When Pixar finally dropped Incredibles 2 (2018) after fans spent fourteen long years waiting for a sequel, the pressure was monumental. Taking us right back into the mid-century modern world of the Parr family, the movie had a ton of heavy lifting to do.
Honestly? I really liked it. I'm giving it a strong 4 out of 5 stars. It's an incredibly fun, action-packed movie that hits a lot of high notes, but it falls just short of a perfect score for one major reason: the rewatchability is low. Let's break down the superheroics, the Saturday morning nostalgia, and the one major flaw holding this sequel back from a 5-star rating.
The Journey vs. The Destination
Incredibles 2 is a blast the first time you sit down to watch it. The action sequences are mind-blowing, the animation is gorgeous, and watching Jack-Jack grow into his chaotic identity with a dozen different unhinged powers is easily the best part of the entire film. His backyard brawl with the raccoon is absolute cinematic gold.
But here is the catch: most of the suspense in this film relies entirely on the mystery of the plot. The tension comes from not knowing how the story is going to wrap up. Once you know the final destination, the actual journey of the characters isn't quite deep enough to pull you back in for repeat viewings. Because the suspense fades instantly on a second watch, it's a movie I have very little interest in sitting down to rewatch, which is a rare thing for a top-tier Pixar film.
That Sweet, Blockbuster Saturday Morning Nostalgia
Even if the replay value is a little low, the reason I love this world so much comes down to pure, unfiltered nostalgia.
Growing up, I was a massive fan of the original Jonny Quest animated series. The retro-futuristic gadgets, the jazzy orchestral score, the classic spy-fi aesthetic, it was unmatched. Incredibles 2 leans so heavily into that exact Jonny Quest vibe that it instantly triggers a wave of childhood memories for me. In fact, there's a scene in the movie where Jack-Jack is literally watching Jonny Quest on the television screen!
Watching this franchise takes me straight back to the days of being a kid, walking into a Blockbuster Video on a Friday night, and browsing the shelves for something awesome to rent. It captures that vintage, late-60s adventure tone flawlessly, and that alone makes it a home run for me.
The Villain Problem: Straight Out of Scooby-Doo
While the aesthetic is perfect, the script fumbles a bit when it comes to the main antagonist, the Screenslaver.
A great villain needs to be compelling, but in Incredibles 2, the bad guy was a little too hard to identify with, and at the same time, painfully easy to guess. It plays out exactly like an old Scooby-Doo cartoon, where the mystery is so stupidly obvious that the second a certain character is introduced on screen, you immediately know, "Yep, that's the villain." When you compare the Screenslaver to Syndrome from the first movie, who had a deeply personal, tragic, and twisted motivation tied directly to Mr. Incredible, the sequel's villain feels a little flat and formulaic.
Catch Everything You Missed Frame-by-Frame!
Even with a predictable villain and low rewatch value, I still loved this movie enough to completely dive into the universe. I literally went out and bought the LEGO Incredibles game for the Xbox, and I even picked up a book expanding on the lore just because I wanted more of this world!
To show you just how much detail Pixar crammed into this retro adventure, I am embedding my full Everything You Missed in Incredibles 2 breakdown video right here. We're going frame-by-frame through all the hidden animation secrets, the Jonny Quest parallels, and the easter eggs you definitely blinked and missed!
The Verdict: A Great 4-Star Ride
Incredibles 2 is a fantastic, premium sequel. It gives us incredible Jack-Jack chaos, top-tier action, and a beautiful wave of nostalgic, old-school cartoon vibes. It might not have the infinite replay loop of the original, but it is absolutely a ride worth taking.
My Rating: 4 / 5 Stars
Did you guess the villain's identity as fast as I did, or did Jack-Jack's raccoon fight steal the whole show for you? Let me know in the comments below, and until next time, share a smile, they are contagious!