2004 / 97 Minutes / PG
Reviewed by Dale Nauertz

So, how incredible is “The Incredibles”? While I might not go so far as to call the film itself “incredible”, it’s definitely a great piece of work, an inspiring bit of fun, and a unique and wonderful film bustling with creativity and exploding with life. (Hmmm, come to think it, it does seem kinda incredible.)

The story of “The Incredibles” is the story of two superheroes: Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl. Once upon a time, they were magnificent crime-fighters, saving the world on a daily basis and getting the respect of an adoring public for doing so. Unfortunately, a litigious society soon plagued them with lawsuits (mostly from people they had saved who didn’t want to be saved) and all the superheroes were forced into retirement and tucked neatly away in the suburbs by the government’s Superhero Relocation Program…including Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl (who now have a family and call themselves Mr. and Mrs. Parr). Mr. Incredible is stuck in a dead-end job in a cubicle at an Insurance Agency, thinking wistfully back on the good old days and occasionally stopping crime late at night with his old friend Frozone (voiced by Samuel L. Jackson) while wearing ski masks to hide their identities. Then, one day, Mr. Incredible is lured out of retirement with the promise of a lot of money and potential to stop crime and save the day once again on a lush, tropical island. But all is not as it seems and soon, Elastigirl and the kids (who also have superpowers) must come to Dad’s aid and save the day.

Using this story as a template, writer/director Brad Bird explores not only decades of superhero stories but also the modern American family. They might have superpowers, but they argue over finance and how to raise the children, the father is putting on weight, the mother is frazzled by having to juggle so many responsibilities at once, the kids are constantly bickering with one another and worrying about things like school sports and how to impress a boy at school. In short, they’re just like us. The film does an excellent job of introducing them and it’s surprising just how fast I stopped seeing these characters as cartoons and felt them instead as real people with real problems. This is probably the most adult-oriented Pixar film to date. Sure, it’s great for kids (I’ll get to the nonstop orgy of action and the plethora of hardy laughs in a moment) but it’s got delicate relationships and dilemmas that only an adult can fully appreciate. A lot of craft and care went into all aspects of this film, even at the script level (which, of course, enhances everything else).

Lest you think the movie is a domestic comedy/drama, fret not. The family in question is, after all, made up of superheroes. The father has superhuman strength, the mother can stretch her body to superhuman lengths, the prepubescent son can run faster than the Flash, and the teenage daughter can disappear and create force fields (by the way, it’s a rather endearing moment that, at high school, a girl who can disappear at will feels, as do most teenage girls, invisible). On their own, each of these individuals and their gifts are impressive but once the family learns to work together and appreciate one another and their specific talents (there’s a wonderful moral for all of you) only then do they vanquish the obstacles standing in their path. And they do so in some terrific, eye-popping action sequences! This film puts every action movie I’ve seen this year to shame with its sheer ingenuity and the delight of its action sequences. The film is nearly nonstop in this aspect. And it weaves the dialogue and character development into the action effortlessly, without bringing the film to a screeching halt like “Spider-Man 2” so jarringly did. Not only is the film a caring study of some fascinating and delicately human characters, it’s a zesty thrill ride with truly inventive sequences that engage the senses. It’s got a great villain (who looks a little like a geekier version of the Heat Miser from that old “Year Without a Santa Claus” special) with a very original and clever sort of motivation (a motivation that both embraces and mocks every comic book geek you’ve ever met) and while his villainous plot isn’t the greatest I’ve ever seen, at least it’s character-driven (as is the rest of this marvelous film).

I must also commend the production design and musical score of the film. I was constantly reminded of the early, great James Bond films: the film has a glorious, snazzy, mid-60’s, world of tomorrow look and feel to it and the music is a perfect compliment to that, paying tribute to the Bond scores of John Barry and placing a wide smile on at least this viewer’s face. It’s so nice to hear something distinctive in an action movie, rather than hearing the usual Hans Zimmer orchestrations (which, according to an interview with Trey Parker and Matt Stone on the Ain’t It Cool News website, even Zimmer is getting mighty tired of). I congratulate Michael Giacchino (whose previous work includes the computer game “Medal of Honor” and the TV shows “ALIAS” and “Lost”) for composing the finest, most refreshing score I’ve heard in ages (though the score for “Sky Captain” was also quite excellent). All of these components help complete the world of the film and make it stand strong on its own two feet. Another great factor is the voice talent at work in the film. Craig T. Nelson and Holly Hunter hit all the right notes and none of the wrong ones as Mr. and Mrs. Incredible, making them utterly believable and identifiable as people we all know, and Spencer Fox and Sarah Vowell are great as the voices of the kids. Jason Lee and Samuel L. Jackson also contribute fine vocal work to the film, as does the director himself, Brad Bird, as the hilarious costume designer Edna Mode.

If the film has any sin, it’s that its pacing could use a little tightening up, particularly toward the end. It could have been a little more streamlined. And Samuel L. Jackson’s character, while a nice touch, really isn’t all that necessary. Unlike every other character in the film, the film could have lost him without missing a beat. He’s cool (literally) but he’s perhaps just one too many characters for the film to juggle. Other than that, I have no complaints. Not only is it the most fun I’ve had at the movies in a while, it also worked its sneaky way into my heart. Not as efficiently as Brad Bird’s last movie (the criminally underseen “Iron Giant”) but it’s still my favorite PIXAR film since the “Toy Story” movies. That right there is worth something. It’s one of the rare animated films I might actually see again at the theater.

Well, what do you know; maybe this is an incredible movie, after all.

This entry was posted on Friday, November 5th, 2004 at 9:17 pm and is filed under Dale's Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.