Pixar rediscovers its sequel mojo.

You probably don’t need me to tell you this, but fourteen years is a pretty long time; yet, in Hollywood terms, it’s an ice age. The fourteen years from The Incredibles to its sequel have been agonising and somewhat perplexing considering the film’s huge popularity and the many other Pixar sequels that have been released in the interim.

The most striking thing about the gap, however, is just how much the landscape has shifted in the franchise’s extended absence. Not only have Pixar and the animation industry morphed into a completely different beast since 2004, but the superhero genre itself has grown and altered beyond all recognition.

With superhero popularity currently at an all-time high, it really was only a matter of time until we saw the arrival of Incredibles 2 and, while the original felt like a huge slice golden age comic book nostalgia at a time when superhero films were still a novelty, its sequel feels like a far more nuanced and thoroughly modern take on where we stand today, both in the realms of the comic book movie and society in general.

Three months after defeating Syndrome, the Parr family are back in action as the superhero team, The Incredibles. However, with ‘Supers’ still illegal, their heroic antics find them on the wrong side of the law. With hope lost that they’ll ever be free to operate as a crime fighting family again, upbeat telecommunications tycoon, Winston Deavor (Bob Odenkirk) and his sister, Evelyn (Catherine Keener), offer to help rehabilitate the public image and legal status of superheroes across the world. With Elastigirl (Holly Hunter) chosen as the face of this bold new project, the once mighty Mr Incredible (Craig T. Nelson) is left watching from the side lines as his wife battles Metroville’s newest mega-villain, Screenslaver. But can this incredible family find a way to make their new reality work?

Pixar has something of an odd relationship with sequels. For a studio that never looked all that bothered about them prior to their purchase by Disney (barring Toy Story 2), they’ve certainly been making up for it since, with follow ups to many of their most popular titles (and Cars) being pumped out at regular intervals. As with many sequels, however, the almost inevitable downgrade in quality is something even the mighty Pixar can’t avoid.

Thankfully, this run of spiralling sequel quality appears to be at an end with Incredibles 2. Safely filing itself away in the sequel category marked Toy Story, Incredibles 2 may never hit the heights of its predecessor, yet it comes pretty damn close, offering up much of what made the original tick while adding in one or two new ideas to keep things interesting.

After the blip of Tomorrowland, it’s just great to see Brad Bird back in the zone and back helming the kind of material he quite clearly thrives on. While the wonderful The Iron Giant was the film that announced Brad Bird to the world as a director of repute, it was The Incredibles that really got people’s heads turning, and if there was ever a film that could get both Bird’s career and the Pixar sequel train back on track, it was always going to be this one.

The family dynamic of the Parrs and the stylised, retro universe they inhabit is precisely what makes Brad Bird tick and the director comes up with the goods once again by hitting many of the same beats that served him so well previously. The Incredibles was always one of Pixar’s most action-packed efforts and that’s certainly the case again here; yet, while Bird certainly knows his way around an eye-catching action scene, it would all be for naught if it weren’t for the emotional punch he gives it.

Bird’s eye for action and style are once again in evidence as he pushes the throwback charm of The Incredibles into new and exciting places which, together with Michael Giacchino’s wonderfully bouncy, retro-spy score, make Incredibles 2 an absolute treat for the eyes and ears. In many ways, Bird ups the action ante on the original, as he takes things in interesting directions with the introduction of new ideas and new characters, super and otherwise.

What Bird really excels at once again is his ability to dig down into the emotional core of the film to further explore the team’s classic family dynamic, yet this time from an entirely new angle. The ability to get deep into a film’s heart, even with something as simple, broad, and colourful as Incredibles 2, is Brad Bird to a tee, as he prods and probes the story to find fascinating and surprisingly poignant avenues to investigate.

Gleefully flipping the first film’s setup, Incredibles 2’s plot sees the traditional family dynamic of the Parrs spun on its head with Mr Incredible quite literally left holding the baby as his empowered wife becomes the superhero breadwinner. It’s a very simple switch but an effective one that adds a nice twist to the drama while bringing up some very interesting and rather topical questions on perceived gender roles in society.

As the best Fantastic Four film there’s never been, The Incredibles was the perfect comment on the notion of the traditional, nuclear family (albeit a super-powered one) and its sequel not only picks these ideas up, it runs with them into the distance. For any film to tackle gender politics in such a way that’s both intelligent and easily consumable is to be applauded, but for an animation from one of the biggest studios in the game to do so is positively incredible.

However, what this switch does do, unfortunately, is split the family unit up once again, resulting in a plot that’s little too fractured. Despite its many triumphs, one of the slight niggles with The Incredibles was just how long the family spent apart from one another, as they’re split up, only to reconvene as a fully-fledged superhero team by the end. It worked for the plot, yet it was nonetheless disappointing that our time with the family as a kick-ass crime fighting team was so limited, and the same problem rears its head in Incredibles 2.

Barring a wonderful opening showdown with the Underminer, we must once again wait until the film’s final act to see the full team in action and, while the idea of the parental role reversal works well, it leaves us with two very different films and a somewhat unbalanced feel. While Elastigirl’s crimefighting exploits are packed with action, danger, and intrigue, as well as some fascinating talking points; it’s Mr Incredible’s half of the plot that feels far more interesting.

Left dealing with Violet’s boyfriend problems, Dash’s new maths homework, and Jack-Jack’s extraordinary new powerset; Bob must come to terms with who he is and the deficiencies of perceiving himself as the man of the house and the family’s saviour, especially when he can’t even handle the daily chores. This side of the plot largely overshadows all the traditional superheroing of Elastigirl, adding a natural stem of humour while offering the kind of quiet, emotionally resonant family moments that Pixar do so well.

Without a doubt the star of the show, Bob’s domestic struggles are compounded by Jack-Jack, whose awakening as a Super produces some of the funniest moments of the entire franchise. As each of Jack-Jack’s newfound powers manifest themselves, so too do new comedy avenues involving, but not limited to, parallel dimensions, demon babies, lazar eyes, and the welcome return of Edna Mode to help control it all. If there’s to be a third Incredibles instalment (as I’m sure there will be), they’d be wise to stick Jack-Jack front and centre of it all.

As fun as Incredible 2’s plot is, it bears more than a passing resemblance to the first film. It’s certainly engaging from start to finish, with an abundance of action, emotion, comedy, and brains to keep young and old alike happy; yet it’s hard to avoid just how overly familiar it all feels as, despite the parental switch up, we’re offered up a story that goes more or less the same direction as the first.

From the easily telegraphed villain twist to the fairly predictable plot, the biggest fault of Incredibles 2 is the relative lack of narrative nuance compared to many of Pixar’s greatest hits. In many ways, the studio has become a victim of its own success, as everything they do will be forever held up against the greatness that came before and, unfortunately, Incredibles 2 stumbles with its plotting just as it looks to be heading towards glory and Pixar’s top table.

Still, as a sequel to one of Pixar’s most beloved outings, Incredibles 2 does exactly what it sets out to do. It more than matches its predecessor in action and emotional stakes, offering up some top-drawer family fun, with a twist that works in fantastic character moments and the opportunity for some whip-smart comedy.

A lot has changed in the past fourteen years, not least with the superhero landscape. While the concept of superheroes on the big screen was still something of a novelty back in 2004, that’s far from the case today and Incredibles 2 manages to bridge this gap like nothing happened. While it finds itself treading water plot-wise, Incredibles 2 offers the kind of classic superhero thrills and family dynamic that made the original pop, while occasionally branching off to somewhere new entirely. For all their success, Pixar have often stumbled with their sequels but, when compared to something like Cars 2, Monsters University, or even Finding Dory; Incredibles 2 is an unmitigated success. Let’s just hope we don’t have to wait a decade and half for instalment number 3.