Suck on that 007

Rating: 8/10 (16 February 2005)

I'll be the first one to admit that The Incredibles has a rather weak core story. It's a simple, familiar and easily conceivable good guy vs. bad guy routine and the basic plot becomes apparent very early into the film. This despite the fact that the actual bad guy is not exposed an until about an hour into the film. Now this set-up might work for 6-10 year old's, but it certainly doesn't work for the average adult watching this film. Despite falling into the latter category myself (being 23 years young) I neither found this simple core story annoying nor did I feel that it took anything away from the fun that became and is The Incredibles. Fact is, that the the great characters, the familiar situations, the great visuals and music all add up to make the simple set-up fade away into oblivion.
I was particularly impressed by the apparent ease in which Brad Bird fused superhero and espionage elements with everyday situations every person knows so well. Especially family themes as upbringing and aging were addressed very truthfully and at times I felt myself chuckle, because it all seemed so familiar (either from own experience, or because I know people like that). These familiar situations along with the careful build-up of the story, are crucial for this film, because they allow it to last 2 hours without becoming boring and slow.
While The Incredibles may be very predictable at times, I still felt that the whole was very original. One example of this originality is the fact that everybody's super powers became useful (specifically and individually) in the end. In my mind, it is simply amazing what Brad Bird accomplished with this film and in my humble opinion The Incredibles is the best Bond film since Goldeneye (1995). But not only that, it is also the best Pixar film since Toy Story 2 or maybe ever (beating the (for me) disappointing, yet highly successful Finding Nemo with incredible ease), Disney's best animated feature probably since Hercules AND one of the best films of 2004. The film might not be as comical and hilarious as Disney's previous offerings, but it still is one of the best films the company has brought forward and it definitely deserves to win the Oscar for best animated feature. I for one CANNOT wait for the sequel, although I hope in the end they'll do better than what they ended with.
8,25 out of 10
post scriptum: maybe I suck as a movie critic and I should stop writing reviews, but I enjoy it too much and luckily you're not forced to read this. Besides a wise man once said: "Opinions are like a..holes, everyone has one."