For 14 years, fans have been itching to know when is “Incredibles 2” coming out? They kept asking and asking, until 2018, when it finally came out.

I took a buddy of mine to see the 6pm IMAX Double Feature, and we enjoyed both movies. The original film, directed by Brad Bird, was extraordinary. It offered a James Bond quality to the superhero story, about how Supers (as they call them) were made illegal, because of how their fights cause destruction, and how some are still willing to fight for the greater good. But as Edna Mode (voiced by Bird) says: “NO CAPES!!!”

The long awaited sequel, directed by Bird once again, takes place immediately after the first, with the Incredibles family battling the villainous Underminer (voiced by Pixar vet John Ratzenberger). To continue that story, the family gets arrested, and the Supers Relocation Program is shutting down.

But alas, a businessman by the name of Winston Deaver (voiced by Bob Odenkirk) offers Mr. Incredible (voiced by Craig T. Nelson), Elastigirl (voiced by Holly Hunter), and Frozone (voiced by Samuel L. Jackson) the chance to make Supers welcome to society again. Of course, he needs Elastigirl to ignite the fire.

So Bob (Mr. Incredible) has to look out for the kids, and trouble brews. Violet (voiced by Sarah Vowell) is mad at him for inadvertently having her dream guy’s memories erased after seeing her in her superhero costume; Dash (voiced now by Huck Milner) is having trouble with new math problems (“Why would they change math?,” Bob asks); and the baby Jack Jack has superpowers. We already knew that from the first, but not yet the family.

And the new villain is the Screenslaver, who hypnotizes his victims on TV. But that’s not all. He has victims wearing the mind control goggles. This one has a plan to turn the Supers against us. No Names.

I’ve heard great things about this sequel. Some say it’s just as good as the original, while some think otherwise, but still enjoy it on its own terms. “Incredibles 2” offers the fun, imagination, humor, and heart of the original without being exploited by the whole marketing campaign. It’s challenging when the Supers have to prove their worth to society again, when Bob has to be the stay-at-home dad, and when the Screenslaver puts the goggles on them.

It’s also flexible in its animation. When Jack Jack shows us his different powers (like teleportation or multiplication), we see the cartoonish fun, and that’s delightful. And when we see Elastigirl fight the Screenslaver in his lair, there is a comic book quality in it, which reminded me of Frank Miller’s “Sin City.” When CGI animated movies remind us on why we love animation, it’s magical.

The voice acting is still amazing, and we’re having fun listening to them. Besides Nelson, Hunter, Jackson, and Odenkirk, we also have Catherine Keener as Winston’s sister; Sophia Bush as a newbie teleportation Super, Isabella Rossellini as the Ambassador, and Jonathan Banks taking over for the late Bud Luckey as Rick Dicker from the Supers Relocation Program.

I just reviewed both “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?,” which showed us Fred Roger’s views on children’s entertainment being violent or disturbing, and “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom,” which threatened to ruin my enjoyment of the classic. In spite of the fights and explosions, “Incredibles 2” keeps fans in check.

Still NO CAPES!!!!!!

⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Categories: Action, Adventure, Animation, comedy, Family, Sci Fi, Sequel