The Incredibles 2: Much the same movie as the first and 'Mr. Mom'
If ever there was a time to talk about superhero and/or heroine fatigue, The Incredibles 2 is it. The film fails on so many levels that it is a sad shadow of what could’ve been great. Maybe the process collapsed under the expectations built up after 14 years of movie making experience and possible story lines. Maybe it’s a victim of Pixar’s success. Maybe it’s just a mediocre film. Whatever it’s problem really is, it just comes down to two things: predictability and stereotyping.
This doesn’t mean that the film is wholly without merit. Jack-Jack is funny as all get out. The kids and the family are still the best parts of the story. The problem is that Pixar has taken what has now become a formula and applied it to a beloved movie’s sequel. When the villain is discerned by his or her 2nd line in the film, there isn’t much originality. When some of the funniest moments seem stolen from Michael Keaton’s Mr. Mom (1983), maybe it’s time to find a new schtick.
Perhaps the worst part of the film is that it takes place immediately after the original film but seems set back in the 1950s, which would put the heyday of superheroes in the 1930s, and the family has immediately forgotten what it was that the first movie taught them. This could be due to economic downturn, just bad memories, or the fact that most real people continuously fall victim to their own habits and beliefs even after they have learned from their mistakes and failures. And while that makes the world what it is, it doesn’t make for compelling storytelling.
The Incredibles 2 is by no means the worst film of the year, but it isn’t the groundbreaker that audiences have come to expect from the Pixar team. Enjoy the super family on the big screen, just don’t expect anything beyond a few laughs and a whole lot of normal from this Pixar release.
This doesn’t mean that the film is wholly without merit. Jack-Jack is funny as all get out. The kids and the family are still the best parts of the story. The problem is that Pixar has taken what has now become a formula and applied it to a beloved movie’s sequel. When the villain is discerned by his or her 2nd line in the film, there isn’t much originality. When some of the funniest moments seem stolen from Michael Keaton’s Mr. Mom (1983), maybe it’s time to find a new schtick.
Perhaps the worst part of the film is that it takes place immediately after the original film but seems set back in the 1950s, which would put the heyday of superheroes in the 1930s, and the family has immediately forgotten what it was that the first movie taught them. This could be due to economic downturn, just bad memories, or the fact that most real people continuously fall victim to their own habits and beliefs even after they have learned from their mistakes and failures. And while that makes the world what it is, it doesn’t make for compelling storytelling.
The Incredibles 2 is by no means the worst film of the year, but it isn’t the groundbreaker that audiences have come to expect from the Pixar team. Enjoy the super family on the big screen, just don’t expect anything beyond a few laughs and a whole lot of normal from this Pixar release.