The Incredibles (
) | ||||||
Directed by Brad Bird | ||||||
Written by Brad Bird | ||||||
David Newbert
The basic premise is at least partly borrowed from Alan Moore's Watchmen (and Stan Lee's and Jack Kirby's
The Fantastic Four): in a kind of alternate America, the nation's superheroes are forced into retirement, first
by the threat of constant lawsuits, then by Congressional decree. Bob Parr (formerly Mr. Incredible) and his wife Helen
(formerly ElastiGirl), thanks to the Superhero Relocation Program, are living in a kind of middle class, suburban hell. They're
cramped in both their living spaces and their beings. They have three kids: the shy and retiring adolescent Violet, who
can turn invisible and generate force fields to make others keep their distance; young Dash, who is super-fast, optimistic
and given to mischief; and baby Jack Jack, whose powers are yet to be discovered. Working at a dead-end, soul-crushing
job in the insurance industry, Bob is feeling the strain of having enormous potential and no way to express it. Helen
tries her best to seem "normal," but Dash's pranks at school test her patience, as does Bob's pining for the old days
when heroes were appreciated (he's moonlighting as an anonymous do-gooder). And into this angst comes Mirage, a mysterious
femme fatale with a mission for Mr. Incredible: be your former superhero self to help corral a defensive weapons
program gone amuck, and get paid besides. Bob can't resist.
While working for his new, reclusive employer, Bob encounters an old enemy and is taken prisoner. Helen runs to the
rescue, with the kids as stowaways. Their only method of escape -- both literally and metaphorically -- is for the
parents to become the superheroes they once were, and for the kids to realize how powerful they can be. The action is
centered on a remote jungle island and inside a technological fortress that will remind older viewers of the James
Bond epics (especially Dr. No). But while there's no end of clever action sequences and exciting set
pieces -- including a very sly homage to the Wile E. Coyote and Roadrunner cartoons -- the plot moves forward
by motivating the characters with their love for one another and for a better world. Impressive as individuals,
this family works best when it's together and wants what's best for everyone else. Brad Bird is ingenious in how
he reveals the secret of the island and its criminal mastermind: it both subtly undermines Mr. Incredible's
feelings of being special individually, while validating his role as a caretaker of humanity. Each member of
Bob's family comes to a similar discovery on their own. In the politically charged atmosphere of our early
twenty-first century, there's no denying how powerful this is. But it's never too grim or dark, and
The Incredibles retains a bright sense of humour -- and the future.
The production design is beautifully inspired by Fifties art deco and Hollywood spy films, and packs an awesome
charm and ingenuity -- it has the best villain's hideaway I've ever seen, and even the details in Bob and Helen's
living room are interesting for their evocation of 50s America. The characters are the best three-dimensional
examples of top-drawer computer artistry yet rendered, but they remain humanly appealing thanks to the excellent voice
cast, the wizards at Pixar and a great sense of timing in Bird's direction. Holly Hunter and Craig T. Nelson deserve
special note for their performances, as sincere as any by "real" actors this year. The movie is almost stolen by Bird
himself, voicing Edna Mode, a fashion designer of superhero costumes based upon Hollywood legend Edith Head. Her monologue
around the admonition of "No capes!" is already classic, and she has many of the best lines: "Supermodels, hah!
Nothing 'super' about them -- stupid little stick figures with poofy lips who think only about
themselves. Feh! I used to design for GODS!"
Ignore the critics who crankily tell you that this is nothing but a celebration of the egotistical impulse,
and go see The Incredibles. It damn near lives up to its name.
David Newbert worked for public and university libraries for several years before joining the college book trade. He lives in New Mexico, where the aliens landed. |
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