Movie Review: “Incredibles 2” doesn’t reach the heights of the original but it’s still well worth seeing

Movie Review: “Incredibles 2” (PG)

It’s been 14 years since Pixar and writer/director Brad Bird (“The Iron Giant”) unleashed the creative (and magical) animated superhero adventure that was “The Incredibles” upon the world, and in the time since, we’ve seen an influx of comic book properties blaze onto the big screen in epic fashion. Therefore, in some ways, an “Incredibles” sequel might feel like a bit of a risk in a current Marvel-heavy cinematic climate, particularly after all these years. Furthermore, the original film is one of Pixar’s most beloved properties, so to say that this follow-up had a lot to live up to would be a gross understatement. Thankfully, Bird and crew have crafted a smile-inducing sequel that’s well worth seeing.

“Incredbiles 2” picks up right where the first film ended and finds the world’s favorite super family taking on a villain out to destroy the city. Unfortunately, The Incredibles do quite a bit of damage of their own while setting out to protect the people, and this leads to further public outcry and the subsequent banning of superhero activity. So now it looks as if The Incredibles might have to hang up their super suits for good — that is, until excitable superhero advocate Winston Deavor (Bob Odenkirk) and his dedicated sister Evelyn (Catherine Keener) reach out to Bob (aka Mr. Incredible), Helen (aka Elsatigirl), and the rest of the Incredibles family with a plan that might reverse the media’s increasingly negative outlook on the actual good done by the Parr family and other superheroes throughout the world.

In order for this plan to work, however, an eloquent Helen (Holly Hunter) is asked to spring back into action solo while a more rough-around-the-edges Bob (Craig T. Nelson) is asked to be a stay-at-home dad and play superfather to math-challenged Dash (Huck Millner), angsty Violet (Sarah Vowell), and precocious little Jack-Jack (Eli Fucile) — a toddler who starts to display wacky super powers of his own. Adding to an already enormously complicated situation is the arrival of a mysterious new villain known as the Screenslaver.

Rather than trying to compete with an overabundance of high-profile superhero movies dominating our local multiplexes, Bird has played it a bit safe with “Incredibles 2” and opted to play up the family-dynamic aspect here. And for the most part, it works! No, this sequel isn’t quite as magical as the first movie, but the vocal cast (led by the likes of Nelson, Hunter, Samuel L. Jackson, and Jonathan Banks) is in top form, the animation is stellar, and the unabashed “a family that fights crime together stays together” theme are definitely most worth noting in “Incredibles 2.”

For a large stretch of this picture, a fiercely independent and overjoyed Helen is given a new lease on life as her alter ego Elastigirl is permitted to do what she does best. Meanwhile, Bob is sort of reintroduced to domestic life, which ultimately proves to be good for his soul. But fear not, viewers. This sequel isn’t two hours of a family separated. The Incredibles do get to engage in a fair amount of criminal butt kicking as a family unit, culminating in an extended climactic action sequence that finds the Parr family setting out to save the city once more. The stakes are considerably lower here than they are in, say, “Avengers: Infinity War,” but that’s certainly one of this film’s many charms.

“Incredibles 2” doesn’t exactly light the world on fire with it’s big villain reveal. But then, Bird doesn’t belabor this aspect of the picture, either. Yes, it’s all a bit obvious, but the reveal comes at about the midpoint of the movie — so no harm, no foul.

Again, where the “The Incredibles 2” really comes alive is in the family character beats. There’s plenty of humor, too, most of it revolving around the hilarious Jack-Jack and his myriad odd super powers. A bit when the toddler squares off against a raccoon is absolutely hilarious while another sequence in which an old friend from the original film takes a closer look at Jack-Jack’s unique powers is as sweet as it is funny. True, Bird and crew lean pretty heavily on the Jack-Jack plot thread, but this little guy is so darned adorable that it’s easy to see why.

“Incredibles 2” is a lot of fun. It may not reach the heights of 2004’s original, but it’s a vibrant, colorful, pleasant, and warm follow-up that downplays obvious superhero hijinks in favor of telling a story about the importance of family. And in times like these, that’s an incredible notion indeed.

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