Incredibles 2 premiered in theaters this past weekend. The wait for the highly anticipated sequel to The Incredibles (2004) was long but definitely worth it. Pixar could not have picked a better weekend for Incredibles 2 to open, with Father’s Day providing the perfect opportunity for people to take a trip to their local theater and dive into some family-friendly entertainment.
Incredibles 2 Review
Based on the attendance at the theater my 11-year-old daughter and I visited, families were out in droves for Pixar’s latest feature. In fact, the movie was welcomed back by the largest opening weekend audience ever for an animated film. It was obvious when the theater was full on a Sunday afternoon that this movie was turning into a hit. Here’s Rebecca Rubin of Variety’s take on the box office smash:
“The opening weekend of “Incredibles 2” was, well, incredible.”
“The Disney-Pixar movie flew to a record-breaking launch of $180 million in 4,410 locations, easily landing the superhero sequel the best debut of all time for an animated film. That title was previously held by fellow Pixar sequel “Finding Dory,” which bowed with $135 million in 2016.”
Showtime
In an unusual move, the movie was preceded by a filmed apology from director Brad Bird and actors Holly Hunter, Samuel L. Jackson, and Craig T. Nelson. All of them took turns apologizing for it taking 14 years to make the sequel. While taking 14 years to complete a sequel is odd for the movie industry, nobody in attendance seemed to care.
The movie picks up right where the original left off. The action is fast from the beginning and doesn’t let up until the first villain is stopped in typical Incredibles style. All of the family works together to (partially) save the day from “The Underminer,” but the city is a wreck afterwards and the authorities are not happy. Because the superheroes have once again violated the “no superhero law” they are severely reprimanded by the police. As a result, their superhero organization is disbanded and the Parr family is forced to relocate to a hotel and told to get real jobs.
Incredible Reprieve
The rest of the movie involves Hunter’s character “Elastigirl” being recruited to fight crime by a rich marketing guru named Winston Deavor (Bob Odenkirk). His plan is to return superheroes to prominence by using Elastigirl’s ability to save the day without wrecking the city. While Elastigirl is saving the day, Nelson’s character Bob Parr (a.k.a. Mr. Incredible) is trying to become Mr. Mom at home. This involves him taking care of the house, their infant son Jack-Jack, and learning “new math” to help his son. This part hit extremely close to home for my daughter and I. As Mr. Incredible screamed “they can’t change math, math is math,” both of us reflected back on my own math struggles with her and laughed. It was clear that a lot of fathers in the theater could relate to this scene.
Enter Evil
The new villain in Incredibles 2 is Screenslaver. He has the ability to control people’s minds and wreak havoc using his victims to commit crimes. As a result, he and Elastigirl do battle throughout the movie as she tries to discover who Screenslaver is and save the day. The plot becomes somewhat obvious in the middle but the movie is saved by Jack-Jack, who is developing multiple super powers that he cannot control. The scenes involving Jack-Jack’s powers being unleashed are among the best the film has to offer. All through the movie theater you could hear children saying “aw, he’s so cute!” and laughing along with Jack-Jack’s antics.
Last Word on Incredibles 2
If you enjoyed The Incredibles, you should see this film. It’s a non-stop adventure that everyone in attendance seemed to thoroughly enjoy. It’s an excellent family film that everybody in the theater from young to old seemed to have a great time watching. And based on the ending, I have a strong feeling that the next movie in the series will not take 14 years.
Main image credit: