Film Review #78: The Incredibles

I always debate between what my three favorite Pixar movies are.  The first, as most of you know, is Toy Story 2.  The second and third places are much harder to place.  I often cannot choose between the absolutely praised and beloved Up and The Incredibles  This film is viewed by many as a subpar film, which has always astounded me.  I think this is not only some of Pixar's best work, but also the best in all of the history of animation.  I waited three and a half hours in line to see this film when it first came out and I was absolutely happy I did.  Not only did I see the first teaser trailers for Revenge of the Sith, but I saw what is still one of my all time favorite animated movies.  To be quite honest, had I left the theater after the opening scenes, I would have been pleasantly entertained enough with the day, even though I probably missed a marathon of "Spongebob", but I digress.

Plot: In the golden age of superheroes, heroes like Mr. Incredible (Craig T. Nelson), Frozone (Samuel L. Jackson), and Elastigirl (Holly Hunter) defeat villains, save cats from trees, and stop robberies and all sorts of crime in the city.  But when the people around the world begin to sue the superheroes for their destructive and often disregard for both the law and the lives of innocent bystanders, the government decides to place all of the heroes in hiding, promising to give the heroes amnesty for their past actions in exchange for the promise to never again engage in superhero work.

15 years later, Bob Parr (Mr. Incredible) has married Helen Parr (Elastigirl) and the two have had three children: Dash, Violet and Jack Jack.  But Bob's craving for the old days forces the family to have to relocate often and he has to keep changing jobs to keep his family afloat in a world where his powers are still looked at as volatile.  When his actions cause him to get fired from yet another job, Bob is told he will no longer be taken care of by the government.  Just as Bob loses all hope, he is contacted by a mysterious woman named Mirage, who hires him to engage a powerful robot that has gone berserk in the jungles of a mysterious island, Mr. Incredible returns to the superhero line, getting paid exuberant amounts of money and getting back into fighting shape.

But not only does his family begin to catch on to what Bob's been doing, but Bob learns that he is just a pawn in the plan of a former fan of his, Buddy Pine, who has now become the "supervillain" Syndrome.  Syndrome has been wiping out the superheroes all around the US, planning to become the next leader of the next generation of superheroes, ultimately planning to sell his technology to people to make everyone super and in the process, making no one special.

What's Bad?: -_-

What's Good?: The Incredibles may cover a more relatable message than some of Pixar's earlier work.  The scenes with the family play out very much like normal families react.  The conversations the family has about school and life, the friction between Violet and Dash, seems really legit and reminded me a lot of dinnertime at my house.

Unlike DreamWorks, who was basically casting every major star they could find, from Will Smith to Dustin Hoffman, Pixar also cast this film fairly well, like they do most of their movies.  I don't ever picture Tom Hanks playing Woody or John Goodman playing Sulley, I picture Sulley and Woody.  The same can be said here.  I don't envision Craig T. Nelson or Holly Hunter as Mr. Incredible or Elastigirl, I see the characters.  Even acting great Samuel L. Jackson, the baddest mofo in Hollywood, as Frozone didn't seem like a call in to just read lines.  He is able to let loose and have fun in this to just be himself in a kids movie.  Beats the hell out of Mace Windu.

The single greatest thing about this movie is just one simple character: Edna Mode, the superhero clothing designer.  I don't even comprehend how hilarious this character is, but something about this role works really well.

Also, the score is also well written and well composed.  It ranges from a campy rendition of the old John Williams Superman score, to the dark and moody Danny Elfman Batman score.

Overall: This film should have been the first Pixar film to warrant a sequel after Toy Story.  It's a dark, yet highly comedic film that doesn't insult anyone's intellegence, something that the next film would have no problem doing....but more on that later....

Final Grade:   A+