| Incredibles, The |
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 (10/10)
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Runtime: 115 |
| Public Rating: 8.69 (176 votes) |
Director: Brad Bird |
MPAA Rating:  |
| Genre: Animation |
Year: 2004 |
| Writer(s): Brad Bird |
| Distributor: Pixar Studios/Disney Studios |
| Reviewed by: Mel Valentin |
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Written and directed by Brad Bird, The Incredibles unfolds as an affectionate tribute to the Golden and Silver Ages of superhero comic books, combined with a paean to the American family unit, despite its conflicts and contradictions. The Incredibles triumphs on every level: storytelling, humor (physical and verbal), character design and characterization, voice work, and, of course, the endlessly inventive animation, animation which reflects Brad Bird’s obsessions with the 1950s and early (pre-Vietnam War/pre-social unrest) 1960s pop culture, including the James Bond films.
Bird, whose first film was the underrated and underseen The Iron Giant, introduces Robert Parr's/Mr. Incredible's (voiced by Craig. T. Nelson) internal conflict into the opening scenes, between the desire to save the world and the duty to family, as represented first by Helen/Elastigirl (Holly Hunter), and later, by the addition of his three children, Dash (Spencer Cox), Violet (Sarah Vowell) and Jack-Jack, a newborn infant. Bird introduces the audience to Mr. Incredible ready for action, straining to listen to the local police radio as news emerges of a robbery in progress, even as his tight-fitting tuxedo indicates a prior, possibly important appointment later that day. A hilarious riff on the “cat-in-the-tree” superhero trope temporarily delays his pursuit of machine-gun-toting criminals. But no superhero is complete without a supervillain, in this case, a clever, mocking, French villain, Bomb Voyage. Mr. Incredible, of course, has his over-eager, well-intentioned fans, as exemplified by the bratty, whiny IncrediBoy. IncrediBoy, however, has no superhero skills, but he does display a talent for science-fiction gadgetry (here, rocket-powered boots). Unable to fend off both IncrediBoy and Bomb Voyage simultaneously, Mr. Incredible's attempt to save lives ends with the destruction of public and private property, which, in turn, results in a series of career-ending lawsuits against Mr. Incredible and the other superheroes in this universe.
Flash forward fifteen years: Mr. Incredible, stripped of his superhero identity, relocated to suburbia via the federal superhero relocation program, and now just known as Bob Parr, has become a victim of the “law of the expanding middle,” his expanding girth complemented by his receding hairline and his longing for the adventures of his superhero youth. Bob, in short, is a character suffering a “mid-life crisis.” He's now defined by his roles as (inattentive) husband, father, and breadwinner, working as a low-level, cubicle drone for a massive insurance company, InsuriCare. In Bird's world (and our own), insurance companies safeguard stockholder profits over paying legitimate, insurance claims. Bob, still driven by an innate sense of justice toward the downtrodden, finds ways to help his clients, much to the displeasure of his pint-sized, Richard Nixon-look-alike boss, Gilbert Hugh (Wallace Shawn). Bird plays Bob's unhappiness at his predicament via physical humor, whether it's cringing at the Hugh's verbal assault, or squeezing his massive bulk into his chair at work, or the compact car he drives to work every day.
Bob's wife, Helen, has adjusted better to domestic routine, (superficially) content to raise her two children, the mischief-making Dash and the shy, introspective, Violet. Both their children have special powers of their own, Dash is a mini-Flash, able to run circles around mere humans, and Violet can conjure life-saving force fields and become invisible at will. Both children, however, are forced to hide their superpowers, due to the government proscription against their use. Bob, however, has little interest in his family's life, instead preferring occasional forays into illegal crime fighting with another superhero, Lucius Best/Frozone (Samuel L. Jackson). These forays bring Bob to the attention of a secret benefactor, presumably an agent for a secret, government agency, who offers Bob the possibility to come out of retirement. First assignment, fighting a “smart,” learning-capable, tentacled robot located at secret government installation, a volcanic island. The assignment, of course, turns out to be more, or less, than Mr. Incredible expected, as the super-smart, Bond-like villain, Syndrome (Jason Lee) manipulates Mr. Incredible's unrequited desire to return to crime-fighting and world-saving into a series of Herculean tasks and reversals, with the fate of the world, of course, in the balance.
Enter Edna Mode (voiced by Brad Bird, with world-weary skepticism and motherly affection), a wealthy, fashion-cum-superhero costume designer. She introduces Helen to new, high-tech costumes for the entire family. Helen's discovery of Bob's moonlighting gigs leads to an unplanned “family vacation,” with Dash and Violet, in costume, stowing away on the jet plane Helen commandeers to search for and save Bob, and the world, from Syndrome's nefarious plans. From there, The Incredibles shifts into all-action, all-the-time, mode, with Helen's attempt to land the plane resulting in an aerial missile attack. Once on the island, the family is separated and, in turn, confronted with Syndrome's island defenses, including, for Dash and Violet, an extended run-and-chase scene through the thick island foliage against combat manned hovercrafts (an obvious homage to the Endor forest scene from George Lucas' Return of the Jedi) that tests their superpowers and their improvisatory abilities.
The Incredibles' pleasures for adults are many, from the physical and self-reflexive, verbal humor (characters reference the common trait among villains to “monologue”), to the 1950s modernist interior design, to the references to 1960s James Bond films, including the underground base located inside a remote volcanic island, complete with monorail and rocket, to the computer animation, combining both a cartoon aesthetic for the interiors and exteriors with photorealism (especially the rich, island environment and the giant, tentacled robot), to the nuanced voice acting (complemented by expressive facial designs and movement), to Michael Giacchino music (itself influenced by 60s-era spy films), to the complex, layered themes that contrast, and ultimately reconcile, conflicting duties and desires. The Incredibles also explores, but ultimately rejects conformity of the individual expression of talent and creativity. With intra-family conflicts (temporarily) resolved, The Incredibles playfully suggests that, “the family that fights crime together stays together.”
The Incredibles, however, may be too intense for smaller children. At pivotal points in the film, Brad Bird introduces adult subject matter into The Incredibles: the word “kill” is referenced multiple times, the fate of other superheroes at the hands of Syndrome's designs is described with a surprising finality, and Edna Mode’s description of why she disfavors capes, revealed through a montage of caped superheroes and their misadventures, hints at a surprisingly dark tone. Given the target demographic, the tone could have been lightened with a simple change in language and the revision of one or two scenes.
© Mel Valentin, 7th November, 2004
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 Printable Version
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* Available subtitles: English
* Available Audio Tracks: English (Dolby Digital 5.1 EX), French (Dolby Digital 5.1 EX), Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1 EX)
* Commentary by writer/director Brad Bird and producer John Walker
* Commentary by the animators
* "Jack-Jack Attack" exclusive all new short film
* "Incredi-Blunders" bloopers and outtakes
* Deleted scenes, including alternate opening
* Making of "The Incredibles" featurette
* Seven additional behind-the-scenes featurettes
* Pixar short film "Boundin'" with optional commentary by director Bud Luckey
* "Who is Bud Luckey?" featurette
* Top secret NSA files on all the Supers
* "Mr. Incredible & Pals" cartoon with optional commentary by Frozone and Mr. Incredible
* "Vowellet" an essay by vocal talent Sarah Vowell (Violet)
* Introductions with Brad Bird
* Number of discs: 2
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