THE INCREDIBLES Best Comedy, 2004 - 5 Stars Incredible – But You Have to Hold Your Mouth in the Right Position Maybe I'm a sucker for early 60's retro styling, which is what the look of this film is based on. Or maybe I'm a sucker for super heroes. Maybe I like almost everything that comes out of Pixar inordinately. Or maybe I like the 60's style jazz they use for the music - especially at the end. Maybe I just like James Bond type movies, with all the gadgets and exotic locations - and there are plenty in this movie. Or maybe I love modern architecture and design. Maybe I just like the color red! I don't know - but this movie really worked on me, and it was great! Director Brad Bird has brought together all these elements, plus good writing, funny dialog, and enough suspense and surprise to keep you on the edge of your seat. If you're into the visual elements, your eyes will have a feast. Now that I think of it, so will your ears because, besides the music, the sound effects are awesome. What's really incredible is that you feel like the physical objects in this movie are real. Like Mr. Incredible's (Bob's) car - after it's been downsized to a normal, economy car - which is featured in several gags. It looks and moves like a real - albeit, toy - car, complete with broken door. Same for most things in this film. There is a possible disappointment to the realism: the people don't look like flesh and blood, which you might expect in a world that, otherwise, seems so real. They look like animated dolls with rubber skin. But, somehow, that's okay. You kind of buy into the fact that these are cartoon characters rather than real people. And yet, I would love to take their place in some of those high tech environments - especially on the island where Syndrome hangs out. Something else that disappoints a bit: Syndrome. I couldn't get past the fact that he looked like a kid even after he had grown up. It's hard to take seriously or be threatened by a villain that looks like a kid. But maybe that's the point: the filmmakers have their tongues in their cheeks. Which is probably true of most of this film. It is definitely a spoof - but not totally. If you’re a kid at heart, you’ll be taking a lot of it more seriously than you think. All the characters are memorable, but I've got to say, besides Mr. Incredible, my favorite is Jack-Jack. There just wasn’t enough of him in the film to suit me; so I was glad the filmmakers provided an additional cartoon featuring him on the DVD. It's really funny. Even though this film was mostly about the art and design for me, that is not to suggest that the plot, dialogue, voice acting and other aspects aren't up to par: they are. That's why the movie is so darn funny and so entertaining. Craig Nelson (Mr. Incredible), Holly Hunter (Elastigirl), Samuel L. Jackson (Frozone), Jason Lee (Syndrome), plus the others all did incredible jobs. It's hard to think of a better word to describe this film than its title: incredible. It may not be quite as remarkable as Toy Story, which will always hold a special place in Pixar-lovers' hearts. But in many ways it is better, and certainly holds its own with the other offerings of the Pixar team. Those guys, themselves, seem pretty incredible to me. Waitsel Smith, September 12, 2005 Text © 2005 Waitsel Smith. Image © 2005 Disney Enterprises, Inc. /Pixar Animation Studios. All Rights Reserved.

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