#ti2

The Good:

So, while the first movie has some spy flick elements mixed into it, this one is purely a superhero story. Yet, in this age of So Many Superhero Movies, it still manages to set itself apart. This is a movie where saving people is as exciting and action-packed as fighting villains, which you don’t see that often in today’s superhero movies.

The visuals are stunning. While it primarily takes place in the city, it offers enough variety in lighting and color scheme that it doesn’t feel repetitive. There are moments where you can see how much Pixar’s tech and cinematography have evolved over the years.

We get to see more of the family’s dynamic outside of superhero situations. Good writing and beautiful animation keep these moments interesting and fun.

There’s equal focus on Bob and Helen. Helen does the more action-y stuff while Bob becomes a stay-at-home dad, anchoring the movie’s family elements. It’s basically a role-reversal of the first movie.

Because of this, Helen is the star of most of the action scenes. It works in the movie’s favor because her powers allow for more creative set pieces. Though I would say that Bob ultimately has the stronger arc and more fleshed out character growth of the two.

The kids get more focus this time. Violet gets her own subplot, mostly concerning her relationship with the boy she likes, while Jack-Jack has his superpower story that you’ve probably seen in the trailers. Dash, however, didn’t really have an arc of his own. He mostly serve as a supporting character in Bob and Violet’s stories. He has his moments, though.

The voice acting is top-notch. It’s great to hear these characters go through emotions that we didn’t see in the first movie, especially Helen.

The movie knows what we loved about supporting characters like Frozone, Dicker and Edna, and they did a great job in utilizing them in the story.

The new characters are also really great. I want Voyd to have a spinoff movie.

The Bad:

The big twist is pretty predictable. It’s not the most obvious, but it’s also not the most surprising.

*Sigh* Yes, John Lasseter’s name is still in the credits. If it’s any consolation, he’s leaving Disney at the end of the year.

Much like the first movie, there’s a bit of a political leaning here that I find a bit distracting. Like how the movie paints politicians as obstructive against “good people who are trying to do good things” or how, at one point, the villain says that “free enterprise is bad” (and the fact that the villain is the one saying it makes it hard to figure out if we’re supposed to agree with this). Maybe I’m missing some nuance, but at times I found myself trying to figure out the movie’s message (or if it even has any) instead of enjoying it.

We didn’t get to see Frozone’s wife.