When The Incredibles was released in 2004, I enjoyed it so much that I saw it in the theater twice. It may be important to note that my first child was not even born yet. So as an adult without any children, I paid for the movie twice. I didn't even bother bringing along a niece or a cousin as cover. It was simply an incredibly entertaining movie that just so happened to be a cartoon. After seeing the last of the terrible Star Wars prequels a short time after watching The Incredibles, I remember telling everyone that the cartoon was far more exciting and entertaining than the dreadful Revenge of the Sith.
Long story short, I loved the first The Incredibles and have been dying for them to make a sequel for almost 14 years.
Was Incredibles 2 worth the wait?
Absolutely!
Did I like it as much as the first?
No... but that is ok. I didn't need to. I just needed it to be funny and entertaining.
Although the movie did not really do anything I haven't seen before, the characters are so much fun that I didn't mind the cliches.
The movie has two very distinct components. On one hand, it is a superhero story filled with very cool heroes and villains. On the other hand, it is a fish out of water comedy about a manly 1960s man taking on the role of "Mr. Mom".
Although my 11 year old daughter and 13 year old son both figured out the entire plot during the first 15 minutes of the movie (so did I by the way), it was still a fun ride getting to the climax. I love the Pixar animation. This animation allowed for there to be no limits to the action scenes or the heroes' and villain's powers.
By far the greatest use of this animation was used to showcase the baby's (Jack-Jack) MULTIPLE powers. Not only did these powers look amazing, they were used in a very humorous way. Although Jack-Jack's abilities were the main course, there was a surprise hero who was actually very cool. A minor character named Voyd was quite impressive. For you Marvel fans out there, Voyd was similar to Kitty Pride. She is able to create gateways anywhere. She opens two vortexes. One for a person or object to enter and then she places the exit wherever she can see. The animators did a sensational job of using these vortexes. During some amazing battle sequences, Voyd very quickly uses these gateways to battle her opponents. I wish I could do the effects justice... but it is something you have to see to fully appreciate. Because I have seen many super hero movies, it takes a lot to impress me. Voyd did.
The second piece involving Mr. Incredible playing the role of stay-at-home dad is very well done. It is important to note that this movie is set in the 1960s. Today a man staying at home with the kids is no big deal. In fact, I was lucky enough to do just that for a year starting when my son was 3 months old (he did not have any super powers... except the ability to keep everyone awake.) But it was not as common for a man in the 1960s. As a result, Mr. Incredible's struggles seemed a lot more realistic and it was easier to sympathize with him. Although his mistakes are used as a vehicle for some of the funniest scenes in the movie, I did not feel they were making him a complete boob. He was new at something. He was bad at it. He got better at it. Fair enough.
Similar to the original, costume designer Edna Mode (voiced by writer/director Brad Bird) steals every scene she is in. She is hilarious on her own. When you combine her with the highly entertaining Jack-Jack, you get quite a few laughs.
Speaking of voices, as with the original, the voices include a lot of A-list talent. Craig T Nelson and Holly Hunter return as the parents. My son was very excited that Nick Fury himself, Samuel L Jackson, returns as Frozone. If you take a look at the full cast, you will recognize just about everyone in the movie. The voices were well cast and did not run into the same problem as Sing (where I could not figure out if the koala was supposed to be a teenager or a 50 year old man).
So that's it huh?
Pretty simple review.
And it should be. This movie is not groundbreaking. Incredibles 2 is a summer movie with action, cool powers, humor, great animation and excellent voices. Although it wasn't very novel, it was fun. When you take your kids to see it, you probably won't fall asleep. In this day and age, that alone will make it a huge hit.
This movie is like high quality vanilla ice-cream. It is not going to wow anyone at the party, but it won't disappoint either.
When it comes to the cheap theaters, I may go back for a second scoop.
Geeky Dad's Movie Guide
Number of times I fell asleep: 0
Number of eye rolls: 0
Number of face palms: 0
Number of times my kid asked to go to the bathroom or get food out of sheer boredom: 0
Number of times I checked steemit: 0
Did my kids like it: My 13 year old son and 11 year old daughter both LOVED it! They would both see it again today.
Would I see it without my kids: At the cheap theater
Full price/Matinee/Rental/Free/Not worth the time: Full price if you have kids to take as cover. If you don't have kids, wait for the cheap theater or Netflix.
One last thing. Some sites claim there is an after the credit scene. There really isn't. Although if you do stay, you will get to hear the cute theme songs of Mr. Increidble, Elastigirl, and Frozone (which is my favorite).