FBMR - The Incredibles

Pixar has moved from family comedy to action-adventure. I was surprised at this change. Most noticeably missing was the comic relief. Disney films are often family adventure stories or fairytales, but there almost always is one character that provides comic relief: Dory, Dopey, the Genie, Abu, Timon, Pumba, to name a few. There wasn’t a stand-out character in THE INCREDIBLES to provide this, and the few scenes that were mildly humourous, were simply that: mildly humourous. The most it caused me to do was smile. It was a bit of a disappointment because that has become the norm in family movies; some slap-stick comedy for the younger kids, and some more adult humour for the parents. Because this comedic element was missing, most children under the age of about seven or eight will probably find it a little dull. In fact there were times in the the middle that I found unusually slow for a Disney film.

As an action-adventure film, it’s quite good, although quite formulaic as well. The only twist is the satirical poke at the American legal system where everyone sues everyone else for the most ridiculous reasons, even if the other was trying to help. The superheroes start getting sued and the government feels that they are doing more harm than good, so they are secretly relocated and asked to refrain from using their powers and just assimilate into society. Years go by. They grow older. They grow fatter. But danger comes knocking again.

The superhero-grown-older gag is old news to fans of “Spongebob Squarepants” TV series where two superheroes, Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy, have since grown old. They presently reside in a retirement facility, but still fight to protect Bikini Bottom from evil. Like Batman and Robin, these two do not possess any superpowers, but simply employ the use of trinkets and gadgets to fight crime. I am also reminded of Robert Rodriguez’s SPY KIDS trilogy where two spies, at the top of their game, retire to raise a family, keeping their past lives a secret from their children. But inevitably, the children uncover their parents’ secret and when one family member gets in trouble, the family teams up to help.

Most of the “getting older” gags are aimed at, Bob (Mr Incredible). He has let himself go and is no longer the picture of good health and fitness. His former “authority” has also diminished as we see that his wife is the boss in their relationships (which is so often the case).

I’ve heard people complain about the amount of violence and death in the film. Disney films have never been devoid of violence or death. The main concern I feel is that the villains use guns and bombs, and there are a lot of explosions and the villains don’t always escape. There are also some scenes where you find out that superheroes have died, some by accident (which is done almost in a comedic fashion) and some you learn have died by reading a database file. I was waiting for a tragic and traumatic scene that would rival Moufasa’s death, or Bambi’s mother’s death, or Nemo’s mother’s death, but there wasn’t any.

It’s a fun film with a decent message, lots of action. Kids and adults who love video games especially should really enjoy it.


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THE INCREDIBLES (2004) *** Pixar has moved from family comedy to action-adventure. I was surprised at this change. Most noticeably missing was the comic relief. Disney films are often family adventure stories or fairytales, but there almost always is one character that provides comic relief: Dory, Dopey, the Genie, Abu, Timon, Pumba, to name a few. There wasn’t a stand-out character in THE INCREDIBLES to provide this, and the few scenes that were mildly humourous, were simply that: mildly humourous. The most it caused me to do was smile. It was a bit of a disappointment because that has become the norm in family movies; some slap-stick comedy for the younger kids, and some more adult humour for the parents. Because this comedic element was missing, most children under the age of about seven or eight will probably find it a little dull. In fact there were times in the the middle that I found unusually slow for a Disney film. As an action-adventure film, it’s quite good, although quite formulaic as well. The only twist is the satirical poke at the American legal system where everyone sues everyone else for the most ridiculous reasons, even if the other was trying to help. The superheroes start getting sued and the government feels that they are doing more harm than good, so they are secretly relocated and asked to refrain from using their powers and just assimilate into society. Years go by. They grow older. They grow fatter. But danger comes knocking again. The superhero-grown-older gag is old news to fans of “Spongebob Squarepants” TV series where two superheroes, Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy, have since grown old. They presently reside in a retirement facility, but still fight to protect Bikini Bottom from evil. Like Batman and Robin, these two do not possess any superpowers, but simply employ the use of trinkets and gadgets to fight crime. I am also reminded of Robert Rodriguez’s SPY KIDS trilogy where two spies, at the top of their game, retire to raise a family, keeping their past lives a secret from their children. But inevitably, the children uncover their parents’ secret and when one family member gets in trouble, the family teams up to help. Most of the “getting older” gags are aimed at, Bob (Mr Incredible). He has let himself go and is no longer the picture of good health and fitness. His former “authority” has also diminished as we see that his wife is the boss in their relationships (which is so often the case). I’ve heard people complain about the amount of violence and death in the film. Disney films have never been devoid of violence or death. The main concern I feel is that the villains use guns and bombs, and there are a lot of explosions and the villains don’t always escape. There are also some scenes where you find out that superheroes have died, some by accident (which is done almost in a comedic fashion) and some you learn have died by reading a database file. I was waiting for a tragic and traumatic scene that would rival Moufasa’s death, or Bambi’s mother’s death, or Nemo’s mother’s death, but there wasn’t any. It’s a fun film with a decent message, lots of action. Kids and adults who love video games especially should really enjoy it.