a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z #
The Incredibles (2004)
Reviewed on 2007 January 8
It’s a good thing for me that this had Pixar on it. I have to admit, when I first saw the stylized drawings of the Parr family without knowing the backstory, I wasn't that interested in seeing this. And that would have been a big mistake.
It starts with a grainy, black and white, pseudo-serious newsreel interview of several superheroes. Mr. Incredible (voiced by Craig T. Nelson) is particularly funny as he laments the monotony of saving the world, while Elastigirl (Holly Hunter) complains women superheroes don’t get enough credit and FroZone (Samuel L. Jackson) lectures about the importance of keeping a secret identity. All in a day’s work, right? Life seems pretty regular for them, until a thankless creep sues Mr. Incredible for injuries sustained as he’s rescued from a building. The ingrate wins, dozens of similar lawsuits follow, and the government has to shut down the bankrupted superhero program. In order to escape further prosecution, the heroes have to agree to live as civilians and live like the rest of us poor slobs.
This is misery for Mr. Incredible, who now calls himself Bob Parr, hangs up his outfit, and takes a brain-stem-numbing job at a lousy insurance company. He lives to help people, not to help companies drag their feet to make payments! It’s misery on his family too — he married Elastigirl and had three children with powers they must also hide. While they're not thrilled with the situation, they deal with it, so why can't he? One day when an agent named Mirage (Elizabeth Peña) offers him a chance to assist with a secret mission, he decides to jump at it without telling anyone…
This is my favorite Pixar movie, because of the layers of humor, the vocal talent and the message. Brad Bird’s script is brilliant. The graphics even won me over once I got used to them. It also has the strongest story, earning it the first PG for a Pixar film.
Three chocolate morsels and something in a vintage highball glass.
— Shukti
