Pixar starts to grow up - The Incredibles Reviews

"The Incredibles" is a new venture for Pixar Studios: it contains (as main characters) human beings. And these human beings, as is unfortunatley the case of our world, carry guns. Some people have criticized Pixar for bringing this "standard" Hollywood material to their usually creative, nonconforming films. But I think what Pixar has done is more daring. With "The Incredibles", it has taken typical Hollywood crap and thrown it through a loop. Their best movie so far. Mr. Incredible (Craig T. Nelson) has been forced to live as an anonymous citizen with his family after being sued because he saved a suicide victim's life. His wife, Elastigirl (Holly Hunter), has adjusted well to civilian life, but the Mr. yearns for the old days. Sometimes, he goes out undercover with his old friend Frozone (Samuel L. Jackson) to save a few lives. So obviously, Mr. Incredible jumps at the chance to get back in action when he is offered a high-paying job by a top-secret government agency (sound suspicious?). When things don't go as planned, Mrs. Incredible and the children must set out to save Dad and the world. The story would be, in any other film, one of the most cliched, boring, "same old s--t, different movie" screenplays ever put to film. But director's Brad Bird's ingenious is he takes these standardizations and turns them in for laughs, and he gives his film a big, warm, fuzzy heart. This all factors into make an otherwise predictable storyline, forgivable. The first-rate performances and groundbreaking visuals are just a bonus. Craig T. Nelson is best known for his role in "Coach" on TV. I think this plays to his advantage because he can simply become Mr. Incredible. He relays the Big Guy's nostalga and his unwillingness to let go. Holly Hunter gives the best performance, though, as Nelson's wife, Elastigirl. She is the emotional centerpiece of the film and carries a lot of the movie herself. She gets a lot of laughs and a lot of tearjerking moments. Jason Lee is excellent as the villian, Syndrome, veering between psychopathic and pathetic. And of note is the director himself's performance as Edna, the fashion designer of superheroes. Her segments are the film's funniest scenes. Director Brad Bird has a bit of a cult following after his critical darling, the animated feature "The Iron Giant". Bird brings that movie's grown-up attitude mixed with little kid fun to "The Incredibles". The movie does have some serious themes and explores them thoroughly, but it never loses its sense of fun. It never preaches because it's always playing, and that's been the beauty of all Pixar films. They can send you a message without ramming it down your throat. And "The Incredibles", in the tradition of "Toy Story" and "Finding Nemo", is always fun to watch. "The Incredibles" has a lot of high expectations from fans of Pixar's previous movies, but I don't think anyone will be disappointed. Yes, it's a little more grown-up than the others, but I believe that is its strength, not its weakness. "The Incredibles" proves it can reach out to all age groups and give each one of them a good time. One of the best movies of the year (so far).