A family movie in every sense of the word.

Rating: 8/10 (6 July 2018)

Once again, Disney has proven that they are the best at making family movies. Not just movies that the whole family can see, but movies that people from 4 years old to 80 years old and every age in between can enjoy. There was only one specific thing that I didn't like about the movie, so I'll start with that. I was a bit upset that there was no resolution to the argument that the presence of superheroes makes ordinary people more passive. I thought that was a really interesting theme that deserved to be explored more. If any of you reading this have bought this movie or are going to see it again, please copy down the Screenslaver's voice-over speech when Elastigirl is looking for him and put it on the quotes page. I only started listening to it about halfway through, and I think it's something that most of the audience probably missed because so much else was going on in that scene.
Aside from that, I thought it was a great movie. There were things that could have been done better with it of course, but for a kids movie it was top-notch. When I saw the trailers, I was afraid that we would get some pretty stock scenes of Bob trying to keep things together as a single dad. While these scenes aren't that different from what we've seen before, I think they were better because their weight in the plot was diminished. Bob overcomes his Dad issues, or at least finishes dealing with them, well before the climax which made them feel more true. His challenge isn't this great internal struggle, it's just that he's out of his element and he finds that parenting is a frustrating job, and it doesn't need to be presented as anything more than that.
What I like best about these movies is that the Parr's feel like an actual family. It may not be the most accurate portrayal of a real family dynamic, but it feels real enough that I buy into them as a real family. Disney movies often over-simplify their parent/child relationships, but thankfully that is not the case here. I love the moment in the motel when the whole family is like, "yeah, it *was* awesome to fight crime together today... but we can't." And their two big collaborative superhero scenes are feel real to their family dynamic, in a fairly subtle way.
The movie was also a lot more entertaining than I expected it to be. The scene where Jack-Jack fights the racoon might be the best scene of any movie I've seen this year. The action scenes, once again, were surprisingly exciting for a kids' movie. In fact, I can say with certainty that they were better than the action scenes of many live-action super movies, and they probably have a higher body count than many of them as well.
I wasn't a huge fan of the first movie as a young kid, but I think that most people who were/are fans will not be disappointed. Maybe there shouldn't be a third movie, even though it is likely given how much money this sequel has made. Though it exceeded my expectations, I would recommend that anyone who hasn't seen it yet lower their own. This is by no means a bad movie, and I wouldn't expect it to disappoint even the most hopeful fans, but it might not be quite as good as you dreamed it would be. Keep showing the world how animated movies are done, Disney!