yeah yeah it's incredible

Rating: 10/10 (9 June 2005)

okay, we all know how amazing this is, most breathtaking cgi you've ever seen, etc, etc. Yup, it's dazzling, a must-see. But that isn't what does it for me, not the stunning cinematography (if that's what you call it when it's computerised?). No, this film has what Bruce Lee calls "emotional content", and it packs a real punch, too.
I laughed, I cried, both out loud, nearly shat myself, loads of times. But still, that's not what I'm talking about, I'm talking about the details. Not those sumptuously detailed backdrops, but the emotional details. As well as one big, rollicking story, there are four or five "wee" stories, each of the main characters growing individually (at one point Violet says says something like "well, I think dad's made a lot of progress today, but really we should be going now"). I say "five", because really, it's a story about one family, albeit a very "special" one.
There's that scene where Violet (who is gloriously flowering into womanhood throughout the whole film) puts on her mask for the very first time, and the camera pulls back as she shifts her position ever so slightly, stands upright and proudly *becomes* a super-hero. It's truly magnificent. She started the film looking like that girl from Ju-On, all hair and one big eye.
Another, when Dash (who reminds me of Bart Simpson, except funnier, faster, and cuter) has just run his legs off to save the day, and Helen (Mum) tells him how proud she is, he can barely move for exhaustion, but that smile! It says it all. The mother is the pivotal character in the whole film, and keeps it all together, saves the day more than anyone else, too. The scene with the guided missiles, I screamed! Then bawled like a baby! Wow!
And when Mr. Incredible tells Mrs. Incredible he's "not strong enough", and we realise he means "strong enough to go on without you", I literally burst into tears. Incredible stuff! The whole script is so tight, and delivered with such exceptional timing, you realise quickly that you've bought a ticket for one big dizzy emotional roller-coaster that's not gonna stop until the credits roll.
By the time I get to the neck-breaking chase scenes at the end, I'm a complete wreck! So maybe I'm an emotional kinda guy, but I can't remember the last time a movie made me cry like this. What I'm saying is, these guys can ACT! What am I saying? It's a CARTOON! Incredible!
I'd just finished watching that documentary trilogy "The Corporation" a few days before seeing this film, and I reckon this helped me to better understand the corporate satire in the middle. I loved the camera work in that section, all right-angular, particularly the part where Bob sits down and disarranges Mr. Huph's pencils, and again where he's using his hands to demonstrate how a "team" works. lovely stuff!
Every time the camera moves, there's something new to enjoy, I particularly enjoyed Bob's "corporate PC" with the zillion+ wires coming out of the back. Remember who own Pixar?
Yes, I could go on and on, the clever symbolism, the fine intellectual texturing, the deep and piercing satire (and I've said nothing about Edna 'E' Mode who just rocks, and steal all her scenes!) but I'm thinking, in the time I could take to really tell you how amazing this film is, I could watch it again! And man! am I looking forward to doing THAT!
-fm