Movie review: The Incredibles 2

Fourteen years after Pixar released their greatest ever movie, the long-desired sequel finally arrives and is every bit as light on its feet as the beloved original, once again successfully melding dazzling action with emotionally reasonant storytelling.

Following a brief prologue, Incredibles 2 picks up right where the last movie left off, with the Underminer attacking the city and the super-powered Parr family (Mr Incredible, Elastigirl, teenage Violet and pre-pubescent Dash) jumping into action alongside Frozone to avert wide-scale disaster.

This eye-popping set piece once again shows returning director Brad Bird to be the absolute master of animated action scenes – there is a grace and wit to this film's action that you simply do not see anywhere else.

Then the plot-proper kicks in, and it primarily concerns Elastigirl/Helen (voiced by Holly Hunter) teaming up with a new character named Winston Deavor (voiced by Better Call Saul's Bob Odenkirk) to execute a covert campaign to make superheros legal once again.

This leaves Bob/Mr Incredible (Craig T. Nelson) running the household, and he quickly becomes overwhelmed by baby Jack-Jack's burgeoning powers, while also trying to help Violet and Dash with their own problems.

With superheros much more common on the big screen than when the first film came out, Incredibles 2 has less in the way of irreverent commentary about the nature of heroes than its predecessor, but that doesn't really matter as the emphasis is firmly on character dynamics, and they ably carry the movie forward.

The retro-futurist aesthetic is in full-swing – this is the most bountiful visual feast seen yet in a year full of bountiful big-screen feasts. But once again, it's the character interaction that really makes this work. All superhero movies should be this thoughtful.

Cast: Holly Hunter, Craig T. Nelson, Samuel L. Jackson
Director: Brad Bird
Running time: 118minutes
Rating: PG (Violence and coarse language)
Verdict: Overflowing with spectacle and heart.