Movie Review - The Incredibles 2

On the last day of school we decided to surprise the kids with a trip to the movies after our annual trip to Dairy Queen for Ice Cream.  Both had put checking out the Incredibles in theatres on our summer bucket list, and I'm not lying it was pretty cool to knock it off the list on our very first day of the break.

Movie Review The Incredibles 2

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What's in it for the Kids?
If your kids dug the first Incredibles movie, this offers all of the same characters you love (although for whatever reason the animators decided to completely change what teen hero Violet's love interest Tony looks like - Buzzfeed even wrote an article about it you can check out here).  There are a lot of laughs with baby Jack Jack as he begins to explore the full range of his own super powers.  This provided most of the kid related comic relief for the movie.

What's in it for the Adults?
Although both Incredibles movies are supposed to be set in the past (we have not idea exactly how distant) both adult characters face feelings of incompetence and stress when taking on new job and family related responsibilities - very easy to relate to (although this could be seen as reinforcing old fashioned women in the workforce gender roles - worthy of debate).  The villain in this film, Screenslaver, serves as a creepy Big Brother reminder that felt very Orwellian to my English major self.  Voice work by all of the original characters, Craig T. Nelson, Samuel Jackson, Holly Hunter, and Brad Bird continued to impress, as did the additions of  Bob Odenkirk (Better Call Saul) and Catherine Keener.

The Incredible Family

Best Parts of the Movie
After a 14 year gap this movie hits the ground running, in what is set to be mere days after the first film.  Action sequences are fun and the villain is genuinely scary.  Kids in the theatre six and under were quite scared in specific villain confrontation scenes, so consider yourself warned in what is otherwise a family friendly flick. You don't need to have seen the first movie to enjoy this film.


Worst Parts of the Movie
The movie felt a little long at times, particularly in the first half, but once it got rolling the kids were highly invested in the characters, so much so that we had to force Jack to go to the washroom while it was still on. 

Overall Rating
I would rate this movie 3.5/5, I don't consider it a classic, but the kids enjoyed it and want to watch it again.  A fun way to beat the heat on a hot summer day, but don't sweat it if you wait until it comes to a small screen for streaming near you.

To read my review of A Wrinkle in Time click here