*** (out of ****)
Featuring the voices of Holly Hunter, Craig T. Nelson, Jason Lee, Spencer Fox, Sarah Vowell, and Samuel L. Jackson
Directed & written by Brad Bird
2004
PG
I like “The Incredibles” and all, but have superhero stories always been so full of, well, Nazism? The lesson we learn from “The Incredibles” is basically that society benefits when our blonde-haired, blue-eyed superiors are held to a different standard of morality than we are. We all suffer when the ubermensch are held down by normalcy. If you know you’re better than most people, the movie seems to say, why should you be held to laws written for commoners, like 75 mph speed limits and bans on civilian-owned rocket launchers? I’m reminded of the murderer in “Crime and Punishment,” who espoused that laws are for the masses, but that the Napoleons and Charlemagnes of history transgress with impunity. The villain in “The Incredibles” is out to rid the world of superheroes entirely and make everyone equal. That dirty pinko, think the Ayn Rands in the audience, that smacks of affirmative action! Oh yeah, and did I mention all the superhero costumes are made by a short German lady, and one of the villains is French?
Or maybe it’s just me and I’ve never really been a big fan of superhero stuff.
That aside, “The Incredibles” is a jolly good time at the movies and the latest computer-animated eyepopper from the creators of “Finding Nemo” and “Toy Story.” Pixar Animation specializes in enormously popular Friday night cinema, in creating sympathetic characters with universal emotions and in making us believe in one improbable danger after another. It is the loud cinema of speed, broad wit, bright colors, and simple sentimentality, yes, but like all sugary snacks there’s nothing wrong with it in controlled doses, and Pixar does it well.
“The Incredibles” focuses on a couple of married superheroes (voiced by Craig T. Nelson and Holly Hunter), forced into retirement by lawsuits and courts and other (leftist?) tripe, and the couple’s three children. Mr. Incredible has super-strength, Elastigirl can flex and change shape like that dude in the Fantastic Four, daughter Violet (Sarah Vowell) can go invisible, and son Dash (Spencer Fox) can run like the wind. Trouble is, suburban life doesn’t really suit them, and when a mysterious stranger offers Mr. Incredible a chance to quit working for an insurance company, he doesn’t think twice. It’s only a matter of time, we know, until double crosses, giant robots, and so many hapless guards lead to a mammoth showdown with the world hanging in the balance.
We know a lot of things that are going to happen in “The Incredibles,” even if we don’t follow comic books—I believe it’s called “cultural osmosis”—and the movie has fun fitting our preconceived notions of superheroes into a family setting. Retired superheroes reminisce about how they tricked past nemeses into “monologuing” and mom and dad often resort to superpowers to keep the little ones from squabbling. “The Incredibles” is written and directed by Brad Bird, who has good timing for comedy, and even better timing for chases that mock the laws of physics. Dash the superboy moves so fast that he can run across water, while the Minority Sidekick (voiced by Samuel L. Jackson) can shoot waves of ice out of his hands and then slide across them like a figure skater. (His name is Frozone—is it a play on “frozen” or “Afro?”) Add to this a wild orchestral score that mixes Danny Elfman with James Bond music and there’s hardly a moment to spare contemplating anything you see.
Like all of Pixar’s films, “The Incredibles” is a celebration of wit, motion, and technology. They are shallow and impersonal, but in a jolly, lighthearted way. My reviews of them are always short because they do not strive to say anything and I feel little personal connection to them. I see them, have a good time, and then forget them soon afterwards. If more than one came out in a year their novelty would disintegrate, and I’m not sure how many more variations on “just be yourself” are waiting out there to be uncovered. But it’s good to see one every once in a while.
Finished November 19, 2004
Copyright © 2004 Friday & Saturday Night
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