Incredibles 2 (2018)

Fourteen years is a long time to wait for a sequel, and when it finally arrived, Incredibles 2 looked and sounded the part. The animation is slick and gorgeous, the action sequences are inventive in exactly the way you want from a superhero film, and Michael Giacchino's retro-futuristic score snaps with the same jazzy flair that made the original such a joy to sit with. Everything on the surface is exactly as it should be. And that's sort of the problem.

The film picks up right where the first one left off, seconds after the Underminer drills up through the pavement, and there's an immediate charge to that. You're back with the Parr family, and it feels good. Helen takes the lead on a high-profile public superhero mission while Bob stays home to handle parenting. The role reversal is an interesting idea, and the film is smart enough to use it for some genuine comedy and a few pointed observations about gender roles and parental identity. Watching Bob slowly unravel under the weight of homework, teenagers, and an infant with uncontrollable powers is genuinely funny in places.

The villain's hook is timely enough: screens as weapons, mind control through technology, a critique of how willingly we surrender our attention to whatever's flickering in front of us. It's a smart premise on paper. The trouble is the film doesn't trust it enough to push it anywhere interesting. The social commentary stays surface-level, the villain's motivation is thin when it finally arrives, and the plot follows such a predictable arc that you can feel the beats coming well in advance.

Jack-Jack's powers produce the film's single funniest sequence, a chaotic little showdown that had me genuinely delighted. But after that peak, his storyline gets sidelined. The kids generally feel underdeveloped, which is a real shame because The Incredibles drew so much of its power from the texture of family life under pressure. Here, that texture feels rushed. The dynamics that should carry emotional weight are sketched in rather than lived. Frozone finally gets a few proper moments, which is overdue, but even he's working with limited material.

What I keep coming back to is the contrast with what Brad Bird pulled off the first time around. That film had urgency, a genuine argument at its heart about mediocrity and potential and the cost of hiding who you are. It had stakes that felt personal. This one has spectacle and charm in reasonable quantities, but it doesn't have that driving need to exist. It's a film that does everything you'd expect without ever surprising you, which is a strange thing to say about a story involving babies who can multiply themselves and phase through walls.

There's real pleasure in watching it. I won't pretend otherwise. The craft is evident, the set pieces are fun, and the family still has warmth between them. But craft and warmth aren't enough on their own when the story underneath is this thin. It moves fast and looks great and hits its marks, but the marks were laid out by a far better film, and Incredibles 2 never quite earns its place alongside it.

Two and a half stars. Solidly made, instantly forgettable. Another Pixar sequel that feels like obligation dressed up as inspiration.

Rating: ★★½  | Year: 2018  | Watched: 2025-08-04

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Where to watch

Watch in the UK
Stream: Disney Plus
Rent: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Amazon Video · Sky Store
Buy: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Amazon Video · Google Play Movies
Physical: Amazon UK · Zavvi

Watch in the US
Stream: Disney Plus
Rent: Amazon Video · Apple TV Store · Google Play Movies · YouTube
Buy: Amazon Video · Apple TV Store · Google Play Movies · YouTube
Physical: Amazon US

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