Movie Review: The Incredibles

Stars: 5 out of 5
Pros: Good action and comedy with real characters

Cons: Pacing a bit off at times

The Bottom Line:

Superhero fun

Done with Pixar's trademark flair

Great for all ages

"We're Superheroes.  What Could Happen?"

Okay, I admit it.  I haven't loved every Pixar movie right out of the gate.  The Incredibles is a case in point.  While I love the movie now, I only enjoyed it when I first saw it in theaters.

The story follows a family of superheroes.  After Mr. Incredible is sued for saving a suicide victim, an entire flood of lawsuits is aimed at the super humans, forcing them to give up their life of saving people and toil under their fake identities.

Twelve years later, Mr. Incredible (Craig T. Nelson) is working for an insurance company as Bob Parr.  His wife Helen, aka Elastigirl (Holly Hunter), stays at home to raise their three kids, teenager Violet (Sarah Vowell), grade school Dash (Spencer Fox), and baby Jack Jack.  All but the baby have super powers they try to hide from everyone else.  But it is hardest on Bob who can't resist any opportunity to relive the glory days.

Naturally, when an offer to return to work as Mr. Incredible comes his way, Bob can't resist.  Seems there is a giant robot run amuck on an isolated island.  But all is not as it seems.  Has Mr. Incredible walked into a trap?  What will happen when the rest of his family gets caught in the plot?

This story works on multiple levels.  On the first level, there's the family drama.  Bob isn't connected at home.  The kids are having issues of their own.  And poor Helen is left trying to hold it all together.  If you've seen any family movie, you know how this part of the story will play out.

But the fact that these are superheroes adds a new layer to the plot and makes it so much more fun.  This story goes places to get to the expected ending that you haven't seen in every other movie.  And yet the superheroes are still completely relatable.  There's one point where the family is rocketing as quickly as possible to get somewhere, and the kids are still asking "Are we there yet?" and the parents are arguing about the directions.  It's quite a funny scene to watch.

Maybe it's because it is trying to balance both sides of the characters, but the plot isn't quite evenly paced.  This is especially noticeable during the climax.  They attempted to achieve another of Pixar's patented "Climax that will not quit," but it stalls out a couple of times.  Frankly, this was my complaint about the movie the first time around.  On subsequent viewings, it hasn't bothered me nearly as much, so it is a minor issue.

Rewatching the movie recently, I was struck by the theme of not recognizing people for what makes them special.  This is really hammered on early in the movie and pretty much dropped when the plot begins to kick into high gear.  In a country that seems to reward everyone equally, I did like what this movie had to say.

But this isn't a preachy movie.  There are still lots of laughs.  This is especially true when superhero costumer Edna Mode (director Brad Bird) or Bob's boss at the insurance company (voiced by Wallace Shawn) are on the screen.

At the same time, the action elements make this a much more intense movie than most Pixar films.  It was rated PG, and parents of young kids will want to preview it and decide for themselves when their kids are ready to watch it.

And I have to comment on the style of the animation.  It never comes out and states it, but based solely on the styles and home decor, this is a movie that starts in the 50's and concludes in the 60's.  Yet it also has modern elements.  And the highly stylized characters look like something from a science fiction comic of the day while the settings on the island look completely real.  Trust me, it works.  This isn't the most realistic movie from Pixar, but the unique look fits the film perfectly.

This isn't an instant classic from Pixar.  But give it a little time and you'll find that The Incredibles really grows on you.