A Pinoy Blog About Nothing

Oh wow. Where do you begin? The Incredibles certainly doesn’t lack the raves it truly deserves.

The short of it - The Incredibles is a family of superheroes forced into supression of their super-abilities. Mr. Incredible, yearning for his glorious past responds to an invitation which promises to make use of his super-abilities without the dire consequences. Unbeknowst (as often the case in superheroics) he was walking into a trap.

The first thing in this movie which will catch your attention is the stylized art of the Pixar people. Yes you know it’s animation. Yes you know it’s made by computers. Yes you know the people look cartoony and unrealistic. But that all takes a back seat as you are just drawn into the world of the Incredibles - where superheroes abound and villains are off plotting in the shadows. It doesn’t take much convincing to immerse yourself in the reality of the movie. In a time where spider men are rendered via computer climbing walls, why not make a whole city full of them?

Next are perfect voice-acting/casting. Craig T. Nelson (Mr. Incredible), Holly Hunter (Elastigirl), Samuel L. Jackson (Frozone) and Jason Lee (Syndrome) by their unique voices gave their characters life on the screen. From Nelson’s deep, husky voice of barrel-chested Mr. Incredible to Lee’s demented screeching as the bratty villain Syndrome it all falls into neat, perfect place. You don’t see Nelson as his TV character in Coach or Holly Hunter as herself pretending to be Elastigirl or Lee as Brodie from Mallrats - you see and hear them as the superheroes and villains on screen.

And then there’s Edna, the couturier to the superhero set. At first, looking at the character design, you’ll wonder who she is and why she deserved such attention. When you hear her speak(voiced by Incredibles writer/director Brad Bird), then you’ll understand why. She steals the movie hands down. And that rant about capes? Anyone who read comic books would find it priceless.

The third thing to look out for is the amount of detail the artists and the animators have put in the background. There are nods to past comic book characters and cinema all over the movie: the pez dispenser of Mr. Incredible, the giant robot, the sidekick drama - all lend to the unique reality of the movie.

As a big fan of the superhero comic book genre, I can’t recommend The Incredibles enough. It’s definitely worth repeat viewings. I hope there’s a sequel in the future. (Which will hopefully feature more Frozone.)