That long, sweet wait
‘Incredibles 2’ proves that all good things are worth the wait.
My best friend likes to remind me that is integral to our friendship: 14 years ago, we saw it the first Saturday it came out. It was early November, her birthday. (She’s a Scorpio; nobody’s perfect.) We were just in the 7th grade, so being able to do “grownup” things like watch movies sans parents was a Big Deal — never mind that it was an animated film. When the film’s villain Syndrome made a veiled sexy joke at one point in the movie, I remember the feeling of freedom for being able to laugh without worrying that my parents were nearby.
Early this month, Disney Pixar finally released the much-awaited sequel. Incredibles 2 follows the story of the Parr family, following the events of the first film. Superheroes are still wildly ostracized for the collateral damage they cost cities, so the Parrs are at risk of being exposed for continuing their work. Lucky for them, billionaire Winston Deavor (Bob Odenkirk) and his sister Evelyn Deavor (Catherine Keener) are superhero supporters and volunteer to change the superhero narrative through their wealth and connections. They start with Helen Parr, Elastigirl, as their first ambassador of sorts. Mr. Incredible, on the other hand, balances life as a stay-at-home dad, realizing that his wife may not have been upfront at how much hard work it takes to run a household.
It’s funny how the story picks up just three months after the first film, but 14 “real life” years have actually gone by. So many things have changed in the 14 years between the two films. In 2004, Facebook was just a fetus — social media wasn’t even called social media yet. Britney Spears was ridiculed for being married for 55 hours, and there was little reaction to Janet Jackson’s lifetime ban from the Super Bowl after Justin Timberlake accidentally exposed her breast on live TV.
I say all this because 14 years is no joke. Imagine sticking to the same project, laboring over it for 14 whole years. At one point, you may just decide to screw it all and do something that takes a fraction of that instead. But filmmaker Brad Bird powered through instead, giving us the kind of film that tugs at the heartstrings without being stingy on the laughs. It is, also, a film that has been beautifully suspended in time, and stays true to the first iteration’s spirit. What’s always been interesting about the Incredibles story is that the superhero element is merely a way to tell the story of a nuclear family, one that is just as chaotic as any other. In many interviews, Bird talks about how he decided on every family member’s superpower, and how it’s informed by their roles in the family. Bob, for example, is the typical macho father type — it’s only natural that his power is super strength and limited invulnerability. Helen, on the other hand, has the ability to stretch her body into many shapes and forms. If in The Incredibles we get to see how Bob and Helen’s powers work well together, Incredibles 2 poses a different challenge: would their powers be just as effective if they had to do what the other was doing?
This subplot, I would say, holds greater weight than the story’s main arc (in which a superhero hater hypnotizes superheroes into doing their bidding).
Incredibles 2 manages to tackle toxic masculinity the most Disney way possible — when Helen is asked to be the star superhero and Bob is forced to be home with the kids, you can see how he struggles between being happy for his wife and him thinking, “Why am I not the star?” Helen was always good at multitasking and taking on different roles at home — hence, her extreme flexibility — but Bob’s super strength is no match for math homework, teenage dating, and an errant baby with about 17 superpowers.
At the end of the day, though, it is still a kids’ film, and the main story isn’t difficult to parse through. The villain reveal is hardly a shocker, and the film gets a little heavy-handed on the clues as to who it actually is. But I would actually say that this is the genius of the film, its multilayered story. Kids see a crimefighting superfamily, but the “real” audience, the ones who actually saw it the first film in cinemas, would likely focus more on the tender dynamic change among the Parrs, and the vulnerability one feels upon realizing that achieving work-life balance is a lot harder than it sounds.
A lot could happen and did happen in 14 years. But while fans of the Incredibles franchise have grown up, a lot of things still remain the same. (I mean, I still can’t laugh at sexy jokes around my parents.) This is perhaps why Incredibles 2 has the eighth-largest film opening weekend of all time, regardless of genre. Brad Bird proves, with Incredibles 2, the kind of work that a lot of love and dedication can create. This comes as no surprise, seeing as how he did make us believe that rats could be life-changing chefs in Ratatouille. In the long time it took to make Incredibles 2, the work has only gotten better. The animation has vastly improved, and the film a fairly contemporary story for a 20th century setting. Edna Mode, of course, remains just as iconic as she was the first time around. Like I said, some things never change.