Good but not Incredible

Rating: 8/10 (29 November 2004)

My Rating: *** out of ****.
Don't get me wrong The Incredibles represents good entertainment but when I compare it to the Toy Story films and Finding Nemo(which gets better on subsequent viewings), it pales. I found the film entertaining but it just didn't pull me in like the previously mentioned Pixar films did. Nevertheless, The Incredibles has many good points.
Like every other Pixar film, the animation is stunning. Pixar has not done any backsliding here yet. The Incredibles looks just as great if not even more so than the other films. The locations vary from streets of a city, underwater, and on a tropical island. They all look equally impressive.
Two other strengths of The Incredibles are the action sequences and the humor. There is much more action here than any other Pixar film but the action scenes are thrilling and expertly done. The humor can be hilarious. The best jokes involve Mr. Incredible and his ultra-small car(at least for his size).
The vocal work is a little mixed. Craig T. Nelson does a solid job as Mr. Incredible. He makes him a larger-than-life character with enough human qualities to capture our sympathy. However, it takes too long for Holly Hunter to lose herself in the character. For a while, all I saw was an animated character with Hunter's voice, not Elastigirl. Samuel L. Jackson fares better but Jason Lee is no better than adequate as the villain. The actors who did the kids voice did a sub-par job. The kids were interminably annoying(especially Violet).
The Incredibles is also at least 15 minutes too long. It really starts to drag near the end and some trimming would have really helped out. Nevertheless, I do recommend the film. Those expecting a great film like the critics say it is, maybe disappointed but if you are expecting solid entertainment, then you won't be.