After hanging on, waiting, pining for a whole 14 years, The Incredibles have finally returned to the big screen much to the ecstatic screams of fans like me. At just 8 years old, the first film inspired me, and no doubt for months after I was set on being a super hero. Now an adult, i’ve yet to adorn a cape, but the dream still exists in me somewhere.
The Incredibles 2 approach the world in a very 2018 way, firmly placing the superhero pants on the matriarch of the family. Elastigirl, the mother hen to the Incredible family and their many offspring takes the role of hero while Mr. Incredible stays at home to look after the kids. Violet has a date with her crush Tony and Jack-Jack’s superpowers are finally discovered.
The opening scene continues straight after the last scene of the first movie, so for the Incredibles themselves, the 14 year wait we have had to endure is but a blink of an eye and a twist of a drill controlled by the Underminer. After the dust settles, Elastigirl is invited and supported by a billionaire, Winston Deavor, to be the spotlighted icon of superheroes and bring support from society to legalise superheroes along with fighting Screen Slaver, the new super villain who can control people through any screen.
During this time, Mr. Incredible is struggling with his new role as family man. Although devoted to his family and kids, he struggles with the everyday chores his wife slinked her way through, thanks to her elasticated arms and feet no doubt. Violet has a date with her crush, Tony Ridinger. Dash, the middle child, is causing mischief and Jack-Jack, the baby, finds himself at the center of the story, fighting his own arch enemy as the story progresses. Surprisingly, another side of the greatest designer in the world, Edna Mode, is revealed. And as for Frozone, well Frozone is still Frozone.
The story does a great job at reflecting modern society by swapping the parental roles. It breaks down the misconceptions that heros are all men, and that taking care of the family is the woman’s job. However, the movie does a great job at balancing this shift in paradigm with the exciting overarching story that is certainly not shrouded in moral commentary. The villain in this episode has tricks, techs, skills, and twists making the role more interesting and the storyline spends time focusing on normal family issues, proving that not all superheroes wear capes.
After 14 years, the wait may have been long, but personally I am grateful of the wait. As the world changed, so did the story of The Incredibles, inspiring girls and young women to become superheroes themselves and opening people’s minds to the realities of life. This movie was made for two, the new generation of children eager to catch the next superhero movie, and adults like myself who have also changed and evolved over the last decade and a half. The movie (which has incredible special effects and CGI compared to the first one, may I add) is impressive all round, and even tackles more adult themes like belief and responsibility. One character has a strong belief in superheroes, with another has the belief that every individual has to be on their own, and refrain from placing their life in someone else’s hands. It even touches a little on law and ethics.
Overall, The Incredibles 2 is a brilliant animated movie that deserves respect from adults and children. The story is not over complicated but it explores ideas and issues, inspiring though and critical thinking in both young and old. It frames gender in a fluid state and stimulates children’s curiosity about good and bad, right and wrong, and eventually, why?
This was worth the wait.