The Incredibles

11/09/04 - Review

Finally, kids get a cartoon look at a big superhero movie that gets its roots from the mainstream comic book movies such as Superman and Spiderman.  Even though it’s a kids movie, chances are there is something for everybody.

In the old days, the public loved the superheroes that protected them on a daily basis.  People like Mr. Incredible (Craig T. Nelson), Elastigirl (Holly Hunter), and Frozone (Samuel L. Jackson) gave it their all day in and day out.  One day however, that all stopped once a series of lawsuits came in that caused the three to go into a protection program for superheroes.  They lived the rest of their lives in seclusion in the suburbs.

Stuck with a boring non-eventful life, Mr. Incredible, aka Bob Barr, and his wife Helen, live and work like any normal person.  They also have three kids.  Bob can’t take it anymore so he decides to seek some adventure by listening to police scanners with his good buddy Frozone.  All is well though until he is contacted by a girl who has missions for him on a remote island.  All is well though until someone from his past comes back into his life.  Has the time come for a second coming of the superheroes or has Mr. Incredible lost his mind. Well, only Bob and Helen really know for sure. 

Yes, you can believe it.  I am writing a review for a kid’s movie.  Write it down.  In any case I did see the movie and I can say that I actually enjoyed it. Will the kids like it? Probably but the parents will not like the fact that they do. 

First off the movie clocks in close to two hours which is about thirty minutes too long. Do you know how hard it is to keep a kids attention?  Well two hours isn’t going to do it.  If it was a non-animated film, it would have been fine but it wasn’t.  The second thing that bothered me and probably bothered most people was the excessive violence and the “adult talks” of killing and death. This is very inappropriate for a movie of this genre.  I really think it could have been a little less violent and still be as good. I don’t know, maybe I am getting soft but it just seemed a little out of place when I heard talk of killing. Aside from those things, the movie was quite decent.

The story was very engaging, at least for me, and was really easy to get into.  It reminded me of the big comic book movies that I saw months and years earlier.  The concept was really thought out and executed brilliantly except for the things that I pointed out earlier.  The effects were quite well but would you expect anything less from Pixar?  Hell, there was even some good humor that got some chuckles from the crowd. That is impressive to actually get someone like me to enjoy a kiddie movie like this.

Holly Hunter, Craig T. Nelson, and Samuel L. Jackson did a superb job with their voiceovers.  They really put a lot of emotion and enthusiasm into there characters.  That is the great thing about animated movies. It really brings out the good qualities in actors and you can really tell on the screen. 

Aside from what I said earlier the movie is pretty good, but parents might want to think about it before letting their younger kids see it.  Getting them to sit still that long is one thing but the violence is something else.  In any case, it’s a more adult oriented kid film that will get liked by many people but might drive others away.  

Grade

What do you think?