The world of supers are finally back, and it only took 14 years for them to deliver a sequel to the cliffhanger we were left with in 2004.
The last time we saw Mr. and Mrs. Incredible/Elastigirl (Bob and Helen Parr), and super-powered kids, was after the defeat of Syndrome in a city doomed to be destroyed by his massive Omnidroids. With the help of Frozone, Mr. Incredible's best friend, they were able to destroy the metal monster and save the city. After he realizes his plan was foiled, Syndrome devises a new plan. In an attempt to kidnap Jack-Jack, the youngest Incredible, Syndrome is overpowered by the baby's newly manifested (and uncontrolled) powers as he flies toward his plane. Unfortunately for Syndrome, the fight ended in his ultimate downfall – being sucked into his own plane's engine.
With the Incredibles, and Frozone, now feeling a sense of worth for their super-powered selves, they look back on their work and are happy they all worked together to save the city. Amidst their celebration of a new and less-cautious life three months later, a large drill-driven vehicle emerges from the ground with a small mole-man declaring war against the surface. This left us with a sense of wanting more, and Disney definitely made us wait for whatever action-packed story was to come next.
Now, 14 long years later, we are brought back to a world where supers are coming out of hiding to help the world. However, this new sequel presents a new look on the Incredibles' family dynamics, with Helen Parr (Mrs. Incredible/Elastigirl) fighting crime in order to provide for her family. This new take on the story really addresses the difference in the times each film was made and released. With "The Incredibles" being released in the early 2000s, the typical family life depicted on the big screen was still mostly a man providing for the family, all while the wife stays home to cook and clean. Although the original did show the family all working together to defeat the villain nearing the end of the movie, the main premise showed Bob Parr bringing home the money and working on a daily basis.
We can even see this on the poster for the movie, where Mr. Incredible is the center and larger than the rest of the family, being the main leading role. Whereas for the poster created for "The Incredibles 2", Mr. and Mrs. Incredible are side by side – showing that they are equally important main characters.
"The Incredibles 2" includes the struggle of a man who was used to providing for the family through work but has turned into the stay-at-home dad. Assuming Helen Parr raised Violet and Dash, their older super-powered children, Bob now has to learn how to deal with his youngest offspring's blossoming abilities while Elastigirl saves the world. Jack-Jack, as seen in the first movie, exhibited a variety of metamorphosis powers that the babysitter, Kari, witnessed and left multiple voicemails about the "weird stuff" that had been happening on the Parr's cellphone. With the ability to turn to heavy metal, transport into thin air, burst into flames, and transform into what resembles a gremlin who got wet, the viewers can see how this can be a challenge.
So the real question here is, why did this sequel take so long to release? Was it to build up the suspense and excitement for those of us that love this super-powered family? Or perhaps was Disney unsure of what exactly they wanted the challenge to be in the second film?
Either way, anyone who has seen the original in 2004 are both surprised and excited that this sequel was FINALLY released. Now, after 14 years of waiting, was "The Incredibles 2" all it was hyped up to be?
