Movie Review: 'Incredibles 2'

Now that it's finally been released in the UK, a month after the US release, I thought 'Incredibles 2' was pretty good and I really enjoyed it.

It carries on straight after the first movie ended, and we finally get to see what happens next after the Underminer appeared at the end of the previous movie, in a fun sequence that ends up casting doubts over Supers once again.

Sure, director Brad Bird re-treads over some of the recognisable beats that made the first film so excellent, but he also keeps it fresh by adding in some new elements, giving you something that is familiar but also ultimately something new, that is typical of a sequel.

The roles are reversed in this one as it's Elastigirl/Helen that takes the lead in doing all the super-ing, leaving Mr Incredible/Bob to reluctantly take on domestic duties, instead of super, looking after the kids back at home, whilst mom is out saving the world. It was fun to see this play out, with one relishing their return to action and the other pining for it as well but also struggling to cope with daily familial struggles as well as trying to deal with Jack-Jack coming into his own powers as they begin to manifest themselves.

Familiar faces return, like Frozone/Lucius, Rick Dicker and of course Edna Mode. But we also get a new batch of supers, Voyd, Krushauer, Helectrix, Reflux, Brick, Screech and more as Winston Deavor, a superhero fan and CEO of DevTech - a telecommunications company, wants to regain the public's support and trust in Supers and undo the laws that have made their activities illegal. There's some great action sequences, spiced with some great humour too - such as Jack-Jack's tussle with a raccoon, plus the end sequence is pretty good too, getting the pulse racing in a battle to save the city and the day!

The only criticism was with the big bad, the Screenslaver. They were set up well, giving them motivation and depth, and you could certainly empathise with them for their way of thinking, but I just felt that they were almost a copy of the villain Syndrome from the original movie - both driven by their desire for a kind of vengeance against Supers, out to exact a kind of revenge to right a wrong, through a seemingly well thought out and executed plan, although minus the island lair this time. So when Elastigirl is drawn into investigating the mysterious supervillain, the breadcrumb trail of clues, despite the red herring thrown in there, allowed you to follow the trail, along with Elastigirl, and piece together the clues, leading to an obvious conclusion.   

All in all though, it's a fun movie that, after 14 years from the first movie (has it really been that long?!), continues and builds on from where it left off. It's a great superhero movie, full of action, excitement, suspense and laughs, and could easily be a part of any comics cinematic universe, with another great musical score by Michael Giacchino that is very indicative of the silver age of superheroes. It's definitely been worth the wait!