'Incredible is an Understatement'
THE INCREDIBLES

RATING: A

Starring the voices of: Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Samuel L. Jackson, Jason Lee, Sarah Vowell, Spencer Fox, Elizabeth Pena, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger and Wallace Shawn. Music by Michael Giacchino, Director's of Photography Janet Lucroy, Patrick Lin, Andrew Jimenez, Production Designer Lou Romano, Edited by Stephen Schaeffer, Associate Producer Kori Rae, Executive Producer John Lasseter, Produced by John Walker, Written and Directed by Brad Bird.

Rated PG, Running Time 108 mins., 2.40 to 1 Anamorphic Scope Aspect Ratio.

With amazing strength and popularity amongst superheroes, Bob Parr is Mr. Incredible (Craig T. Nelson) a hero with a heart of gold who battles criminals one moment and saves kittens in a tree the next. While rescuing a suicide jumper who didn't want to be saved, Bob ignites a public fury against superheroes, soon finding themselves facing one lawsuit after another, causing the government to develop a "Superhero Relocation Program". Fifteen years later, Bob has settled down and married the beautiful Helen a.k.a. Elastigirl (Holly Hunter), whose powers rival those of Mr. Fantastic and Plastic Man and has given him three wonderful children. Missing the fast and furious life as an adventurer, Bob is now stuck in a dead end job at an insurance company whose sole purpose appears to be robbing its customers blind. Living in an extremely normal suburban community, Bob and Helen are raising two children with superpowers of their own: hyperactive elementary schooler Dash who has an uncanny gift for speed and insecure Violet who doesn't have to use her power of invisibility to hide from her peers in High School. There's also newborn cutie-pie infant Jack-Jack who doesn't appear to have any super abilities...at least not yet.

Even though Bob and Helen repress their children by prohibiting the use of their powers for fear of exposure, Bob secretly contradicts his rules by engaging in a little anonymous heroplay with his pal the ice wielder Frozone (Samuel L. Jackson) during their weekly "bowling night." These guys miss the action and adventure their lives had and being forced to live normal lives by the government isn't making them happy. All of that changes for Bob when he's approached by the mysterious Mirage (Elizabeth Pena) who offers him a chance to put on his superhero costume once more. Her enigmatic employer owns one of those remote islands straight out of a James Bond movie and needs Bob to take down a robotic military machine that's gone haywire.

Bob accepts the job and suits up as Mr. Incredible again, (well, just barely since he's become extremely overweight) giving Helen the old lie that the company is sending him on business trips. Soon Bob is earning hefty paychecks as he finds himself testing combat robots for an employer he knows nothing about. The cash may be flowing, but Helen suspects that Bob's newfound confidence and attitude may be the result of a secret affair. Nothing could be farther from the truth as Bob discovers that he is being used by the villainous Syndrome (Jason Lee) to test prototypes for a robot that will be used to defeat superheroes. Syndrome is an average human who must rely on technology for his superpowers and wants to wipe out every hero in the relocation program so that he can replace them. Finding himself in danger Bob doesn't know what's worse, a crackpot wannabe that's out to replace him or the fact that his angry wife may come looking for him in order to rescue him from trouble.

The genre of superheroes seems to be as old as stories themselves and will never become tired so long as we have good storytellers. Lately many stories have been developed just to serve as creation of a new franchise--a way in which studios can further their box-office profits by selling merchandise. What's refreshing about The Incredibles and the Pixar team is that their simple goal is to just tell a good story. Sure, they'll make an extra profit from merchandising but that's just bells and whistles. These folks truly have a love for good stories and movies in general. Their films may have assigned credits for directors, writers, producers, etc, but everything is a collaborative effort, the results of which are films with real substance that stand the test of time. True, they are the cutting edge in computer technology but without a dimensional story they've got nothing.

I've personally been watching Pixar since I was a teen and read about their development by George Lucas in Thomas G. Smith's special f/x book about Industrial Light and Magic. They have gone from a small computer f/x division to a full fledged studio that the movie industry should take a cue from. They are more like a family than a studio, working together for the greater good of storytelling than for glory. The Toy Story films, Finding Nemo, A Bug's Life and Monsters, Inc. were all successful because the details and depth of their stories were worked out as a team effort long before they turned on a computer screen. Where else would you find a studio that lists the names of babies born during production in the end credits of a film? What's a revelation is that Pixar doesn't want to fall into the habit of repeating themselves. They could stick to the same formula and crank out dozens of films with the same themes and characters that merchandisers love. What better person to shake things up than director Brad Bird who I'm sure felt right at home in the Pixar family?

Bird may be familiar to fans of The Iron Giant, a traditionally animated feature that was well received by critics back in 1999, but had disastrous box-office returns due to poor promotion by Warner Bros. Those familiar with his early work may remember the Family Dog series that was a spin-off of Spielberg's Amazing Stories TV. anthology back in the late eighties. With The Iron Giant he made a traditionally animated film that harkened back to the early days of Disney with its heartfelt and emotional story. I'm sure he's just as sad as I am to see traditional animation quickly dying off, but with Pixar's tools, I imagine he was a kid in a candy store. His playground may the confines of a standard computer screen, but he’s expanded that into an incredible world in the Cinemascope aspect ratio. He's taken wonderful elements from the superhero genre and combined them to make a human story that will definitely delight children but will work wonders for adults.

The Incredibles is rated PG for a bit of violence but also for the substance of its story. Wonderfully voiced by Nelson and Hunter, Bob and Helen Parr are more than CG characters, but real people. Real depth can be found within their insecurities and faults as well as Bob's enormous gut and Helen's cottage cheese thighs. Pixar's first time exploration with CG humans may be astounding (hair, skin, and clothing are almost too dimensional) but without flesh and blood emotions these character would be nothing more than polygons. There's drama to the story as it unfolds and even the threat of the villains is frightening as Helen explains to her kids before a confrontation that even though they are children, the bad guys won't hesitate to kill them. Extreme reality based moments like this may seem excessive for a kids' movie, but that's because it’s a kid's movie for adults.

There's some wonderful voice casting in this film with Nelson showcasing that best friend and warmly inviting personality he's known for, Hunter with her encouraging and no nonsense attitude and Samuel Jackson playing, well, Samuel L. Jackson. Actually Jackson has little screen time but that wise-cracking sense of humor of his shines through ice-man Frozone. I especially enjoyed Jason Lee, who didn't resort to his slacker shtick from a Kevin Smith film as Syndrome, a misunderstood villain who strangely resembles Mark Hamill's look as the Trickster from The Flash TV. series. There's also nice work from Sarah Vowell, not an actress but a wonderful voice from National Public Radio and of course Pixar regular John Ratzenberger as a mole like villain called 'The Underminer.'

Brad Bird has also paid a nice homage to superheroes from all mediums with characters whose powers are comparable to Mr. Fantastic, The Thing, The Human Torch, Invisible Girl and Iceman & Cyclops from the X-men. The Incredibles could be described as The Fantastic Four meets James Bond since much of the look and feel of the film resembles the 60's retro futureworld production design from that famous series.

The action sequences with the Parr family on Syndrone's island are very reminiscent of SPECTRE's secret volcanic island base in You Only Live Twice and there's even a rocket on an inevitable countdown that will launch and wreak havoc upon the world. Even the film's score by Michael Giacchino, the man who gave TV’s Alias that classic spy sound, is full of cues that are full of brass and percussion that is reminiscent of John Barry's work on the James Bond films. Production designer Lou Romano has designed a vivid world.

Besides the cool gadgets and amazing action setpieces within the film, Bird has also managed to incorporate his wicked sense of humor, giving this artificial world that human touch that tells you not to take it seriously. An incredible (forgive the pun) and humorous element is the character of Edna Mode, a minute fashion diva who is notorious for her designs of superhero costumes. Bird himself voiced this role with a thick German accent and her monologue about how a cape can get snagged and cause a superhero to get killed is priceless.

The Incredibles is one of those rare films that get me excited about the film medium itself and its creative processes. It's not only one of my favorite films to arrive this year but the best superhero film I've seen in a long time. There's a Fantastic Four movie in the works right now and I'm sure its producers are sweating bullets because they know they won't top the heart and soul of this film even though they have flesh and blood actors. Mark my words, The Fantastic Four will never measure up to The Incredibles. In fact I don't think that the wildly successful Spider-Man films even measure up. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed Spider-Man 2 immensely and felt that Sam Raimi made the film he really wanted to, but I have to agree with what novelist Stephen King wrote in Entertainment Weekly that the majority of the film was about a girl who was angry with her boyfriend because he didn't come to her play. Spider-Man 2 may have been the most faithful adaptation of a superhero story, but the only thing it has in common with The Incredibles is a hero who struggles with an every day ordinary existence. I think The Incredibles has the edge because it isn't saturated with angst and doesn't ask you to take it so seriously.

A movie of this magnitude gets me exciting because the possibilities for good stories in the film medium have now expanded. Pixar proves that not only do they have the tools, but the talent to back them up. It's inspiring and their efforts should be used as an example by producers who constantly bombard us with amazing technology and no story. It's the most fun I've had in a long time and I can't wait to see it again. I envy your first time.