, her outfits, her design, the way she can't sit on any solid surface properly... I love her. She's the shining light of the movie for me. Winston Deavor, a huge adorable geek that wears shiny suits, isn't so shabby either. And don't even get me started on Voyd - I love this character, from the bright colors of her suit to her daring blue hair to her shy-nerd personality to her interdimensional powers. My only complaint about Voyd is that we barely freaking see her. I need three spinoff movies about the wannabe supers, Winston, and Evelyn. Stat. I mean RIGHT NOW.
And, of course, I would be remiss not to mention how Michael Giacchino once again returns to snatch us bald. That's a given. The movie's score is a standout, and probably one of my favorite parts of going to the theatre was having this Bond-like jazz blasted into my ears at the highest possible volume. I don't even have anything more to say about that. Just... have a good time.
Overall, despite all the "We waited 14 years!" hype, I'm not glad that Incredibles 2 was made so soon. I really wish that Pixar would have taken a few more years to polish this one up, because I'm not too happy with the end result. I think this is another Finding Dory situation: the sequel is okay, but ultimately, it's only a mere shadow of the first one, a hollow copy that doesn't have much new story to tell, or anything different to say. Its themes feel underdeveloped at best and dated at worst. Its villain is a disappointment. It eschews any dark, complex adult themes or truly emotional moments for slapstick and sweetness - which isn't necessarily a negative thing, but isn't what fans wanted or needed, either.
I loved The Incredibles. I mean, it may be my favorite movie of all time, with few other competitors coming close for the title. But Incredibles 2 doesn't feel like the worthy sequel to the first movie - it feels more like a lengthy episode of The Incredibles: The Series. I didn't hate this movie, and in fact, I bet I'll watch it again in a few years and realize I was totally unfair to it. But right now? All I feel is disappointment.
Do I recommend it? Actually, yes. For people who aren't superfans of the first movie, you probably won't feel unsatisfied like me, and I realize that my opinion is just one among many dissenting voices who loved the movie. You might totally disagree with me. In addition, the movie is absolutely beautiful on the big screen - honestly, I can't stress this enough - and it's worth seeing for that alone. The action is great, the humor is great, and it's not a bad way to spend two hours. But after such a long wait, it just wasn't enough.
In conclusion: Incredibles 2 is like being fed a delicious appetizer at a fancy restaurant - so delicious, in fact, that you're ready to proclaim this restaurant the best eatery in the universe before you've even finished your meal. Then, you're forced to wait a full hour for the main course. And when it finally arrives, you expect it to be the best thing you've ever tasted... only, they've given you a platter of mints. Mints are fine. Mints are sweet and nice. But really, you wanted meat and potatoes, didn't you?
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