Rating: PG
Directed by: Brad Bird
Starring: Holly Hunter, Craig T. Nelson, Samuel L. Jackson
The Incredibles came at a time before the Marvel cinematic universe, when superheroes were still fantastical and figures of 1960s fun. But it still managed to put a familial spin on the genre, with the Parr family’s superpowers matched only by their arguments.
Wisely this sequel, 14 years in the making, doesn’t try to account for that time.
Instead it jumps straight in where the first film finished, the Parr family battling the villainous Underminer.
And despite the huge gap between movies, everyone springs straight back into their super suits.
The twist here? It is Holly Hunter’s Helen Parr, also known as Elastigirl, who ends up in the spotlight.
She is chosen as the face of a new campaign to legitimise superheroes, given a swanky new Elasticycle and plenty of network TV coverage.
Bob, meanwhile, gets to stay at home and take care of superpowered baby Jack Jack and his siblings Dash and Violet.
Without a doubt, Jack-Jack steals the show.
His abilities still burgeoning, there is one fight scene in particular where he takes on a back garden raccoon which demonstrates Pixar’s magic with animation.
And the action scenes truly are stand out, easily equal to any of the photo real explosions Marvel Studios have been putting on the big screen.
Director Brad Bird throws everything into them, making them impossibly kinetic but also easy to follow. A chase sequence involving the Elasticycle and some helicopters is mesmeric and flips the stomach as Elastigirl scales rooftops on two wheels.
And a battle with the main villain, the Screenslaver is also one the year’s most visually inventive moments, using strobing LED walls to silhouette the fighters in a style much like the comic books they were inspired by.
The Screenslaver’s power? To hypnotise through technology. The iPad parenting generation will appreciate that.
Inevitably some things feel derivative. Plots involving superhero team ups and the government turning on those with abilities are now relatively well trodden material elsewhere. There’s also a twist which most will sense coming a mile off.
But what The Incredibles 2 does right, in its visual invention and neat twists on the family dynamic, make it more than worth the price of a ticket.
It might even surpass the original.
4/5
Incredibles 2 is in cinemas from July 13.
