Over a decade later, Brad Bird (Ratatouille, The Iron Giant) picks up the story of the Parr family right where he left it in 2004. Once again, the Parr's are back in action as they balance their family life with fighting crime. Incredibles 2 spends more time on the family life than the original film, bringing out a relatable experience for moviegoers. Sarah Vowell (A.C.O.D) and Huck Milner create the voices of Violet Parr and Dashiell Parr as they both go through the struggles of growing up. These characters are sassy, but also clever. At times they act smarter than their elders, which is reflective of real life families in many cases. The youthfulness of this film shines the brightest with the "innocent" baby, Jack-Jack. Jack-Jack is a fun character to watch and he makes us question whether or not superpowers are dangerous or not.
The relationship between Bob Parr and Helen Parr has a lot of interesting development in this sequel as well. Their roles from the first film are nearly flipped around entirely. Bob acts as the stay-at-home dad while Helen fights crime to protect her family. Craig T. Nelson (The Family Stone) and Holly Hunter (The Big Sick) return to voice these characters respectively. Once again, they are well-spoken and perfect fits for the characters. As the story unfolds, Bob and Helen make the audience question stereotypical family roles. Certainly, there can be enriched discussion after the film about these roles and their place in modern society.
For the most part, I really loved this sequel. However, the original story still stands taller than this new installment. The villain in Incredibles 2 is not nearly as strong of a character as Buddy from The Incredibles. The effects are improved, but storyline is more important to me than visuals. If this installment had stayed more focused on the Parr's family dynamic throughout the whole film, then it might have held more weight than the addition of Screenslaver. Screenslaver is a decent villain, but does not introduce anything new to the superhero filmography. Updated effects make for smooth animated action sequences, although Screenslaver is nothing special.
The Bottom Line: Incredibles 2 is a fantastic watch because of the Parr family, but falls short with the crime-fighting subject.
Score: 8/10
The relationship between Bob Parr and Helen Parr has a lot of interesting development in this sequel as well. Their roles from the first film are nearly flipped around entirely. Bob acts as the stay-at-home dad while Helen fights crime to protect her family. Craig T. Nelson (The Family Stone) and Holly Hunter (The Big Sick) return to voice these characters respectively. Once again, they are well-spoken and perfect fits for the characters. As the story unfolds, Bob and Helen make the audience question stereotypical family roles. Certainly, there can be enriched discussion after the film about these roles and their place in modern society.
For the most part, I really loved this sequel. However, the original story still stands taller than this new installment. The villain in Incredibles 2 is not nearly as strong of a character as Buddy from The Incredibles. The effects are improved, but storyline is more important to me than visuals. If this installment had stayed more focused on the Parr's family dynamic throughout the whole film, then it might have held more weight than the addition of Screenslaver. Screenslaver is a decent villain, but does not introduce anything new to the superhero filmography. Updated effects make for smooth animated action sequences, although Screenslaver is nothing special.
The Bottom Line: Incredibles 2 is a fantastic watch because of the Parr family, but falls short with the crime-fighting subject.
Score: 8/10
