You sly dog! You caught me monologuing!

Rating: 10/10 (22 March 2005)

This was an impressive film. I have not had the best of luck with PIXAR films lately. I didn't really see the creativity in Monsters, Inc and Finding Nemo literally gave me the sweats when I watched it, so there was some hesitancy to see what PIXAR could do to topple their past mega-hits. Well, what they crafted was something so out of left field that even I, the movie kinda guy, never saw it coming. They made a very witty, intelligently clever, powerfully smart adult cartoon. While there were elements throughout the film that I felt children would enjoy, I did feel as if 92% of this film was invested with the intelligent adult in mind. There is great respect paid to the superheroes of my father's generation as well as a specific intent to downplay the "cute" element and keep us glued to our seats with action, suspense, and some of the most ingenious animation to be seen this side of the Mississippi.
From beginning to end, this film reeked perfection in a way that other films only aspire to smell like. It not only gave us this huge pre-story about what was happening in the world of superheroes (a concept that seemed taboo in the past), but it also gave us this enormous family dynamic that allowed each character to be built from the floor up. Each of our characters has their own dilemma, their own style, and their own hurdles that they need to cross, and Brad Bird gives them each their moment to shine. While he does focus heavily on our "head of family" Mr. Incredible, he gives so much attention to detailing the rest of the characters and scenes that you never feel this uneven balance. This is a story about family, about realizing that you are "super", and that powers are not needed to realize this. These are huge issues to cover in a animated film, but Bird succeeds in these three ways: First, he gives the film the time that it deserves. This is not some mere 89 minute film that never develops anything, never takes a chance, nor allows our characters to shine, but instead a very hefty 121 minutes of sheer pleasure. This is also why I think Bird had adults in mind while creating this visual feast, I know of very few children's films that are that extensive, normally you loose the child too quickly, but perhaps Bird wasn't aiming towards that audience. At least, that is what I witnessed.
Second, Bird gives us this huge world that is not surrounded by animated boundaries. We do not stay in just one city, we do not loiter around the superhero's house all day, and we do not get pulled into normal animated clichés like the man saves the day and gets himself that woman he has always wanted. The Incredibles went in a completely new, fresh, and somewhat tangent direction that gave it the power to grow before our eyes. That is what I completely enjoyed about this film was the fact that I could not foresee the future, meaning that there were no building clichés that gave me a direct path to the end. I had to guess, consider all possibilities, and reason with new ones that were unfolding before me. It was an adventure, not just a simple piece of cinema.
Third, and this is huge, was the main worry that I had with this film was the possible "baby" moments. I was so worried that we would find ourselves wasting time watching, listening, or gasp laughing at the "cute" baby factor. I thought that this was a path that Bird was going to travel towards, and would have ultimately caused this review to be a bit more tilted. But, this wasn't a film for a child was it? So, Bird left out most of the scenes dealing with the child and thus forced us to see the adults dealing with very mature themes and scenarios. This factor was huge in indicating that perhaps Bird had a separate audience in mind.
Overall, this was an amazing film to watch, experience, and enjoy. The bold use of colors complimented the sensation of the characters that carried with them similar attributes. Brad Bird skillfully crafted this film that had every possibility of being clichéd and overbearingly geared towards children, but instead he took a higher road and gave us this film that will last the test of time due greatly in part to giving us, the adults in the world, an opportunity to indulge and enjoy the power of animated cinema. In every attempt not to sound redundant, this film was "incredible". The characters were beautiful, the story was solid, and the powerful voice acting allowed this film to rank among the top of my PIXAR favorites. I highly recommend this film to anyone that is an avid superhero fan or simply is looking for an adventurous ride into the future of our movie business. WOW. That is all I can say  "WOW".
Grade: ***** out of *****