Review of The Incredibles (2004) by Ben B — 28 Jul 2016

The Incredibles is a Disney-Pixar animation starring a voice cast which includes Craig T. Nelson, Samuel L. Jackson, and Holly Hunter. After lawsuits bring disapproval of superhero presence, Mr. Incredible and his wife, Elastigirl, are forced to hang up their costumes in favor of ordinary lives. Years later, a familiar face begins killing off heroes one by one, and it's up to The Incredibles to stop him.

This is another solid and entertaining movie in Pixar's filmography. Brad Bird successfully pulls off the triple-threat of film-making, being credited as writer, director, and voice actor in his movie (his voice work as Edna steals the show). The soundtrack is as fun as it should be for this kind of movie - Michael Giacchino delivers big-time in this regard. The last 40 minutes of this movie really stands out, which is where my negatives start. After a solid opening cinematic showing the days of superhero glory, the movie drops off. While it's entertaining to see superpowered individuals struggle with mundane activities, it gets old after a couple scenes. The bulk of this movie is very void of action - there are even long sequences void of dialogue, which is tricky for a kid's movie. Since there really isn't much to the plot here, I feel like the run length could have been cut down by about 20 minutes to keep the momentum going into the final act, but multiple stealth scenes really drag this movie down. It's all worth sitting through to get to the excitement, though. Watching the kids embrace and develop their powers is thrilling.

Overall, The Incredibles is a good movie. Despite many slow patches, there is entertainment value for the whole family, and the message about embracing your individuality resonates with its audience. Give this one a watch!

Final grade: B.