In a film that isn’t particularly full of bold choices, “Incredibles 2” starts with a doozy: It picks up right where the first one left off, seeming to ignore the fact that a lot has happened in the 14 years since Brad Bird first joined forces with Pixar. The world is no longer the same place that it was in 2004, and the state of its superhero movies is similarly unrecognizable from what it was back then. Faster than a speeding bullet, the genre has become a major engine of the modern Hollywood machine, and the idea of a world without superheroes is now as unfathomable to us as it always was to Mr. Incredible, himself.

A clever pastiche that…

Brad Bird is the best action director currently working. And the only person who should be doing superhero stuff right now, sorry. As much as I really enjoy Marvel movies, this movie made me realize what I’ve been missing from (what feels like) an eternity of superhero films– there’s a real sense of tension and heart in the things they do, even when you know everything’s going to work out because it’s a movie.

Everybody’s powers are so specific that the fight scenes seem choreographed like puzzle pieces fitting into slots, and not just various strong people punching each other or gaining new powers from their suits whenever it’s convenient. Even the new people introduced are given proper introductions as…

This is a film that I enjoy less the more I think about it. unlike the first film which masterfully executed its themes about a changing family dynamic and the woes of Parenthood and the nuclear family (where the superpowers are a direct reflection of familial archetypes), it's follow up doesn't really know where to go and and ends up sounding very cynical and whiny. There really isn't a balance between its themes and the antagonist of the film who hates Supers and has several over long monologues that make me wonder who hurt Brad Bird. From the get-go I knew who screen Slayer was going to be and I almost thought that it was intentionally obvious but they still…