Yes, my wife and I went to see "Incredibles 2" by ourselves...with no children. I could tell you this is because of the dearth of good movies out there this summer but actually it's because I loved the first "Incredibles" movie that came out fourteen long years ago when I was just a wee lad of 38. Like the first installment, the sequel is fun, entertaining, visually amazing and it has a meainingful message to boot.
Acting
Craig T. Nelson and Holly Hunter return to voice Mr. Incredible and his wife, Helen. aka, Elastagirl. I suppose voices age just like faces do but I didn't notice any difference from the first movie.They were great as you'd expect and so were the rest of the star-studded cast. The producers made a great choice in casting Bob Odenkirk as the ecentric millionaire, Winston Deaver and Jonathan Banks as Rick Dicker. Both of these actors are know for their roles in "Breaking Bad" and "Better Call Saul." Their unique voices are perfect for animation.
Morality
What I remember most about the first "Incredibles" was its strong theme about the importance of living out your unique calling and using your gifts to their fullest even in the face of a society that is trying to enforce dull uniformity. In other words, don't hide your light under a bushel, or in more modern terms, let your freak flag fly. Of course, most people's gifts don't involve the abiltiy to use your bod y as a parachute or to make yourself invisible etc. But you get the point. The sequel reiterates this message and adds some subtle commentary about the state of our consumer, screen addicted society. Like the first movie, it also has a positive view of the nuclear family. I was a little surprised at the use of a couple of adult-ish words in the dialogue and one scene that had a character drinking too much. (Did I mention, I'm 52?)
Music
"Incredibles 2" features a fun score with a strong 1950s/60s jazz overtone. Being uh...not a kid, I was sometimes a lttle overwhelmed by the intensity and volume of the music and sound effects during the most action packed scenes. But I survived and it all worked very effectively.
Story
The story begins where the last movie ends, with superheroes outlawed and shunned because of their socially disruptive talents. But when a super-hero loving millionaire and his daughter invest in a p.r. campaign to improve the image of superheroes things start to change...until, of course something goes terribly wrong with the plan. It's a somewhat predictable but still very entertaining storyline. I've read that several b-story lines were dropped from the original script but I can't imagine how they could pack more into this movie. The funniest segments by far involved the newly discovered super-powers of baby Jack-Jack.
Visuals
It's Pixar. Enough said! No surprise the movie features fantastic computer generated animation. Even though the movie is set in the present day or maybe the near future, like the music, the scenery features a subtlely 1950's or 60's retro look (rotary telephones and what-not.) By the way, the controversy over the flashing light animation which supposedly could produce seizures seems like much ado about nothing. I'm sure there are some folks out there who need to be careful about this issue but really, the graphic warning at the beginning of the film seems a little over the top.
Kernal Factor
Other than the kids around us making too much noise with their candy wrappers and such (was somebody actually popping bubble wrap during the show?) my wife and I enjoyed this funny, positive, and sensationally produced film. Can't wait for the next one... when I'm 66.
