In some ways a perfect sequel, in other ways disappointing - but a slick and solid adventure either way

Rating: 7/10 (14 September 2019)

The hesitancy to make a sequel to The Incredibles was understandable. While its on-the-nose cavalier suave wasn't for everyone, the first film was so well-paced and balanced between action and drama that planning out a worthy follow-up was almost impossible. The first film also did something incredible (pun intended) by balancing nostalgia for superheroes with a unique angle that made them very mortal beings and set it apart from other super movies.
In some ways, Incredibles 2 did the best job possible of leading where the other left off. Rather than kidding anyone by trying to step over the Underminer ending of the first film, it picks up and shows us the epic action sequence that we expected to see. With animation that is updated yet extremely faithful to the original, the movie maintains the fast-paced mix of intense action, stylish moves, and funny family drama. At moments it even captures that dazzling feeling of seeing the inventions of the Incredibles universe for the first time. Instead of trying too hard to go in a new direction, it almost acts like a "next installment" by keeping many of the plot elements of the first movie but reversing many of the roles. This makes it a wholly enjoyable watch that isn't missing many things we were hoping for.
At the same time, the by-the-numbers emulation of the first movie's greatness makes ever meeting or surpassing its greatness impossible. Incredibles 2 is, for all its efforts, essentially a repeat of the first story. Since it's not entering uncharted territory and stays in the comfy zone of predictability, the stakes feel much lower than they did in the first movie. What I found most disappointing, though, was that the maturity and subtlety levels went downward for this sequel, as most of the character development of the first movie was completely reset for the new movie. Bob and Helen Parr were almost acting like irritating caricatures of themselves rather than a couple who had gone through any major breakthough together, and the kids were back to bickering and whining for much of the movie before their maturity was allowed to return. While Jack Jack's antics were funny and inevitable, his prolonged presence on the screen felt like a band-aid for the unpredictability that was missing. I know it's not fair to hold Pixar up to a godly standard for each of its films, but some of the immaturity and the gimmicks of Incredibles 2 felt like the things that lesser-regarded studios would resort to rather than them.
Incredibles 2 doesn't attempt nor come close to replacing its source movie, which is perhaps wise but also removes its capacity to be a great movie. We're still left with many of the great things that entertained and wowed us in the first movie - and the hopes that another installment isn't too far behind.