In 2032, “Incredibles 3” really should be something.
OK, that is merely a speculative joke based on the number of years – 14 – between the releases of “The Incredibles” and its sequel, the new “Incredibles 2.”
Wow, this movie was worth the wait.
Like its predecessor, “Incredibles 2” is a digitally animated superhero adventure from acclaimed Disney affiliate Pixar Animation studios and was written and directed by Brad Bird.
And, also like the first movie, it is simply fantastic.
Bird picks up the adventures of the super-powered Parr family – Bob/Mr. Incredible (voiced by Craig T. Nelson), Helen/Elastigirl (Holly Hunter), Violet (Sarah Vowell) and Dash (Huck Milner) – right where “The Incredibles” left off. Violet had just been asked out by a boy, Tony (voiced by Michael Bird, son of Brad), and then the city was attacked by The Underminer (John Ratzenberger) and his massive drilling vehicle.
The Incredibles spring into action to save the day, but there are consequences.
The world’s governments continue to see those with powers, aka “supers,” as causing more problems than they solve. In essence, even when they save the day, they rack up huge bills in infrastructure and other types of damage. As the Parrs’ story moves forward, it remains illegal for them to be incredible.
However, a wealthy man wants to change all of that. Before Bob must resort to going back to a desk job to support to support a family that also includes baby Jack Jack – if you recall, the boy’s powers began to reveal themselves to the audience, but not his parents, late in “The Incredibles” – Winston Deavor (Bob Odenkirk of “Better Call Saul”) offers him and Helen a partnership with the aim of improving the public perception of supers.
Well, really – and much to Bob’s disappointment – the offer is for Helen, at least initially. As data compiled by Winston’s sister, Evelyn (Catherine Keener of “Get Out”), shows, the super-stretchy Elastigirl has caused much less damage over the years than the impressively strong Mr. Incredible.
While it kills him not to be superheroing it up himself, Bob convinces Helen she must do this for the family – and that he is more than capable of staying home to take care of the kids.
“No problem,” he said. “Easy.”Sure, Bob.
Before he knows it, he is drowning in helping Dash with his hard-to-understand homework – math has changed since he was a boy – Violet’s Tony problem and the, um, developing Jack Jack. This is great, relatable stuff.
While not as relatable, Helen’s storyline is terrific, too. Given a slick new Elasticycle by her wealthy benefactor – Winston also loans the family a high-tech mansion he’s not using – the exhilarated Helen goes about thwarting crimes, starting with the remote hijacking of a new hovertrain by a mysterious, tech-savvy villain known as the Screenslaver.
Helen’s first effort to foil the Screenslaver, who has sent the train speeding the wrong way on its relatively short track, is one of several dazzling action pieces in “Incredibles 2.” Like a few subsequent sequences, it’s at least as thrilling as anything you’ll see in a live-action superhero flick.
And at the risk of making Disney entirely too happy by using this word, “Incredibles 2” does look incredible. The designs are topnotch, and many visuals really pop – none more so than a strobed-out confrontation between Helen and a masked man. Even in plain, ol’ 2-D – “Incredibles 2” is also being shown in 3-D – it is an all-consuming sight.
None of that really would matter, though, were Bird not so adept at crafting animated movies, with a resume that also includes the endlessly wonderful “The Iron Giant” (1999) and another Pixar classic, “Ratatouille” (2007).” While he no doubt had myriad talented collaborators behind the scenes on “Incredibles 2,” both his writing and direction serve greatly to make this an emotionally compelling story and a memorable movie-going experience.
As we know, sequels can be a tricky thing, if less so for Pixar, whose two “Toy Story” sequels are highly acclaimed and whose “Finding Nemo” follow-up, “Finding Dory,” satisfied in 2016. Audiences enjoy the familiar – and it’s certainly nice to hear the voices of Nelson (NBC’s “Parenthood”), Hunter (“The Big Sick”) and Samuel L. Jackson (“Kong: Skull Island”), who reprises the role of family friend Lucius Best, aka ice-generating hero Frozone, again – but a sequel needs to offer more than that, as “Incredibles 2” does.
With all it has going for it – at about two hours it still leaves your craving a bit more of the Incredibles – “Incredibles 2” deserves to be in discussion for Pixar’s finest sequel. And while it’s hard to go so far as to say this movie surpasses “The Incredibles,” that’s a discussion worth having, too.
Seriously, 2032 can’t get here soon enough.
‘Incredibles 2’
In theaters: June 15.
Rated: PG for action sequences and some brief mild language.
Runtime: 1 hour, 58 minutes.Stars (of four): 3.5.
