 Sequels that take over a decade to make generally don't fare well. Dumb and Dumber 2, Zoolander 2, Psycho 2, yes that sadly exists. Thankfully Incredibles 2 proves there's still life left in this franchise, but is it better than the original? We're gonna find out today on this episode of Movie Feuds. Sounds remarkably close to the first, which is impressive considering there was a 14-year hiatus in between films. Equally impressive as the original cast came back. Craig T. Nelson and Holly Hunter effortlessly bring Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl back to life. Sarah Vaughn may have aged, but she still manages to hit the same notes for Violet, too. Spencer Fox's Dash is the only one who didn't come back for the sequel, now voiced by Huck Milner. Samuel L. Jackson was a fan favorite in the first as Frozone. The sequel recognizes this by giving him more to do, and even brings back his wife for good measure off-screen for another cameo. She sounds like a complete f***. Sorry, I'm gonna censor that. I understand that there's parents out there that let their little ones surf YouTube willy-nilly. You're doing a great job, parent. Keep it up. The Incredibles director Brad Bird continues to be my favorite, as superhero designer extraordinaire Edna Mode. Jack Jack went from a funny side gig in the first film to stealing the new one completely. It's funny to see his myriad of powers unfold, and it leads to one of my favorite scenes in the entire film, Jack Jack vs the Raccoon. I'm a simple man. I see a baby full-on combust and shoot lasers out of his eyes at a dumpster panda. Yeah, you got me sold. The sequel adds a bunch of new characters to the roster, most of which are pretty lackluster. They add a bit to the battle variety department, but little else. The biggest issue with the Incredibles 2 is its villain, the screen slaver. Screen slaver can take control of anyone watching a device using some advanced hypnotics. While this does lead to some great moments, the character's identity is extremely obvious. This normally wouldn't be a big problem, but we have the first movie, and Syndrome. Syndrome voiced by Jason Lee is one of the best animated villains, full stop. And let's chat more about him in round two, coming up now. Buddy Pine is what Disney would have you believe every last Jedi hater is. A hardcore fan so betrayed by his hero, he became the ultimate antagonist. As we all know, it's the few crazy ones that hit the hardest, and Buddy hit real hard. He stayed in the shadows for many years, learning everything he could about his fallen idols. He amassed wealth, technology, and a persona of his own. Gone was the doe-eyed boy who worshipped the ground Mr. Incredible walked on. In his place, Syndrome, the most serious and deadly adversary the world has ever seen. Much like another favorite animated villain of mine, Scar, Syndrome's been succeeding for quite some time, killing off many of Earth's finest heroes while perfecting his super terminator. That storyline is compelling enough to stretch for two hours, but that's not even the main focus. Our real story follows the titular family coping with their day-to-day lives, lives which no longer are what they used to be. Using powers is illegal after waves of lawsuits and budget crippling events took place. That doesn't stop Mr. Incredible from going out late at night with his pal, listening to the police scanner, see what they can cook up. Eventually he starts working for a shadow organization unbeknownst to his family. I'll ask the girl and the kids, of course, find out when he's held captive, and it's up to the family to work together to stop Syndrome. Brad Bird easily could have cashed in on the success, rushed out and made another Incredibles movie right away, but no, he waited 14 years, patiently, to remake the first one again. I'm joking, but there is a lot of similarities. Although Incredibles 2 is a fun, entertaining picture with plenty of action and laughs to be had, the story is very familiar to the first. Since it takes place exactly where the last one ended, nothing's changed. We still need to let supers back into the spotlight. This means once more we have a large company with a secret agenda, showing up to offer our family financial stability and the opportunity to right some wrongs. And this time, Elastigirl gets the spotlight. She was great in the first film, but here she puts the other family members to shame, outside of Jack Jack, of course. She stops a runaway train, saves a politician during a helicopter attack, and goes toe to toe with the not-so-mysterious screen-slaver. I'm also happy to report she's just as thick in this one, with a new suit and a power bike. The film jumps between her adventure and the home life, which goes from 0 to 100 pretty quickly. Jack Jack's random powers and constant cookie-fits make for some very entertaining watching. This is home-alone 2 die-hard 2-level storytelling. If it ain't broke, don't even try to do anything new. The pacing can get a bit bogged down, too, with some heavy exposition and conversations that have little to no purpose outside of providing a bit of social or political commentary. As I said in the opening, though, there's plenty of magic in the Incredible series, and I'd love to see a third one. Hopefully one that's just a bit more creative in the writing department. This'll be quick. These are Pixar films. They look amazing. The visuals really stand out, giving off a Hannah Barbera-esque style to them. The 50s inspired clothing, locations, and great soundtracks from Michael Giacano bring it all home. There's definitely some good nods to the James Bond property as well, with the gadgetry and the villain's layer. Oh, and if you're prone to seizures from crazy strobe lighting, stay the hell away from Incredibles 2. You will die. Since there is a large amount of time between flicks, Incredibles 2 has the luxury of more powerful tech and all the extras that come with it. I'm talking high-thread counts in their super suits. They look gorgeous. I have no hang-ups in the production department for either movie. The effects are wild, the comedic timing is wonderfully animated, and the action is framed up perfectly. Elastigirl gets two of the best moments in the franchise for me, the first being her playing Jettison with the kids, and the second being the intense helicopter rescue I previously mentioned. I can't imagine anybody's gonna complain about the work done by the talented artists or composers on these films, so let's wrap up. While I do enjoy Incredibles 2, it had almost an impossible task laid out. The Incredibles is my favorite Pixar movie, and that hasn't changed. Incredibles 2 was just more of the same, which is fine. Just not enough to catapult it above the original. Let me know your thoughts. Leave a comment, vote for your winner, and remember, this is more than just reviews. This is Movie Feuds. I will say, one surprise in the sequel. Did anybody really think the goddamn Underminer was gonna get away? I mean, hopefully in 14 years we can wrap that thing up. That'd be nice.