The Incredibles (2004)
Save The Day
Starring: Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Samuel L. Jackson, Jason Lee, Sarah Vowell, Spencer Fox, Elizabeth Peña, Brad Bird, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger, Jean Sincere
Director: Brad Bird
Running Time: 120 minutes
US MPAA rating: PGUK BBFC rating: U
Action, Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Family
The good folk at Pixar have been beating their corporate boss Disney at its own game for over a decade now, producing some of the most innovative animation ever seen and using it to package character-driven stories that have something for the entire family to enjoy - and their latest film, 'The Incredibles', is destined to reveal its true superpowers at the box office, by finally overcoming the arch-enemy of Pixar, human nature. For while Pixar has managed to create toys, bugs, monsters and fish that have been three-dimensional in every sense, so far the human characters in Pixar films have been marked by a clunky flatness that belies the much vaunted 'photorealism' of computer-generated images - and accordingly they have appeared only occasionally to act as awkward foils to the more prominent (and much better-looking) non-human characters.
'The Incredibles', however, is populated entirely by humans (and superhumans), so that at last they get to be real characters rather than mere afterthoughts - and, thanks to the leaps and bounds made in animation technique, they look just dandy. Stylised and exaggerated they may be - that is, after all, part of their superheroic charm - but their skin-tight costumes, their bristling musculature, and even their hair have a natural fluidity that allows viewers to forget for a moment that they are watching a set of complex computer algorithms, and instead get on with the pleasurable business of losing themselves in a hilarious, super-charged story.
Fifteen years ago, Bob Parr, alias Mr Incredible (voiced by Craig T. Nelson), was at his peak as one of the world's greatest crimefighters - but a series of lawsuits forced him, as well as his new wife Helen/Elastigirl (Helen Hunter) and all the other superheroes, to enter the Superhero Relocation Program and renounce their fantastic powers. Now, stuck in a soul-destroying office job, and stifled by his suburban home-life with Helen and their three young children, Bob is suffering a mid-life supercrisis, wondering where his glory days have gone - until he becomes drawn into the clutches of a supervillain (Jason Lee), rediscovers the special power of his own family, and gets to save the world once again.
Like Finding Nemo, Pixar's last venture, 'The Incredibles' takes parental anxieties as its focus - and its message is cunningly designed to make parents feel just that little bit more heroic about the two hours that they are spending together with their children in the cinema. There is little in the film's retro-futurist look, its family of super rescuers, and its gadgety James Bond-style villain, that has not been seen before, be it in Robert Rodriguez's excellent Spy Kids trilogy or the more recent (and more forgettable) Thunderbirds - but not even the talented Rodriguez can quite pull off in his live-action adventures the gravity-defying antics that are on hyper-animated display in 'The Incredibles'. The film may present something of a mixed message - it suggests that spending time with one's family can be more important than trying to save the world, while showing Bob getting to do both at the same time - but still, it is impossible to dislike this charming, funny story of just an ordinary, extraordinary guy.
It's Got: A whole family with superpowers; Samuel L. Jackson taking cool to a whole new level as Mr Incredible's best friend Frozone (Samuel L. Jackson); a diminutive designer of superhero costumes, Edna Mode, voiced by writer/director Brad Bird; a tropical hideout called Nomanisan Island; a battle in the city with a giant 'Omnidroid'; state-of-the-art CGI, including flames, water, lava, and credible human skin and hair.
It Needs: To be just a little less like the films listed below.
Alternatives: 'Spy Kids', 'Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams', Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over, Thunderbirds, just about any James Bond film.
Summary: Stunningly animated, if somewhat derivative, story of an ordinary, extraordinary family.
Review Date: 18th November 2004
External Links
Official Web Site
The Incredibles at the IMDB
Comments21 Comments |
| EVERYONE SHOULD SEE THIS MOVIE IT KEEPS YOU WONDERING TO THE END ABOUT THE WHOLE FAMILY AND IF sYNDROME IS GOING TO TRY AND KILL BABY JACK JACK. |
| Comment by:- SASHA | | 19 November 2004 | ip: logged |
| THE MOVIE GREAT. I THOUGHT THAT IT WOULD BE A DUMB, KIDDY MOVIE, BUT IT TURNS OUT IT'S EVEN A FUNNY MOVIE FOR ADULTS. EVRYBODY'S GOT TO SEE IT! |
| Comment by:- OLGA SALAZAR | | 19 November 2004 | ip: logged |
| I loved this movie! The director could not have deen better, it was so funny! I loved every second of it! |
| Comment by:- Samantha | www.movie.com | 20 November 2004 | ip: logged |
| I love iT! The most fun I've had at the cinema this year! |
| Comment by:- jiman- Malaysia | | 24 November 2004 | ip: logged |
| the end was so funny!!!!!!!!!!!! |
| Comment by:- kate | | 26 November 2004 | ip: logged |
| the movie was awesome, you think nothing of little jackjack like hes a little angel but just wait. everyone should see this movie! |
| Comment by:- cassy | myydance2aol.com | 28 November 2004 | ip: logged |
| your mums got aids and typhoid |
| Comment by:- your dad | over there | 06 December 2004 | ip: logged |
| Daniel Webb Smokes Weed And does drugs at school |
| Comment by:- That guy over there | that place over there... | 06 December 2004 | ip: logged |
| tHIS WAS SO ****E!! i CANT BELIEVE I STAYED AND WATCHED THIS CRAP!! |
| Comment by:- aNGRY kID | yAAAAAAAHHHH!!! | 06 December 2004 | ip: logged |
| Great Film! Everyone should go and see this! |
| Comment by:- Tom | | 06 December 2004 | ip: logged |
| im so addicted to ecstacy! i cant get enough!!!!! |
| Comment by:- druggie | ergaseg | 07 December 2004 | ip: logged |
| im dying of thyphoid but i dont care |
| Comment by:- Anonymous | | 07 December 2004 | ip: logged |
| Great Movie :) |
| Comment by:- Shyam Pandit | www.shyampandit.info | 12 December 2004 | ip: logged |
| your mums a fat ho! |
| Comment by:- daniel webb | danielwebb.com | 13 December 2004 | ip: logged |
| This film is extremely average. Poor stoorly line and what seemed like out of date CGI. There was a massive lack of comedy throughout the whole film, I was utterly dissapointed and wish I hadn't seen it. The best points from the film were amzingly the belt clip from the adverts, which was missing from the film. Please avoid unless you are a young boy, have a hunger for action films, someone with too much time on their hands or if you are just too curious |
| Comment by:- James Dodd | www.doddnetwork.co.uk... | 13 December 2004 | ip: logged |
| A VERY NICE MOVIE! GREAT ANIMATION. SEE IT!! (And beware of characters like SYNDROME in the real world.) |
| Comment by:- Robert, Germany | | 14 December 2004 | ip: logged |
| Cute, but I expected better.....6/10 |
| Comment by:- Kate | | 24 December 2004 | ip: logged |
| the movies is veryveryfun.I love Incredibles |
| Comment by:- Thai children | | 26 December 2004 | ip: logged |
| How wonderful it is! Today, I had seen the film - "The Incredibles" this afternoon, My father also had seen this film in this evening. This cartoon movie is powered by Disney Company. In this film, I love the people's sensation, scene, bugbears. The scene is so sublime. |
| Comment by:- Creford | www.cutegd.com/blog/ | 10 March 2005 | ip: logged |
| Fun for kids and adults alike, The Incredibles is one of the funniest family films I've ever seen. Better than Finding Nemo, it's arguably the best Disney film since The Lion King... |
| Comment by:- gilletbd1977 | www.thedvdreport.com/dvd_revie... | 26 June 2005 | ip: logged |
| awsome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! |
| Comment by:- torch | | 06 August 2005 | ip: logged |
