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Superhero movies are being pumped out left and right by every single major studio...even Hellboy got his own movie, no matter how bad it was. So it's about time that the moviegoing public got itself a reward for turning up at every one of them, not caring how good they are, just wanting a spectacle. The Incredibles is our reward, straight from Pixar: A delicious, smart, uncondescending, hilarious superhero spoof/satire. The Incredibles begins in 1989, when superheroes are riding high, prominently Mr. Incredible (the voice of Craig T. Nelson), Elastigirl (the voice of Holly Hunter), and Frozone (the voice of Samuel L. Jackson). Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl get married, and all seems to be going well. However, Mr. Incredible saves a suicidal jumper who didn't want to be saved, and ends up doing damage to him, and getting sued. "Instead of saving my client's life, Mr. Incredible ruined his death," the man's attorney says. It's a brilliant twist on the superhero mythology...what would happen if Superman actually had to pay for the damage he caused while tussling with General Zod? Suddenly, superheroes are being sued left and right, and the government puts a ban on superheroing. All "supers," as they are called in the movie, are put into a protection program and their secret identities are kept in the White House. Flash forward to the present day, fifteen years later. Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl have resorted to being just Bob and Helen Parr, and using their powers for everyday tasks, like wrangling their kids Dash and Violet (the voices of Spencer Fox and Sarah Vowell, respectively). Bob is superstrong, Helen can stretch her limbs, Dash can run super fast, and Violet can make herself invisible. There's also the infant Jack Jack, but he doesn't seem to have any apparent powers. It's like if the Fantastic Four were neutered. They can't use their powers outside of the house, and instead have to resort to living some kind of clichéd sitcom existence that only mocks the glory of the old days. However, when a mysterious contractor named Mirage (the voice of Elizabeth Peña) contacts Bob, who still does some illegal superheroing every now and then, he becomes involved in what first appears to be a great job, testing out and finding weaknesses in robotics designed by a company, and then becomes deadly when a certain villain named Syndrome (the voice of Jason Lee) targets him and eventually gets the entire family involved. The opening scenes of The Incredibles are rich with an irresistible comic book vibe. Watching them, I knew that this would be the best movie in quite some time. Pixar just has the uncanny ability to do that to its audience. When the film comes to the present day, we then depart from the fast-paced superhero ways and enter an absolutely terrific sitcom satire. Every sitcom convention (trouble at the dinner table, disciplining the kids, getting fired, the husband coming in late from supposedly bowling) are given a superhero twist, and writer-director Brad Bird does an excellent job of writing one of the funniest screenplays in years while at the same time creating an entire cast of characters that we can love and relate with. None of us can extend our limbs the length of a football field, but when Helen suspects that Bob is having an affair, we can all sympathize with her. The best part of Pixar's latest film is its dialogue. Much of the first half consists of wildly clever dialogue, such funny stuff you can't believe it's in a so-called "kids'" movie. You know, I would even say that though this is a Pixar flick, creators of kids' favorites such as Finding Nemo and A Bug's Life (the former deserving of its status; the latter not so much), is better for people older than the finger-painting, tater-tot set. The Incredibles can only be truly appreciated by one who can listen to the dialogue and understand it. A tiny little kid would have a better time watching Shrek 2, but if you want to bring them up right, have them watch this one. Though the second half converts to lots of breakneck action, the ability to get the jokes really helps. The animation is incredible, with the characters and locations somewhere between classic comic book and slick, cool neo-James Bond. I've never seen a car that could do as many things as Mr. Incredible's Incredimobile. The characters all move realistically, but we're always sure that we're watching a cartoon; they retain the classic stylized animation we'd expect from Disney. Shrek looks ultra-realistic (which was amazing in the first one, but didn't do wonders in the second), but for a really rich, cartoony cartoon, The Incredibles is the best in about a decade. The voice work is excellent. Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, and Jason Lee are all absolutely perfect for their roles. --Full review at REELPICKS.CJB.NET-- email this review to a friend
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