‘Incredibles 2’ Review: Darker Than The Original, But Well-Written And A Lot Of Fun


It took 14 years for the sequel to the Oscar-winning film The Incredibles to hit the big screen, but Incredibles 2 was well worth the wait.

The original film, which featured the voice talents of Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, and Samuel L. Jackson in the roles of three superheroes who went undercover after superheroes were declared illegal, was a smash hit for Brad Bird, who left his job at The Simpsons to produce the film for the Disney/Pixar animation studio.

Hopes were high for Incredibles 2, especially after the trailer for the film reached 113 million views in its first day online, making it the most-watched trailer for an animated feature in history.

There are a number of reasons why it took Bird so long to give us the greatness that was Incredibles 2. According to ScreenRant, he was working on a number of other projects — some successful, some not-so-much — but wanted to do a follow-up to the original film quickly, and even began the talks to do so back in 2007.

Ultimately, though, it took this year to make the film hit the streets.

The Incredibles 2 has a much darker storyline than the original: it picks up exactly where the first one left off — at the scene of the crime featuring the Underminer, who proceeds to rob a bank and, ultimately, gets away from the Parr family/the Incredibles. The Incredibles, along with Frozone, are then whisked away by a rich billionaire who has a nostalgic affinity to superheroes thanks to his father, and Elastigirl is tasked with finding the identity of Screenslaver, a 21st-century villain who entrances people through their screens. Whereas Syndrome (Jason Lee) favored physical violence in the original — and, ultimately, perished when he tried to kidnap Jack-Jack — Screenslaver, voiced by Get Out‘s Catherine Keener, is much more wily and uses mental wit to conquer her victims which, ultimately, include the superheroes.

This, then, makes Incredibles 2 much more relevant with today’s times, even though it’s supposed to be set in a hyper-nostalgic version of America in the 1950s. Dash Parr, originally voiced by Spencer Fox, is now voiced by Huck Milner (since Fox is now 25-years-old and the guitarist for the rock band Charly Bliss, thus leaving him incapable of playing a 10-year-old boy). The kids take center stage at various points throughout the film, too — including baby Jack-Jack, who has a variety of superpowers that he can’t yet control, and who endears himself to perennial favorite Edna Mode — and it works to great effect. As characters, they’re well-developed and likable and show a level of maturity that is unusual for typical pre-teen/teen characters.

Overall, The Incredibles 2 is a great film that’s sure to be enjoyed by both children, and adults, of all ages.

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