Incredibles 2

INCREDIBLES 2   **

Brad Bird

2018

IDEA:  After a disastrous fight with the Underminer, the Incredibles are approached by a billionaire telecommunications scion who tries to rehabilitate their public image.

BLURB:  The most disappointing thing about Incredibles 2 is how content it seems with its consumerist mediocrity. Unlike the best films in the Pixar canon, which are distinguished by singular artistry and storytelling ingenuity, Brad Bird’s sequel looks and operates like a disposable, run-of-the-mill continuation of a popular commercial property. Although continuation might not be the right word: rather than progress the story of the Parr family or the world of “supers” in any meaningful way, Bird more or less rehashes the plot points, themes, and narrative beats of the original film, adding more flash and hectic activity without bothering to develop fully formed ideas behind it all. The inversion of gender roles is merely a feint at social commentary that only underscores how retrograde this edition feels. While Helen is busy going through the motions of the only strand of the story that really matters, the rest of the family is demoted to a stale subplot that stages clichéd, sexist domestic scenes of male ineptitude and female hysteria. Meanwhile, in a move that reeks of Disney influence, an inordinate amount of attention is devoted to the antics of the baby. His erratic, protean mischief is admittedly humorous, but how many times must we watch him combust or fly through walls before we’ve got the idea? Incredibles 2 seems to think simply showcasing and amplifying the foibles of these beloved characters is enough for another round, but the novelty is gone. While the film is breezy and fitfully inspired, it is hard to escape the sense that, after 14 years, the studio ought to have come up with something better than this.