It’s testament to how much we missed the Parrs that it has already overtaken Finding Dory’s box office in the states
FIRST up, while you’re still arguing over the armrest and bemoaning the tall person in front of you, Pixar’s traditional short.
We’ve had clouds, volcanoes, birds and stars, but this time we tackle the delicious world of Bao and an absolutely delightful tale of an overprotective mother and the most delicious of all the foods.
It’s charming. Don’t watch if you’re hungry or your kids have just left home. And it contains the biggest WTF moment of any Pixar film I’ve ever seen.
On to the main event. After the universal praise that greeted the original, was trying to replicate the success a risk? It’s taken Brad Bird — writer, director and voice of Edna Mode — 14 years to suggest it was. Will this taint the memory of Pixar’s second-best film? (It’s 1. Toy Story 3, 2. The Incredibles then 3. Ratatouille — no, don’t @ me.)
Thankfully no — it reminds you of how good the first one is, but doesn’t shoot itself in the foot. This is a worthy successor.
We pick up three months after we left the Parr family basking in the glow of Syndrome’s defeat. After a mishap with a giant drill, the government has had enough of the damage caused and shut down the Superhero Relocation Program.
On their backsides and desperate, help arrives in the form of Winston Deavor, an Elon Musk-style superfan who, along with his more bitter and pragmatic sister Evelyn, offers to help them regain the public’s trust.
Flipping tradition on its head, Elastigirl is chosen to head the campaign and Mr Incredible has to be content with being Bob, the stay-at-home dad, looking after a particularly demanding and volatile Jack-Jack. (Remember, we the viewers are one step ahead of the family . . . they don’t know about his powers yet!)
Our foe this time round is the Screenslaver, a slightly underwhelming villain who hypnotises people via the TV — channelling, sorry, Edward Byron in the original Seventies Spider-Man movie.
Much like the first, which in turn was much like Spy Kids but shhh, the adults find themselves in peril and must be saved by the younger members. That’s a pretty brief snapshot of the film’s bare bones, but there’s plenty of depth and comment too.
The Incredibles is Pixar’s X-Men — fighting a cause for people born differently (in this case the illegality of superheroes) and having to prove their value.Because of the table-turning plot, it obviously addresses gender roles within a family — the relationship between Mr and Mrs is the cornerstone of the entire film.
Role reversal, jealousy and resentment are only just pipped to the post by love and respect — y’know, marriage! Top all this off with a few gentle sideswipes at Congress and the brevity of American politicians and away we go.
Newcomers to the film are impeccably cast — in particular Breaking Bad’s Bob Odenkirk as Winston (a spitting image of Saul) and Jonathan Banks as the underused head of the relocation program, the wonderfully named Rick Dicker. Naturally, this is all topped with the welcome return of Edna and it feels like a breath of fresh air when she finally appears. Her double act with Jack-Jack is a real treat.
My problem with the film is the same as I had with the first.The annoying Perez Hilton-like Syndrome has been replaced by Screenslaver. A villain without a real agenda other than not liking how addicted we are to screens is lazy and not enough of a threat.
It’s testament to how much we missed the Parrs that it has already overtaken Finding Dory’s box office in the US and will probably knock Rogue One out of the all-time Top Ten. It’s by no means a groundbreaking sequel but paces it well enough.
The set pieces (Jack-Jack vs Raccoon is one of the best Pixar have ever done), style and a wonderful score from Michael Giacchino polish a thinnish plot with enough vigour so that it’s barely noticeable.
Yes, Incredibles 2 is obviously incredibly fun, beautiful and well structured. A distinct lack of jeopardy is the raging elephant in the room, but even one of those doesn’t stand a chance with this family.
Incredibles 2, 118mins (PG)
★★★★☆
