Benjamin Franklin is credited with coining the masterful mixture of wit and wisdom that is “‘Tis impossible to be sure of anything except death and taxes,”. Perhaps nostalgia should be added as a third certainty on the heels of another sequel, “Incredibles 2,” that simultaneously mocks and embodies the love for the past that has taken root within us.
Nostalgia is a powerful force, but in terms of entertainment value, it does have well defined limits. “Incredibles 2” features a similar driving theme as the first movie; a yearning for past glory compounded with dismay for the restrictive circumstances that be. The movie has no trouble bringing these complex and timeless issues to the table, but there is less development in the actual discussion.
The movie picks right back up where we left off with the Parr family. The world is still wary of the trouble that superheroes bring without much regard for the good they provide or the well-being of their heroes. Bob and Helen are still struggling to get their feet under them and separate themselves from their lives as Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl, as they did in the first movie, before a wealthy and connected benefactor proposes a silver bullet.
Elastigirl becomes the new face of superhero resurgence championed by said benefactor who yearns for the golden age of heroes while Bob takes on the role of a stay-at-home dad in a timely wink at gender roles that does not try too hard to be social commentary. Both themes are worthy of their own separate movie and honestly alluded to briefly, but this is still a children’s movie at the end of the day.
As the film escalates and the Incredibles are faced with tough choices about lawful good, a familiar rhythm begins to appear. For those that returned to the first film recently for maximum nostalgic impact upon seeing the sequel, the inciting action and resolution feel very familiar. They are an entire family of fully developed superheroes after all, so much of the story’s resolve comes from their growth as a family with nods to their individual issues instead of the other way around. The nostalgia the film calls upon, both in its plot and fanservice, is a little too thick to go unnoticed in a world where every intellectual property either gets a sequel or waits for its fan base to reemerge in force a decade later.
All that being said, the movie looks and feels as masterfully crafted as any other Pixar production. The humor carries the same hallmark for multileveled jokes that make the movie rewatchable, and the characters feel like refined versions of the ones we fell in love with way back in 2004. Jack-Jack has no comprehensible lines in the film, and yet he still drives the movie’s humor in a robust way. Each character brings a unique sense of comic relief in accordance with either their rocky grappling with adolescence in the case of Violet and Dash or a transition to a brand new lifestyle for the parents.
For those that remembered the first Incredibles with affection, this movie will entertain you and allow you frolic in the joys and nostalgias this particular franchise has to offer. Anyone expecting a groundbreaking flourish that sets a new gold standard in Pixar movies will probably be disappointed, and that’s okay. “Incredibles 2” is every bit as entertaining, funny and heartwarming as a good summer family movie should be, and that is enough.
Jonah Baker can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @jonahpbaker