 |
 2004 PG / Animated Superhero Directed by: Starring: |
- Save The Day
Summary Capsule
- More than a decade after superheroes went into hiding to avoid litigation and public condemnation, one super-powered family is forced to save the world and in doing so teach us all what it means to be a superhero.
Mutant Meter
     |
Movie Store [proceeds go toward monthly MRFH upkeep]
Kyle's Rating: A perfect gateway drug to imagination, a finer world, and comic books
Kyle's Review: I was totally prepared to make my review of The Incredibles into another one of my diatribes where I just attack you all for being idiots who don’t appreciate the things I do (making you inferior to me), and where I praise the virtues of those things you should be experiencing to become as great as me (beach volleyball, saving animals and underprivileged children, Grant Morrison). Usually I write those and you all love me for them anyway, so I was all psyched up for it.
Because, ultimately, The Incredibles is the work of people who have spent countless hours reading comic books and watching cartoons and playing video games... and wanted to distill the essence of the experiences into a film that could appeal to the old and young alike. The Incredibles isn’t just superheroes using their powers to fight evil, nor is it an excuse to show off incredible effects and perfected CGI hair. Certainly, all of that comes into play, but The Incredibles is ultimately about what it means to be a hero. Not everyone is special like superheroes, but be true to your potential, and you’ll live heroically.
Blah blah blah. Unfortunately for die-hard comic fans or people who are pragmatic about humanity, The Incredibles wastes a lot of time covering a lot of ground that’s already pretty familiar. There’s superheroes in love (seen it), superheroes with kids trying to make it work as a normal family sans powers (seen it), and there’s a discussion about what’s a better world: one where superpowers make some special and everyone else can’t measure up, or one where superpowers are hidden away and no one is more special than anyone else. Seen it, read it, lived it! No, really.
The Incredibles is much more fun and enjoyable to look at than an adaptation of Atlas Shrugged would be, probably, but they seem to cover a lot of the same thematic ground. If you dig that sort of thing, then you’ll certainly love the first half of The Incredibles. If superheroes in action and a “no holds barred” intelligent take on superpowers is your scene, then the second half will be amazing entertainment for you. If you like both and/or incredible strides in computer animation blow your mind, then The Incredibles is definitely your bag. Are you ready to roll with this?
I guess because I’ve read, written, viewed, and exploded (sure!) stories that dealt with stuff The Incredibles is talking about, I was sort of, well, bored when the discussion got heavy-handed and overly formulaic. I mean, for all the computer innovation and fantastic voice work (Craig T. Nelson and Holly Hunter have never been finer than as Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl), we’ve still got a story filled with marital misunderstandings, kids trying to figure out their place in the world amid teen and pre-teen angst, a self-aware supervillain with delusions of grandeur and a personal connection to one of our heroes, an “unstoppable” ultimate weapon of destruction, and an island fortress with endless traps and henchmen waiting to be infiltrated. It all looks and flows quite well, but don’t tell me it’s anything new, okay?
The hype on The Incredibles built it up as one of the greatest and most innovative films ever made. It’s not quite that, not that by a long shot, but it’s quite good. Definitely worth a look, that’s for sure.
The important thing is that The Incredibles is great exposure to the world of pure superheroics. Spider-Man and Batman aren’t so much, because they each offer a world where there’s like only one superhero (the titular one) and their exploits are practically a novelty to be gossiped about to sell newspapers. The Incredibles is about superpowers as rare but memorable, and a sign of a world filled with danger but also with possibility and amazement. Want to visit that world again? Free your mind, then, and give cartoons and comic books and science fiction and imaginative stuff a try. Who knows? You might even find some stuff *cough Grant Morrison cough* that covers the same ground but in an even more interesting and thought-provoking way.
Still, The Incredibles is awesome. I sure wish we could have gotten more of the second half heroics and a little less of the “normal life is SO boring” first half (because we all live in normal reality, so we all know how boring it is), but I guess that’s to get us wanting that sequel, huh? Bring it on!
PoolMan's Rating: You’d tell me if I was monologuing, right?
PoolMan's Review: Okay, I’m going to try something here. Let’s see how many action comic book movies I can name that have been made in the past five years or so: X-Men, X-Men 2, Spider-Man, Spidey 2, Batman Begins, Daredevil, Elektra, Sin City, The Hulk, The Punisher, The League of Rather Boring Gentlemen And One Woman, Hellboy… that’s purely off the top of my head. Coming up in the next couple of years or so we’ve got Fantastic Four, Ghost Rider, and very likely another one to three sequels for Spidey, Bats, and the X-Men, each.
You know how we all laughed when they released A Bug’s Life and Antz in the same year? Dante’s Peak and Volcano? When Animals Attack and Justin’s American Idol Video Application? [ed. note: Just because they've never seen a guy in Madonna getup doing "Vogue" doesn't mean it wasn't good] We are getting WAY over the limit on superhero movies. I mean, I love it, it’s great that comics are getting so much cinematic attention, but let’s face it, it’s because they’re successful and create reasonably large swimming pools of money for all involved. It’s gone mainstream. And just like any other movie flavour that goes on too long, this will eventually die out as things get repetitive. We can only take so many characters in dark, leathery costumes with freaky powers hurling themselves around New York shooting web/flames/energy bolts/body parts.
But in and amongst this glut comes a shining example of Golden Age comic-ness in all its simple and wonderful glory. The Incredibles.
The Incredibles is a story based both in the reality of what family is like from every perspective and in the classic sense of what it means to be able to lift a train as a form of exercise. It’s awesome. We have the frustrated and run down Mr Incredible (voiced to a T by Craig… um, T… Nelson) forced into the mundane life of mere mortals after years of being a superhero out in the open. Litigation has chased the supers underground, forced to rely on a sort of witness protection program supplied by a government too tired of paying for the damage their heroics always seem to cause. Joining him in suburban exile is his wife Elastigirl (a terrific Holly Hunter) and the family they’ve started: their daughter Violet and two sons, Dash and Jack-Jack.
Of course, everyone in the family (except, notably, Jack-Jack the baby) has superpowers at the start of the movie. Mr Inc. is your typical superstrong, chiseled-jaw type, Elastigirl has the ability to stretch her body (like Mr Fantastic of the Fantastic Four), Dash can run fast enough to stay atop a body of water, and Violet can turn invisible and create force fields. (Good thing there’s no character that can burst into flame, or Stan Lee would be having a heart attack. Right? Right?)
Naturally, "Elastigirl Vacuums Under The Couch All Day" would be a boring movie, so events begin to form to drag the family not only out of hiding, but together as one super unit, reliant not only on their powers to support each other, but their love (all together now, awwwwwwwwwww). Bad guys are thwarted, giant robots are stopped, and Samuel L Jackson shoots around on ice skates. No, really.
The first time I saw The Incredibles, I figured this was not Pixar’s best movie. It just didn’t bowl me over all at once. I mean, Monsters Inc and Toy Story? How can you top those? But now that I’ve seen it about fifteen times (and bought the DVD twice for mysterious reasons that shall remain unnamed) I’ve come to realize what a fantastically rewatchable movie it is. It’s really got everything. Sure, maybe it’s not all new ground as Kyle points out, but what’s re-tread upon is still great.
Looking back at the list of comic movies at the start of this review, you may notice something: every one of them was done in live action. Not only is it currently en vogue to shoot comic movies, but they’ve all got to be done with live actors and CG effects. Even the best of them can come off looking clunky. I always wondered why not just go with a pure CG movie if you’re going to do superheroes? The Incredibles definitely proved I’m on to something. The movie just looks right, full of bright colours, impossibly shaped characters, and amazing feats that I’m just not convinced could look that great in live action. Things look cartoony, sure, but think about the source material! This is a love note to the 60’s and 70’s era of comic books (and, notably, Bond movies of that era too) if I’ve ever seen one. No dark and gritty bloodbaths here. And at the same time, a good family comedy lies just underneath… the scene where they’re frantically trying to head off the bad guy by traveling in a Winnebago is priceless, not because it’s a showy piece of superwork, but because we have ALL been on the long family road trip with the bored kids and the frustrated dad. Gold.
Like I said, I’ve probably seen this movie more than a dozen times already, and it’s not even a year old yet. It’s rewatchable like nobody’s business, a ton of fun, and just made to be seen again and again. Check it out, true believers!
Lissa's Rating: Holy hand grenades, Batman!
Lissa's Review: My favorite scene in The Incredibles never made it past the storyboard. (Don'tcha just love DVDs?) It's the alternate beginning, where Helen (aka Elastigirl) is talking with the neighborhood women and gets involved in the Mommy Wars. If you don't have the first idea of what I'm talking about when I say the Mommy Wars, thank your lucky stars.
Attachment parenting. Co-sleeping vs. crib. Breast vs. bottle. Stay at home vs. working outside the home. (I refuse to even acknowledge the phrase "full-time mom", because ALL parents are full-time, thank you very much.) Binky vs. no binky. Schedules. Discipline. Eating. Private school vs. public. Everyone feels very passionately about how to raise their children, which is fine. But do it differently from the person you're talking to, and you're likely to hear about it. It's a fair bet that every parent (but especially the women) will be made to feel like absolute garbage for a perfectly legitimate parenting decision they've made at some point in their life.
Now, before I completely derail off the topic of the movie, let me just say I really wish, in some ways, they'd kept that beginning. I can see why they didn't. The way the beginning flows works for the movie, and it works better than the alternate opening that I love so dearly. But I really, really liked the beginning, and it really struck a chord with me and believe it or not, helped me sort of come to terms with my own decision to put my scientific career on hold while I deal with someone who can count "lethal spit-up" and "putting my toes in my mouth" among his super powers. To me, the beginning was a call to end the Mommy Wars, and the character of Helen was a way to say all women feel stretched beyond normal human limits at times, and let's cut each other a little slack, okay?
Anyway.
If you know anything about Pixar movies, you know The Incredibles is a good movie. In some ways, it feels redundant to review after saying "Pixar." It's not my favorite of the Pixar movies, but come on — competing with Toy Story and Toy Story 2 just isn't fair. But it's funny. For all that The Incredibles is a superhero movie, the parts with fighting and all that just don't stand out to me. There's nothing wrong with them, they're just… been there, done that. It's the part at the beginning I love.
I love the concept of a superhero family. I love how the superpowers fit each member of the family in a symbolic sort of way. I love that the writers actually acknowledge that romantic love is not the be all and end all of a person's happiness. I love how the parents have to deal with getting older, and how their lives have changed, and how the kids have to deal with fitting in when they really don't. And I love the way they deal with family, and the relationships inside this little unit.
And I love Edna. (Seriously, dah-ling, how can you not? She practically insists!)
As much as I identify with Helen, however, I really liked the message of the film as portrayed through Bob and Dash, as well. Bob's not the only one annoyed with ceremonies that celebrate what's expected. I'm a little alarmed at the way our society wants to make a big fuss over how everyone is special. Is everyone special? I do believe everyone has some innate talents or gifts, yes. But fourth-grade graduations, everyone-gets-a-trophy policies, Barney… we've become so caught up in not harming self-esteem that we've forgotten to honor the extraordinary. The scales have tipped the other way so that instead of trying to inspire each child to believe that anyone can get anyplace with hard work and determination, it feels like we're teaching children that they're fine the way they are, no work needed. At least, that's my perspective. (Incidentally, Kyle's right about the first half of the movie being akin to Atlas Shrugged.) I thought it was an interesting message for a kids' movie to pass on — and one I appreciate. Do your best. Don't hold back. Work hard for what you want, and if you're talented, there should be no reason you can't try to do everything in your (legal and moral) power to reach your goal.
I suppose, especially in light of this being superhero week, I should talk about the superhero parts. But the truth is I find it hard to do so. I find it hard to get excited enough to do so, I should say. The battles are good, don't get me wrong. But like I mentioned before, they don't really stand out. Maybe if you geek out over computer animation, you might be amazed at the effects or the detail. Maybe if you love technology or fight scene choreography you might have a lot to say. But to me, they were just kind of there. If it weren't for the more mundane aspects of The Incredibles, I wouldn't find it that inspiring as a movie. Well, almost.
I do have to say I really enjoyed the villain. I'm a big believer that a superhero is only as good as his arch nemesis. If you don't have a suitably evil and charismatic arch nemesis, you don't care so much if the hero wins. And Syndrome was just a fantastic villain, which Jason Lee obviously had the time of his life playing. And I must say that I loved — absolutely loved — Syndrome's geeky tendencies. (Self-proclaimed, even, in the scene were he has Bob captured and is going on about how he was "geeking out" over Mr. Incredible's moves.) Good supervillains should be completely over the top, but still retain humanity, and Syndrome fits that perfectly. Plus, Syndrome is truly evil. That scene where Mr. Incedible is looking through Cerebro- er, the data base and finding out all his friends are dead? That's pretty brutal if you stop to think about it.
For all that this is a superhero movie, I found myself enjoying the mundane part of it more. Perhaps because I want to believe that everyday people can have superpowers and adventures like the Incredibles do. Battling evil would certainly be more fun than tearing apart other women in the Mommy Wars!
 See? This is how a married couple should work together!
|
- Mirage tells Mr. Incredible that he'll be briefed on his second mission in conference room A-113. The number A-113 is a frequent Pixar in-joke based on one of the room numbers for the animation program at Cal Arts.
- Syndrome's facial features are based on those of the film's director, Brad Bird.
- In the beginning of the film, when a robber is going through a woman's purse on the roof of a building, a Mr. Incredible Pez dispenser can be seen among the items scattered on the ground.
- Inside Robert Parr's cubicle is a "danger" sign. The image is the lightning bolt of Captain Marvel (SHAZAM!) using the red of his uniform instead of the gold. It is in the distinctive shape of the Marvel family (Captain Marvel, Mary Marvel, Captain Marvel Jr., and Black Adam), not that of the various Flash costumes. When Mr. Incredible gets his new fancy car, the emblem on the hood is in the triangular shape of the Golden Age Superman's symbol. The black ray-like vehicle that delivers Mr. Incredible to the island is a reference to the Black Manta, an enemy of Aquaman and member of the Legion of Doom. And Gazer-Beam is a direct reference to Cyclops of the X-Men.
- The story takes place in a city called "Metroville". It's a combination of "Metropolis" and "Smallville", respectively the cities where Superman lives and was raised.
- The ending scene - with the enemy coming from the earth - is a homage to Fantastic Four's first enemy, Mole Man. The scene seems to be based on the cover of the first Fantastic Four comic book cover, released in 1961.
- Among the superheroes shown listed in the Kronos database are Universal Man, Psycwave, Everseer, Macroburst, Phylange, Blazestone, Downburst, Hyper Shock, Apogee, Blitzerman, Tradewind, Vectress, Gazerbeam, Gamma Jack, ElastiGirl, Frozone, and Mr. Incredible.
- Syndrome's unusual way of walking was supposedly inspired by a Pixar employee who someone had noticed had a very strange walk and commented on it. His or her attempts to curb the strange walk were the basis of Syndrome and his "purposeful" walking style.
- When Mr. Incredible first meets Buddy he struggles to remember his name, calling him Brodie at first. Jason Lee, who voices Syndrome, made his big screen debut playing comic book obsessed character Brodie Bruce in Mallrats
- Capes! Never wear capes!
- Wallace Shawn (Mr Huph) and John Ratzenburger (The Underminer) both make it into the movie in small roles. They’ve both been in every Pixar movie to date (with the exception that Shawn was not in Finding Nemo).
- So… where did all the supervillains go when the heroes were forced underground?
- Definitely Pixar’s most violent movie to date. Several henchmen and at least one major character die over the course of the film.
Is It Worth Staying Through End Credits?
They certainly look cool, with lots of stylish superhero-esque figures appearing and stirring music playing. Sure, what, are you in a hurry or something?
Intermission! [some sources: IMDb]
-
As with other Pixar productions, the original trailer for this film featured animation made specially for the trailer and not appearing in the final film. It was directed by Brad Bird 18 months before the release of the movie.
John Barry was originally hired to score the film but left the project after recording only a few demo themes.
In order to give Dash a realistic out-of-breath voice, Brad Bird made Spencer Fox run laps around the studio.
The little boy on the tricycle is named Rusty, this is never revealed in the film except for the credits and a comic in Disney Adventures Magazine.
The story takes place in a city called "Metroville". It's a combination of "Metropolis" and "Smallville", respectively the cities where Superman lives and was raised.
This is the first time Pixar has used only human characters in a film.
The theme from the James Bond film On Her Majesty's Secret Service, composed by John Barry, is used in the previews for this film. The version used in the first trailer is from the CD "Bond: Back in Action" (Escape From Piz Gloria and Ski Chase). The second trailer uses the remix by David Arnold featuring The Propellerheads as it appears on the 1997 albums "Shaken and Stirred - The David Arnold James Bond Project" and "Decksanddrumsandrockandroll"; this second trailer also uses the song "The Planet Plan" from the album "3rd Perspective" by United Future Organization.
Edna, the costume lady, is based on Edith Head, who worked as a studio costume designer on hundreds of movies over more than fifty years.
Brad Bird originally conceived this as a conventional cel-animated film when he pitched it. The cel-animated sequences seen in the End Credits are a representation of his original concept.
Groovy Quotes
-
Mr. Incredible: No matter how many times you save the world, it always manages to get back in jeopardy again. Sometimes I just want it to stay saved! You know, for a little bit? I feel like the maid; "I just cleaned up this mess! Can we keep it clean for... for ten minutes!"
Lucius Best: So now I'm in deep trouble. I mean, one more jolt of this death ray and I'm an epitaph. Somehow I manage to find cover and what does Baron von Ruthless do?
Bob Parr: [Laughing] He starts monologuing.
Lucius Best: He starts monologuing! He starts this, like, prepared speech about how *feeble* I am compared to him, how *inevitable* my defeat is, how *the world will soon be his*, yadda yadda yadda
Violet Parr: Normal? What do you know about normal? What does anyone in this family know about normal?
Helen Parr: Now *wait* a minute, young lady -
Violet Parr: We *act* normal, Mom, I want to *be* normal! The only normal one is Jack-Jack, and he's not even toilet trained!
Helen Parr: I love you, but if we're going to make this work, you have to be more than Mr. Incredible.
Bob Parr: It's not a graduation. He's moving from the 4th grade to the 5th grade.
Helen Parr: It's a ceremony.
Bob Parr: It's psychotic! They keep creating new ways to celebrate mediocrity.
Bob Parr: What are YOU waiting for?
Little Boy on Tricycle: I don't know. Something amazing, I guess.
Bob Parr: Me too, kid.
Edna: Supermodels. Hah! Nothing "super" about them - spoiled, stupid little stick figures with poofy lips who think only about themselves. Feh! I used to design for GODS!
Mr. Incredible: You mean you killed off real heroes so that you could *pretend* to be one?
Syndrome: Oh, I'm real all right. Real enough to defeat you! And I did it without your precious gifts. Your oh-so-special powers. I'll give them heroics. I'll give them the most spectacular heroics the world has ever seen! And when I'm old and I've had my fun, I'll sell my inventions so that *everyone* can have powers. *Everyone* can be Super! And when everyone's Super... no one will be.
Lucius Best: Honey? Where's my super suit?
Honey Best: What?
Lucius Best: Where - is - my - super - suit?
Honey Best: I, uh, put it away
Lucius Best: Where?
Honey Best: Why... do you need to know?
Lucius Best: I need it!
Honey Best: Don't you think about running off doing no derrin'-do. We've been planning this dinner for two months!
Lucius Best: The public is in danger!
Honey Best: My evening's in danger!
Lucius Best: You tell me where my suit is, woman! We are talking about the greater good!
Honey Best: Greater good? I am your wife! I'm the greatest good you are ever gonna get!
Underminer: Behold, the Underminer! I'm always beneath you, but nothing is beneath me! I hereby declare war on peace and happiness! Soon, all will tremble before me!
Mr Incredible: Bomb Voyage.
Bomb Voyage: Monsieur Incroyable!
Edna Mode: [to Mr Incredible] My God, you’ve gotten fat.
Syndrome: Oh no! Elastigirl? You married ELASTIGIRL?!? [see kids] and got biz-ZAY!
Evil Henchman Watching TV News: Every time they run, we take a shot!
Bob Parr: Are you saying that we shouldn’t help our customers?
Mr Huph: The law requires that I answer "no".
DVD Review
-
The disc is worth picking up for the movie and "Jack-Jack Attack" alone (a fully animated short showing Kari’s hellish experience babysitting Jack-Jack while Elastigirl and the kids are on the island). The rest of it is quite fun… the deleted scenes are sadly only storyboard and not full CGI, although there is the obligatory blooper reel of animation screwups. Sadly, it looks like the days of the fully animated Pixar blooper reel are gone.
Soundtrack Review
-
Okay, this is a great score. Period. It’s an excellent tribute to the 60’s-style Bond themes, and it absolutely never fails to get me excited about the movie. Some of the most stylish movie music in years.
If you liked this movie, try these:
Part of
This review page was last updated on 9.3.06
MRFH Home . Reviews . Findaflik . Features! . MRFH Forum
© 2006 Mutant Reviewers From Hell (Original Content). All Rights Reserved.
