It's got something for everyone

Rating: 6/10 (17 May 2005)

Generally not being a fan of Pixar animation (or most American animated films for that matter) I admit that while I watched "The Incredibles" with some trepidation, I was optimistic because of a couple of factors: First of all, I'm a comic book/super hero geek from way back and will see most of the films that fall into this genre. (I even endured the horrid "Hellboy" because of this ugly fascination) Secondly, Sarah Vowell voices the character of the Violet, the daughter, and pretty much anything that Vowell touches turns to darkly humored intellectual gold. And finally, the writer and director was Brad Bird, one of the original guys behind "The Simpsons", one of the greatest television shows of all time. So I asked myself, what could possibly go wrong? Thankfully, not a whole lot. From the action-packed beginning of the film where we are introduced to the majority of the characters, it is clear that this is going to be film that is going to appeal primarily to adults, with enough sight gags and silliness to keep the kids entertained throughout. Chronicling the lives of a family of superheroes, "The Incredibles" manages to create a plausible family story (though the family is certainly different from most). After a series of perceived screw ups, the government has cracked down on super heroes and have placed them into the witness protection program. Bob Parr/Mr. Incredible (Nelson) is now an overweight claims processor for an insurance company who is unsatisfied with his humdrum life and longs to relive his former glory. Helen Parr/Elastigirl (Hunter) is his wife, and seems to have adjusted to her suburban life nicely and enjoys taking care of the home and being a mother to her children Dash, Violet and baby Jack Jack. Sometimes at night, however, Bob has been sneaking out with his friend Lucius Best/Frozone (Jackson) to listen to police scanners and, when a crime or emergency occurs, answer the call of duty before anyone else arrives. When Bob receives a mysterious package from someone asking him to become a "contract super hero" and do various tasks for them, he jumps at the chance, a decision that puts himself, his family, and the world in peril.
Throughout my viewing of "The Incredibles", I frequently found myself forgetting that the film was technically a children's film, and also that it was even animated. The animation was nearly flawless and the presentation had many elements of a celluloid, live-action film such as various camera angles, etc. One thing that most impressed me was the voice talent; being a fan of some genres of anime, I find myself only watching the show/film in the original language because the English dubs are just mind-numbingly awful. So even though this was an American-produced film, I was still wary of that aspect. Early on it became clear that there was no reason to be concerned, because all of the voice talent (particularly that of Hunter and Nelson) were truly great. As I mentioned earlier, I was very excited about Sarah Vowell's involvement, because this is not something she normally participates in. She did a good job, but it turned out to be almost distractingly strange to hear her voice in this context; normally I'm hearing her reading one of her essays on PRI's, "This American Life". Obviously this isn't a criticism for the film itself, however. The story was remarkably compelling and clever, and there were a couple of good laughs, though not as many as I expected. Still, I would consider this film, rather than a comedy, more of an action film with some comedic elements thrown in, so I wasn't expecting a rip-roaring laugh fest.
Overall, I enjoyed "The Incredibles", a critique that is all the more meaningful when one realizes how little I like or tolerate films that are aimed at kids (my disturbing obsession with Disney's "The Little Mermaid" notwithstanding). As to whether the film deserves its current slot in the IMDb Top 100? That I'm not so sure about, particularly when I look at some of the films that are edged out when new films enter the list. But generally, "The Incredibles" is a decent film that was very enjoyable. 6/10 Side note: I rarely mention DVD extras in my reviews, but I kind of have to in this case. "The Incredibles" is really heavy on the extras, but the two that I happened to watch were wonderful, and shouldn't be missed if possible. The first is the Sarah Vowell video essay (it was absolutely hilarious and really does a good job of showing who she is) and the second was the short film that showed a scene between Jack Jack and his babysitter that was not a part of the film. The person I watched the movie with and I both agreed that it contained some better laughs than even the movie itself.