A Damn Good Yet Imperfect Sequel

Rating: 7/10 (1 July 2018)

I'd happily call the first Incredibles a perfect movie. As far as being a spoof on traditional action/superhero flicks, it also managed to balance being a standalone animated feature that anyone could sit back and be enthralled by. The sequel thankfully manages to recapture that magic, albeit with a smidgen less success. The characters are exactly how you remember them, with Elastigirl taking centre stage being a welcome exception from the first film. Mr. Incredible hardly gets left behind however, with his parental struggles with Jack-Jack being a particular comedic highlight. The plot and pacing keep things interesting and the animation is as gorgeous as ever, and some twists surrounding the antagonist keep this franchise from falling into villain-of-the-week tropes. Unfortunately, these said twists don't always land, and the extremely contemporary inclusion of other Supers is intrusive and surprisingly annoying. The film also seems to lack the same tension and punch as the first, and while it thankfully resists the urge to tread familiar ground and spiral into full fan-service mode, I can't help but feel it's inferior to the first in terms of originality. Still, Michael Giaccino's incredible (pun most certainly intended) score and the fun antics of the Parr family will almost certainly reignite the excitement lit by the first film in 2004.