Fourteen years after the release of the original film, the much desired sequel to Brad Bird’s superhero film The Incredibles 2 is finally in theaters for the public’s eye. Set immediately after the events of The Incredibles, the Parr family continue their work as Supers. After failing to thwart a bank robber from a new villain, the local authorities begin to worry about collateral damage caused by Supers and it results in the government’s Super Relocation program being shut down. After meeting a superhero fanboy the Parrs are approached with an opportunity to regain the public’s support of Supers, but there’s a catch.

The Incredibles 2 is the 2018 sequel to The Incredibles, it is produced by Pixar, and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures, it is currently in theaters now.

Editor’s Note: This review contains near complete to complete spoilers for The Incredibles 2.

The long overdue return to screen of the Parr family is here in The Incredibles 2.

Three months after the defeat of Syndrome the Parr family is back in action as Supers, however the threat of collateral damage and causalities results in Supers being illegal again, and Bob, Helen, and their children are forced to go back into hiding. After gaining support from a business tycoon named Winston Deavor (and his sister Evelyn) who just so happens to be a superhero fanboy, Helen is chosen as the face of a publicity stunt to make Supers legal again. As Helen and the Deavors continue their superhero support campaign Bob learns that baby Jack-Jack has several powers and a new villain known as Screenslaver becomes a threat to the campaign.

Helen Parr/Elastigirl takes center stage in The Incredibles 2.

THE GOOD: The Incredibles 2 is finally here after fourteen long, torturous years. A decade plus may not seem like much, but when you’ve been waiting on the sequel for a film you first saw at the age of 14 at it’s original release, then yeah that can feel like an eternity. Three months have gone by since the last film, and Supers are in far worse troubles than they were when the original film’s present day started. While I would have preferred a much bigger time jump, considering this film is a direct continuation of the original’s premise it still somewhat works with the short jump and that was likely the producers’ intent. Helen is the new face of Supers during a superhero re-legalize campaign, but Bob and the kids never feel like secondary characters taking the backseat. I actually thought it felt like they got more time than Helen during the hour and fifty-seven minute run of the film. Not to say that Helen didn’t receive a necessary amount of screen time herself, she just didn’t overshadow the other Parr family members.

Jack-Jack is used as comedic relief and it’s pretty funny stuff.

The action pieces & musical score are just as good as they were in the original film. Samuel L. Jackson returns as Lucius Best/Frozone, and although he’s limited compared to his role in the first Incredibles, his performance is still great here. The central cast of Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, and co. perform well too. Bob Odenkirk of Better Call Saul/Breaking Bad fame has a surprisingly pleasant performance as a voice actor as well, he’s only had as little of about ten or so voice roles in his career with Winston Deavor being his first main voice role, but he should definitely do this kind of work more often. The humor was pretty good when it was necessary, I’m sure most will go home thinking Jack-Jack vs the raccoon (yes seriously) is the funniest moment in the film & they’re not too far off.

Stay at home dad Mr. Incredible.

THE BAD: There are times when Incredibles 2 feels a bit recycled from the original, but I place most of the blame on a lack of a proper time jump over poor writing. The Underminer storyline getting zero resolution also had me scratching my head the entire time I was watching. I get that he was mostly a plot device, but they could have done something to close this story at the end of the film.

A well deserved return for The Incredibles.

OVERALL THOUGHTS: The Incredibles 2 isn’t breaking any grounds with superhero films like the original, but it’s just as good as the first film & these days that’s more than what you could expect from a sequel. The action, comedy, and music are the main selling points, but a lot of character development is held back by a short fast forward from it’s predecessor. Otaku Dome gives The Incredibles 2 an 85 out of 100.