The Super-Family's Back, But it's Not the Same

Rating: 6/10 (27 November 2018)

Picking up immediately after the first film, we find Bob, Helen and the kids still navigating the tricky waters of superhuman illegality, despite saving the world in a handful of very public conflicts. It's great to see the whole cast back again, from headliners Holly Hunter and Craig T. Nelson to supporting players like Samuel L. Jackson, and the effects have never looked better. Pixar almost always seems to one-up themselves in that respect, but it still bears mentioning - Incredibles 2 is a real sensory spectacle.
The primary story is a let-down, though, like something I'd expect to find in a filler issue between big events. After fourteen years away, I would've hoped for something with a bit more emotional punch, an adventure that feels more essential and complex. Instead, it loosely apes a few smaller subplots from the first film, swaps the headline roles, tosses in a few lazy, telegraphed twists and then wraps it all up on an empty happy note.
Visually dazzling, with a good sense of humor, but generally quite hollow and, sadly, almost completely missing the warm, witty commentary on classic superhero stereotypes that made the original work on so many levels. This felt like a B-team's admirable, but failed, effort to step up to the big leagues.