Incredibles 2

When the original Incredibles movie was released way back in 2004, I could never take to it with that palpable sense of giddy excitement I had for the great Pixar films of the nineties, such as the first two Toy Story’s and my favourite, 1998’s A Bug’s Life – which is odd considering I love the spy and superhero genres so ardently in all their forms. Perhaps it was because we were encapsulated within the innocence of the pre-smartphone, pre-superhero Cinematic Universe eras, where Marvel and DC’s many sequels and reboots were definitely out there, but hadn’t quite yet become the ever-present, blockbusting leviathans they are today.  If anything, rather than counting in this follow-up’s favour as it should, I felt it worked against it. I know I’m in a small minority here – Incredibles 2 has beaten Frozen to become the highest-grossing animation of all-time in the U.S. domestically, and will win the Oscar for Best Animated Feature in 2019. Live-action superheroes, particularly under the directorial potency of Nolan, Wheedon and Raimi, have raised the crime-fighting bar so extremely high, that this just seems slightly dated. But that’s certainly not to say it doesn’t prove exhilarating - even more elaborate than the first.The animation does look absolutely stunning, even more so in 3D – glossy, textual and tactile. Particular highlights include Holly Hunter’s Elastagirl averting a speeding monorail from catastrophe, a timely feminist sub-plot which sees her take the reigns while Mr. Incredible has to take care of the three children, and the return of the diminutive, bespectacled designer Edna Mode, based on legendary costume designer Edith Head. The design itself is brilliant: retro-cityscapes and vehicles that have a sophisticated elegance. As before, I thought it was most reminiscent of Spy Kids, or a project Robert Zemeckis could’ve directed. The visuals are better than the plot: the villainy could’ve been pushed a lot further – and was so intriguing: the public being consumed by technology, under the spell of the Screenslaver – does anybody really use the phrase screen-saver anymore?Katherine Keener’s character is an absolute dopple-ganger for Tina Fey’s Roxanne Ritchie in the film that was very much the DreamWorks’ equivalent; 2010’s Megamind.I just wish it’d played with the form far more. The humour relies predominantly on slapstick, lacking much of the self-referenciality so charming in those earlier Pixar films.  Composer of the moment Michael Giacchino infuses his trademark hyper-frenetic jollity with the secrecy of espionage with John Barry flair.Really enjoyable, but Megamind definitely has the edge for me. 

 Rating: * * *