I know it’s somewhat insane to search for philosophical meaning in cartoons, but something about “The Incredibles 2” rubbed me the wrong way. The movie is beautifully designed with several jaw-dropping action sequences and deeply immersive 3D, so the kids will probably love it, as will those who grew up with the original film. If you’re going just to see a fun cartoon, then you’ll be delighted—but since it’s my job to overthink movies, I have some issues.
“The Incredibles 2” picks up exactly where the last one left off, with the Parr family (AKA: The Incredibles) taking on a new villain known as the Underminer. Supers are still mostly disliked by the public, so when the Parrs fail to capture the Underminer (resulting in millions of dollars of damage to the city), their rediscovered hero mojo is tempered by a public that wants them to be held responsible.
When billionaire tech tycoon Winston Deavor proposes to push The Incredibles into the limelight so the supers can be made legitimate once again, it causes drama within the family and across the country. When the majority of the publicity focuses on Elastigirl, Mr. Incredible gets jealous and bitter as he becomes a house husband.
I’m a huge fan of the films of writer/director Brad Bird. His debut film, “The Iron Giant” is probably my favorite animated film of all time. He’s a very passionate filmmaker with some problematic objectivist philosophies that tend to pop up in all of his movies.
The underpinning philosophy of the entire first “Incredibles” film is that if everyone is super, then no one will be. If you’re not born exceptional, then you’ll never really enter the rarified air of those who are naturally gifted. Mr. Incredible’s hubris gets a ton of people killed in the original “Incredibles,” and he’s no better or smarter in the sequel. Neither is the rest of the family.
This all leads to my big problem with the philosophy of the film: I don’t believe that any member of The Incredibles is heroic because of altruism or empathy. Mr. Incredible loves to be worshipped. Elastigirl is an adrenaline junkie who gets off on danger. Dash is unable to focus on anything, using his lack of an attention span as justification for using his super speed as often as he can. Violet is just happy to be useful and appreciated by a family that barely acknowledges her presence: hence, her ability to turn invisible. They don’t care about us normals; they just want to be exceptional on their own terms without any system that keeps them responsible for their actions.
Bird denies any objectivist leanings, but it’s hard not to feel the presence of Ayn Rand in “The Incredibles 2.” The Parr family is exceptional and should be treated as such, left alone to craft a world in which the undeserving normals can exist safely, while showing a proper amount of respect to their overlords. Usually when watching a comic book or super hero movie, I walk out of the theater desperate to live in their world. I would hate to run into The Incredibles in real life, because I’d be certain they would be looking at me with judgement in their eyes and disgust in their heart.
The Incredibles 2
Dir. Brad Bird
Grade: C+
Old Mill Stadium 16 & IMAX, Sisters Movie House, Redmond Cinema
This article appears in Jun 20-27, 2018.
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“If you’re not born exceptional, then you’ll never really enter the rarified air of those who are naturally gifted. “
This is not Ayn Rand. She did not champion the innate over the earned. She champions high-achievers, high-producers, yes, but on the merit of their thought, actions, chosen values. It’s not about your intrinsic talents, it’s about your accomplishments through will.
Frankly, the air breathed by strivers from all levels and corners of humanity is rare because so many attempt little except drift.
In this world of limited resources, it stands as tough love to pull some weeds so the garden of edibles can thrive, not be overwhelmed by population explosion. In other words, as Pope Francis recently said, “It is not a sin to prevent a life. It is a sin to take a life.” The murderous cartels and terror in central america are created in a situation of poverty driven more desperate by ever-more unwanted children born into hopeless and brutal conditions. There is no sense to this. Get initiatives on the ballot in every state to fund clinics performing vasectomies on vast numbers of men. The procedure is essentially painless and cost far less than ligation in women.
While we’re at it, train an army of suitably talented young dreamers and send them back into central america to mercilessly wipe out the cartels. They will be victorious and will have earned that most hard-won gift, the sense of pride in defending their homeland. After that, they will be given full citizenship in the United States of America, or they can perhaps go home to lead their native land forward with policies that improve things.
With love and respect for this precious home world and humankind.