A good, but not great, sequel.

Rating: 7/10 (16 June 2018)

I love the original Incredibles, it's probably my favorite Pixar movie, or close to it.
The Incredibles 2 hits many of the right notes, but suffers a little bit from sequelitis.
The good: The characters are still lovable and are consistent with their previous movie. The action sequences are great, and there are more of them than in the first film. The animation and visuals are "incredible," and somehow match the aesthetic of the first film while taking full advantage of the 14 years of computer graphics advancements. The comedy is also "pretty good," although some of the best jokes are in the trailer. The graphic design of the film is also stunning- on par with the first film, if not even more polished.
The bad: Feels like a "monster of the week" episode of a TV show more than a movie. The timelessness and gravitas of the first movie don't even come close here, and the philosophy feels a bit more forced and less digestible. The comedy, though generally enjoyable, also isn't quite as polished throughout. There's also a weird flavor to the writing here, like the movie knows it's being watched, and so it's treading a bit too carefully...nothing too detrimental, but I found it harder to relax with the film because of it. Things just didn't feel as natural.
Another thing that might throw some people off, the balance of character use is very different here. It's almost inverted from the first film, so that's good in the sense that it's something new, but some people may be disappointed if their favorite character doesn't really "do much."
Anyway, this is a good film, and a good sequel, but it definitely has flaws. I'm a little saddened that the film didn't match the first one in terms of timelessness and relatability, but to re-visit the Parr family one more time, it was worth it.