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Parenting takes spotlight in 'Incredibles 2'

| June 22, 2018 1:00 AM

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Photos via IMDB.com Samuel L. Jackson, Holly Hunter, Catherine Keener, Craig T. Nelson, and Bob Odenkirk in Incredibles 2.

Pixar’s “The Incredibles” from 2004 is still the best superhero movie ever made. With spectacular action sequences, a terrifying/sympathetic villain and a compelling “hero’s journey” for four distinct and dynamic characters, it delivers everything fans of the genre could demand from big screen entertainment.

What elevates the “The Incredibles” even more is its attention to domestic life (the alter-ego side of superheroing) — specifically how a depressed insurance salesman, an overworked stay-at-home parent and two unsure-of-themselves kids come together to solve both internal and world-altering conflicts. Plus there’s a cute baby and Samuel L. Jackson yelling “Where’s my supersuit!?”

Fourteen years later, Pixar’s “Incredibles 2” finally delivers on the tease ending of the original. Picking up just seconds after “The Incredibles,” the sequel opens with a whiz-bang battle between the Incredible Parr family — Bob (Mr. Incredible), Helen (Elastigirl) Violet, Dash and baby Jack-Jack — and the theatrical bank robber Underminer. The family inadvertently makes a mess of the city, but a telecommunications tycoon has a plan to use Elastigirl as the face of a pro-superhero campaign aimed to sway public opinion.

Writer/director Brad Bird, returning to his animation roots after a dip into live-action (the superior “Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol” and the forgettable “Tomorrowland”), obviously has a brilliant mind for dreaming up inventive action sequences. “Incredibles 2” boasts several jaw-dropping scenes that couldn’t work believably in live action. Among the highlights: Elastigirl pursuing a runaway train on a “stretch-friendly” motorbike, a tense helicopter chase and a sprawling ocean-set showdown that (probably inadvertently) resembles aspects of “Speed 2: Cruise Control,” albeit with far better execution.

With the freedom of its gorgeous CGI animation “Incredibles 2” delivers the necessary superhero goods — fluid action, precision pacing and capital S-Spectacle. Maybe the movie doesn’t contain as many joyful moments as the original (think Dash running on water), but comparing the two is missing the point. Nothing delivers superhero action as well as the “Incredibles” movies, not even a high-falootin’ Infinity War.

Like the original, the best moments of “Incredibles 2” focus on the domestic life of the Parr family at a time of great change. With Elastigirl the new face of superherodom, Mr. Incredible takes over the day-to-day parenting duties, which includes “new math,” teenage heartbreak and a baby who refuses to sleep (Jack-Jack also has more than a dozen uncontrollable superpowers, but really it’s the no sleep thing that stings the most).

Through these treacherous subplots, the movie manages to avoid falling into ignorant “Mr. Mom” sitcom stereotypes. Stay-at-home Dads hate the phrase “Mr. Mom,” and they especially hate popular culture that depicts fatherhood as a “sometimes” responsibility, but Bob’s struggles at home have nothing to do with his ability or desire to be a good parent. It’s just that because he’s been the Big Hero Guy for so long, he doesn’t know how to define himself any other way.

Balancing parenthood with individual identity is a pretty gender-neutral experience, and Elastigirl’s adventures chasing down the mysterious new villain, The Screenslaver, serves as the other side of that same conflict. Away from the day-to-day grind and as the new face of superheroes, Elastigirl gets to respark a part of her identity she thought was gone.

It helps to have the returning voice talents of Holly Hunter and Craig T. Nelson as Helen and Bob to maneuver through this territory — both provide such soulfulness to the roles. The best scenes are the quiet ones where Helen and Bob discuss how best to support their family.

As a belated follow-up to a classic movie, “Incredibles 2” works about as well as should be reasonably expected. The climax of the movie lacks an emotional punch, and the conflicts of Violet and Dash serve more as challenges to Bob rather than individual character arcs. The movie leans hard on Jack-Jack for comedy setpieces but can’t find much new to squeeze out of supporting players Edna Mode and Frozone. The mystery of The Screenslaver, unfortunately, also doesn’t amount to much more than a few interesting-but-undercooked thematic ideas.

But as far as sequels go, “Incredibles 2” never feels like a cash grab. Bird and his team deliver big screen thrills while progressing the story of the Parr family in a natural and satisfying direction. The movie makes a ton of money with or without the small-scale domestic stuff, but it’s the part of the story that parents will best connect with, and it’ll make shelling out more money for the inevitable part three all the easier.

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Tyler Wilson can be reached at twilson@cdapress.com