WHAT’S IT ABOUT: Picking up right where The Incredibles last left us, we see that even while superheroes are still illegal, they are needed. At least, that’s what Bob, aka Mr. Incredible (voiced by Craig T. Nelson) and his wife Helen, aka Elastigirl (voiced by Holly Hunter) believe, opening the movie with a desperate attempt to stop ‘The Underminer’ (voiced by John Ratzenberger) from wreaking havoc on the city of Municiberg, though they do even more damage than he in trying to bring him to justice. And the don’t bring him to justice.
In hopes of changing public perceptions, fans of superheroes Winston (voiced by Bob Odenkirk) and Evelyn Deavor (voiced by Catherine Keener), siblings with great wealth – he a communications expert and she a tech genius – convince Bob and Helen to try a new approach. The begin a hero campaign that focuses on Elastigirl only, she the less destructive of the bunch, soon facing off against a new enemy called The ScreenSlaver, a villian who threatens to take over the world with his hypnotizing powers.
Meanwhile, as Bob stays home, he tries to manage a domesticated life, taking care of the kids and staying on the sidelines. It isn’t easy, especially as new developments arise with their youngest Jack-Jack, a baby with a few unexpected, um, abilities. Soon though, it will take the whole family (and some new friends) to save the city and change the minds of those who want to keep superheroes underground for good.
QUICKIE REVIEW: Animation has certainly made big strides since the first Pixar movies, and yet with each new release, the company still manages to awe with stunning productions that never seem to lack an ounce of imagination and creativity. That was a plus back in 2004 when the original film, The Incredibles debuted, just as the whole superhero phenomenon was about strike. It was a huge leap in the medium, the movie packed with a great story but also an amazing visual style. So it is again, the filmmakers managing to maintain the look and feel of the first while updating everything with astonishing details. This movie is gorgeous to look at it.
More so, just as Pixar often does, Incredibles 2 comes fit for the times, embracing modern sensibilities and social trends along with the usual subtle (and maybe not so subtle) commentary on life in general (ScreenSlaver is a transparent swipe at our own addictions but nonetheless, stingingly accurate). While a few conventions might pull back on the yoke a bit, such as a villain seen from ten miles out [bg_collapse view=”link-inline” color=”#de1616″ icon=”zoom” expand_text=”Show Spoiler” collapse_text=”Close” ] (why do all bad guys have to be some sort of twist on a character we come to trust?)[/bg_collapse], there’s still plenty of innovation. This is high-octane entertainment with loads of smart action, terrific subplots, and deeper investment in a family we’ve long been waiting to meet again. In short, it’s well … incredible. Didn’t see that one coming, did you.
THAT MOMENT IN: Elastigirl gets her chance to shine, a lot, as the Deavors put their plan into action, she getting the chance to save the day with a dramatic high-speed train rescue (a superhero staple) and saving the life of The Ambassador (voiced by Isabella Rossellini) in a high-speed aerial rescue. She’s got the stuff and the public is eating it up, mostly because she’s doing it without the collateral structural damage her husband Mr. Incredible tends to leave behind when he commits to heroism.
And speaking of Mr. Incredible, poor Bob has been sidelined, forced to sit it out while Helen works to shift perceptions. That means he’s home with the kids, the family now put up in one of Winston’s elaborate mansions (since their home was destroyed at the end of the first movie). So what’s a superhero father to do with three kids, all of whom require very different bits of attention? Well, it’s not easy, as he comes to realize that being the single parent is a job of spinning plates and there’s no superpower to make it better. It all comes down to a fantastic moment when he seems to unravel … but in a way you might not expect.
HOW IT GOES: While Helen is out saving the city, Bob is steadily doing all the house stuff on his own, something at first he’s quite capable of handling, though it begins to weigh on them broad shoulders of his. His son Dash (voiced by Huckleberry Milner), a kid with – as his name suggests – lightning fast speed, is having trouble with “new math” at school, something Bob isn’t all that familiar with. His daughter Violet (voiced by Sarah Vowell) – a girl who can become invisible and use force fields – likes a boy at school, but since he accidently saw her in her superhero costume, got his memory wiped of her so he can’t tell anyone. This makes her really, really, happy (Sarcasm). Then there’s Jack-Jack, the infant, who is just now starts to show hints that he too will be part of the superhero family, able to phase through dimensions and shoot lasers out his eyes and morph into a kind of demon-ish monster thing when unhappy. It’s a handful.
While nights go by and he can’t sleep, trying to fix all the problems and keep the house calm while Helen is at work (who is unaware of anything going on at home), Bob shows signs of breaking down. His eyes are sunken. He hasn’t shaved. He’s disheveled. And then at last, one day, it boils over when all the three kids are on him at once, the two older children seeing for the first time that Jack-Jack has powers. They want to know why their father hasn’t told anyone, including them and their mother. Finally, Bob does.
THE SPEECH: Ever see National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation? Remember that bit when Clark (Chevy Chase), having been expecting a Christmas bonus from work, gets instead a Jelly of the Month Club membership? (It’s the gift that keeps on giving). He momentarily loses his already wavering composure and let’s lose a profanity-filled rant that acts like a pressure valve for all his stress. Well, picture that but with Pixar at the helm, and instead of a goofy, accident prone dad shouting at the top his lungs, an out of work superhero dad just wanting to keep things under control.
Bob slips into a manic expression of all his efforts in juggling his family’s needs, learning new math for Dash, fixing the boyfriend issue for Violet and struggling to reign in the powers of his youngest, who hasn’t got an inkling of what he’s doing yet. Bob goes through a number of physical gyrations in his highly-expressive diatribe, trying to detail why’s he doing what he’s doing and why it’s important that he does, all to the stunned faces of his kids, who watch in shock as their dad seems to flip out.
However, what he says is not gibberish, not the rantings of a deranged man suddenly tipped off the scales, as this tropes tends to be, but rather a clear and purposeful explanation to his actions. He’s rolling with the punches he says. He eats lightning and craps thunder, he shouts (a nod to the famous inspirational work of Mickey, played by Burgess Meredith in the Sylvester Stallone film Rocky). And why? Because he’s Mister Incredible. Not Mister So-So or Mediocre Guy. Mr. Incredible.
WHY IT MATTERS: We’re living in changing times where women are finally getting their place in the order, and Incredibles 2 is stepping on all the right toes in making sure they are on board with that message. Elastigirl is at the forefront of the hero-ing business for much of the film, the story outright making nods to the fact that she’s been deserving of more spotlight all along (though we gave her credit before this). In fact, right at the end of Bob’s breakdown, she can be seen on TV saying, “Girls, come on. Leave the saving the world to the men? I don’t think so.” It’s a powerful and empowering message.
However, Pixar is careful not to make a mockery of the other side of the coin, painting men at home like dolts who can’t even load the dishwasher or feed themselves. Bob is a good father. He’s attentive, respectful, diligent, and competent. He isn’t playing Mr. Mom or any of the clichés this scenario so often puts men in at the movies. This rant isn’t at all about a broken man unable to handle anything, but rather an expression to his children that he is, despite his longing to be out on the street fighting crime. In truth, he’s becoming the ‘real’ Mr. Incredible at home.
Of course, Violet doesn’t see this right at the moment (she’s got her own arc to travel) and calls in family friend and fellow superhero Frozone (voiced by Samuel L. Jackson), but we recognize the reality, even if Bob can’t yet either (father and daughter have a good moment a bit later). While we laugh at the problems he faces, we also see that he’s on top of it all, literally sacrificing himself to be the best he can for his kids and limitless support for Helen. Sure, this is a reversal of sorts for the parental roles decades upon decades of movies have portrayed, but Pixar does it with great humor and warmth. Bob says, “I’ve got to succeed, so she can succeed, so we can succeed.” Bob’s handling it. It’s a great movie moment.