Incredibles 2: Pixar Pulls it Off Again
Maybe I’m just a superhero guy. I loved The Incredibles when I was 13 and I loved Incredibles 2 at 27. But all superheroes and ages aside, Incredibles 2 was a great movie that may have even surpassed it’s predecessor.
Like all Pixar movies, we kicked off with one of their classic animated shorts. Without revealing what happens in those few minutes, it was a very touching scene… but also very disturbing. Take it any way you want, but it was weird.
The first scene of the movie then lands us in an interrogation where a government agent from the first movie is talking to a kid who witnessed the final scene of the Incredibles. The scene itself is fine, but what really stood out to me was the name of the agent. Maybe I just didn’t pick up on it 14 years ago, but this guy’s name was Rick Dicker. Referred to mostly and often as Dicker throughout the movie. Dicker. Seriously? Dicker?? His name is essentially Dick Dicker. Who at Disney landed on that one??? Anyways, moving on.
Incredibles 2 builds off the end of the 2004 installment, diving into the idea of whether or not “supers” should come out of hiding and if they are a net positive or negative for society. While there is always collateral damage when these superheroes fly into action and save the day, it is clear that they are beneficial in the end. Because of this, the goal of the superheroes in Incredibles 2 is to essentially create their own version of the Sokovia Accords so they can fight crime again. Ideally, these Accords would go better for them than they did for the Avengers.
The Parr family, better known as The Incredibles, is the highlight of this movie. All of them excel in their own way throughout. Dash is the most underutilized and doesn’t have too many big moments, but serves as a solid source of comedic relief. Violet is going through a serious case of teenage angst. Bob, Mr. Incredible, is trying to figure out being a stay at home dad while his wife Helen, better known as Elastigirl, has been thrust into the limelight as the world’s comeback superhero. The dynamic between the two is great, as Helen is ecstatic to be fighting crime again while Bob is caught in a mixture of jealousy and exhaustion from being left at home with the kids. It all works, especially when Samuel L Jackson’s Frozone checks in on the family… generally screaming in some form of disbelief or horror.
The real highlight of the movie is none other than baby Jack Jack. As we saw briefly during The Incredibles, Jack Jack seems to be going through some superhero growing pains, exhibiting many special abilities. In this movie we find out that he has at least 17 different superpowers, and they are all ridiculously hilarious. Several of them are put on display in what is undoubtedly the best scene of the movie, where Jack Jack takes on a raccoon in the back yard of the house they are staying in. The entire theatre was doubled over in laughter for this, which ended up being commonplace for whenever baby Jack Jack was on screen.
Verdict: GREAT
13 years after one of Pixar’s better animated features, a very worthy second installment was created. This movie is great, start to finish. I have almost no complaints, except for maybe the motives of the villain, the Screenslaver. But even then, I’m nitpicking. It had everything you would want out of a Pixar movie, and any movie in general, to the point where I would be very surprised if a third feature isn’t put into development in the next few months. Go see this if you haven’t already and make sure you check out Mr. Incredible’s nose. That thing is enormous. And pretty weird looking.
