|Incredibles 2 Review| Nostalgia Fueled Fun With A Dash Of Girl Power!?

For years, we have waited for the return of the Incredibles and I am happy to say, IT IS WORTH THE WAIT. Incredibles 2 not only fuels your nostalgia but finds itself steering a new direction as it focuses its gaze on it's females stars. Elastigirl comes stretching in front and center as the protagonist of the sequel and not only does she hold her own, but she does a damn good job at it. The Incredibles is as much as a child friendly movie as it is an adult's roller coaster especially if you're part of the generation that grew up on its predecessor.

Strengths:

Disney and Pixar made a bold move placing Elastigirl as the protagonist of the plot but it ends up making the story that much more dynamic. Due to this change we are not only able to see growth in her character but it also helps show a different side to her husband, Mr Incredible. As he is forced to take a back seat he learns that being a super hero isn't always just about saving strangers, but sometimes it's about teaching your son math or being there for your daughter during a break up. The kids also do some growing up as they are forced to learn to better harness the powers they were born with and learn that they are as much a piece of them as their personalities.

Elastigirl is shown to be more than a two dimensional mother and super hero. This movie gives her some serious depth as it explores her own unique touch and excitement to super hero duties even when she tries to remain within the constraints of the law. For her, its not about whether being a superhero is in her, it's about if it will affect her family too much. This is something modern women tend to struggle with. It's hard balancing a thriving career while maintaining a marriage and home life, but with representation like Elastigirl, who not only has the husband, the kids, and a thriving career, maybe the younger generation of women will start to believe it isn't a one or the other kind of choice.

Even the enemy in this sequel is a strong woman with her own ideals. She doesn't believe that superheroes are innately good and frankly doesn't care. What she does believe is, that as a populace, we are too reliant on them. She prefers an independence that she feels heroes threaten. An inventor rather than a people pleaser the main antagonist works some crafty angles in an attempt to see through her vision. Her presence on screen and her manipulation tactics were to be admired from a writing standpoint.

Another strength is Jack Jack. This little hyper powered being was absolutely awesome! He proud a much needed laughable short into the mix when he had a few rounds with a raccoon. It reminded me of the Scrat shorts before every Ice Age movie. Pixar and Disney could've released that as a short and it wouldve done just as well as the full movie. The audience in my theater laughed throughout the entire two minute scuffle. Not only that, but Jack Jack creates a rather unique bond with Edna that just makes the dynamic between her and the supers that more hilarious. As uppity as she is, you would never see the bond happening but when it does it's the sweetest hilarious relationship on screen. Every scene Jack Jack was in was a personal favorite.

Weaknesses:

The only weakness I could think of would be the other heroes. In the previous film we were able to get a bit back story on some of the side line heroes that didn't necessarily add any real dimension to the plot, however it did make the Incredibles world feel more alive. Though there were other heroes around and present on screen we never truly got to see much of them outside of them being tools for the antagonist. I think I would've been more invested in them if they shared a little bit more screen time with our favorite super powered family.

Rating & Explanation:

14 years.....14 years and I couldn't be more content. It is rare that a sequel surpasses its predecessor but I must say I definitely enjoyed Incredibles 2 more than the original. With that being said I don't think that takes away from the greatness that was the original Incredibles at all but I do think with so much time and effort put into the film Disney found a way to truly elevate one of its original 3D classics. To see women be front and center whether super powered or not, was wonderful and for it to explore the complexities of balancing a heavy duty career with an even more heavy duty family just made their world feel real. It made their choices and consequences have weight. For all this and more I give the Incredibles 2 a 9/10 rating.

Check out the trailer here: