Incredibles 2 : Worth the Wait?

14 Years...


It was a long wait for the sequel to the best Superhero cartoon on the big screen- The Incredibles.

The first movie was a classic. It was a feel-good movie about a family of Superheros filled with memorable lines such as ' Where is my Super Suit?'

With 14 years in the making, the expectations for the sequel were up the roof. After all, they had all the time to make a great show even better. Alas, after watching the movie, we were left with a hoo- hum. Instead of leaving with a feeling of glee like a kid who finally got the cookie in the cookie jar, we left disappointed. It does not feel like the much-deserved sequel but rather another cartoon we had watched on Cartoon Network.

Spoilers Alert ...

The Movie started off where the last movie ended. A battle with the Underminer. It started off with the same awesome action sequence we expected... then it started to go under from there.  Although the family remain the same, the characters seem to undergo some transformation that chances the original cast. For one the cheeky Dash seemed muted and Violet develops more angst than usual.

After the first spat of action, the movie decided to be melodramatic, focusing on family issues rather than the funny side of the first show. Don't get me wrong.. it was interesting to see how Mr Incredible deal with his new role as a Stay at Home Dad (SAHD). In today's context, it is not surprising to see role reversal. In fact, we agreed with what Mr Incredible said about his role in the house.

'If I succeed, then she succeeds, then we succeed.'

The focus of this movie is Elastigirl. This time she takes the lead and does battle with the evil while providing with the family. The subplot includes Mr Incredible new role as SAHM and Jack-Jack discovery of his power.

The complain we had for this show is the villain.  Everyone knows having a good villain will define how good a superhero movie will be.

Remember DC Justic League Villain? Nope ? Enuff said.

Unlike the lovable villain Syndrome who was involved in battles with the Incredibles family, the new villain, Evelyn Deavon was a letdown. Instead of being in the thick of the action, she was involved as a computer genius that controlled a fake villain call Screen Slaver. Screen Slaver was just a pizza boy being controlled via hypnotise. Her path to villainhood was also questionable as her backstory was rather lame to make her one (to rid Superheros because they did not answer a phone call?). Without a memorable villain, the sequel loses its plot.

So why did Incredibles 2 fail to supersede the first movie?

• Too little action
• Familiar characters were put on a backfoot
• Lack of a strong Villian
• No memorable lines
• Too DC ( ie dark )

Overall, the wit and charm of the first movie did not transfer to the sequel. To us, it does not live up the hype and does not breed another generation of Incredibles.  As a result, we think 14 years is too long a wait for this sequel.

Popcorn rating : 3 out of 5