Occasionally clever, sporadically funny and TOTALLY OVER PRODUCED!

Rating: 4/10 (25 October 2004)

The Incredibles is one of those loud, brash, totally over-produced, lowest common denominator, "family films' that while not void of clever asides and mild charms, results in a desperately frantic, grating and ultimately tiresome event for those of us who are not 12 years old. While the computer animation is top notch and often remarkable, the premise full of possibilities, and the musical score delightfully manic, the narrative elements are just too predictable. The characters are curiously one dimensional, which seems odd as they all have secret identities which often seem to fill irritating clichés such as the "sassy" misunderstood daughter, the "groovy" jivin' black sidekick, the "freaky" decidedly gay fashionista/designer, and the "tough love" Mom to name a few. The narrative's nearly constant action screams along, raising the stakes and inflating its self assured importance with each passing minute.
This multi-million dollar, bombastic side show feels unpleasantly pre-packaged and ready to sell millions of Happy Meals, plush toys and other tie in merchandise. You can't help but wonder how many "power meetings" this thing generated for all the synergistic tie-in companies that cling to such shining gloss like leeches. One thing is for sure, it's designed to hit kiddie radar at dead center and this Christmas will be an Incredibles one!
Ultimately, The Incredibles isn't so much a movie experience but rather an endless commercial for Pixar and Disney as the film laboriously tries to top itself with each new sequence that usually ends with in flourish of animated bangs, if not an explosion. You can't help but feel you're being forced to submit to the film's brow-beating fury. Sadly, this will probably be the most popular box office hit of the year because a lot of commercial critics will pour accolades on it as a "feel good" movie of epic proportions.
30 years ago parents would have dutifully dropped the kids off at the kiddie matinée and save themselves the headache. Now, in the post Spielberg and Lucas filmscape that made select children's narratives high art and the national obsession with computer generated 'art', many adults will feel obliged to see and love the latest "wonder" from the Walt Disney company. Worse if you are not particularly interested in this kind of cinema, numerous people think you are being too hard on such films.
With the Incredibles or more fitting The Incredibles (TM) there's a distinct plasticity in what so many film goers refer to now as a 'fun movie'. Sure, junk food can be a welcome treat but ultimately it can make people sick.