Splendid!

Rating: 8/10 (27 November 2004)

Okay, so let's get the bad news out of the way first. 'The Incredibles' does not touch 'Finding Nemo' in terms of greatness. The sheer beauty and ingenuity of that film is the type that comes along about once every fifty years, so perhaps it's unfair to compare. One of the key differences is that while 'Nemo' is very much a timeless tale with universal themes, 'The Incredibles' is very much of a particular time and place, that being modern America.
Indeed, Pixar has surprisingly managed to create one of the most socially relevant films in a year where nearly every film released attempts to be socially relevant. 'What?' you ask. 'Isn't this a cartoon and aren't cartoons for kids?' Actually, this cartoon isn't so much for kids, at least not very young ones. Excessive violence abounds and the villainy is actually threatening in a life-or-death kind of way. There has certainly never been another animated film with Disney's name on it that was as violent or as dark as this. Besides the content, the ideas and themes of the film really suggest an adult target audience.
So yeah, the kids sort of get left out here, but man, are the older folk in for a treat. At its core, 'The Incredibles' is a well-pointed satire of mainstream American life and the cultural standards that are imposed upon this nation's citizens. Within the first ten minutes, the film is depicting a man in midlife crisis and a family filled with discontent and dysfunction. As I said, this IS satire, so these problems are greatly amplified by the fact that this entire family consists of natural-born superheroes. What makes the film so poignant however, is that it not only depicts the problem, but delves deep into examining why it exists. Bob Parr sits at a cubicle all day and is forced to deny insurance claims to as many people as possible. This is what he spends his time doing, yet he is capable of not only being a truly productive member of society, but of achieving great good in the world. Hits a bit too close to home, doesn't it? In fact, the film shows each of its main characters shoved into a role of mediocrity where their real talents and potential go unused. This is bad for them, and it's bad for society as well. They are unable to give back to the world via the gifts they've been born with and they are unhappy in being forced to simply live standard lives. Indeed, 'The Incredibles' more than any other film in recent memory addresses the problem of a culture that tends to look down upon any individual talent, unless that talent involves the exploitation of someone for economic gain (see Bob's insurance job).
Greatness isn't allowed in this society. In fact, it is so forbidden that superheroes are outlawed altogether, after a rash of lawsuits over collateral damages the most hilarious of which is from a man who sues over a broken leg which is incurred while he is rescued from a suicide attempt. So all superheroes are forced to live the normal, domestic lives that bore all the rest of us to tears. Of course, 'The Incredibles' isn't necessarily a dark film. In fact, once the members of this family are allowed to embrace their talents, the bonds between them rapidly flourish. So is the root of family dysfunction found in the decision to do what society seems to approve of rather than what natural talent dictates? It's an interesting question to ponder, and one which will certainly be pondered by anyone who sees this film.
Outside of theme, the execution of the movie in general, is quite excellent. Pixar has an incredible knack for picking up extraordinarily well-written scripts, and this is certainly no exception. The satire never gets in the way of an exciting story (which is all the more exciting due to the depth of the characters). In fact, I would go so far as to say this is one of the better action films I've seen. The vocal talents are great all of them, so I won't bother mentioning just one or two names. And of course, the animation is absolutely first-rate. Even if someone could somehow hate everything else about this movie, he would have to admire it for the sheer brilliance of its visuals. Seriously, wow!
Of course, 'The Incredibles' is not without its flaws. The latter third of the film consists entirely of the family struggling and battling super-villain Syndrome. It's not that this section is poorly done; it just seems a bit incongruous with the rest of the film, as much of the satire is lost here. Syndrome himself is a problem, due to an overall lack of originality he and his giant volcano hideout feel way too copped from about every James Bond film. While we're at it, the final battle of the Incredibles against Syndrome's giant evil robot seems to go on much longer than necessary, perhaps because we see Mr. Incredible battle the exact same robot an hour earlier.
Of course, these are nit-picks in what is overwhelmingly a very funny, exciting, and even poignant film. Score: 8/10