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Patronizo Speaks

The Incredibles
dir. Brad Bird

I've been a fan of Pixar's output since from the first Toy Story to Finding Nemo, but by the last film I was beginning to feel twinges of doubt that their unbeatable formula was starting to wear thin. You know: take some funny-looking creatures, be they fish, toys, monsters or bugs, buddy a couple up and send them on a whirlwind adventure, meeting a lot of crazy oddballs on the way. Sure, it makes for an entertaining hour and a half, but it had all become rather pedestrian. Trust director (and Pixar outsider) Brad Bird, who was behind the magnificent The Iron Giant, to galvanise the studio with this terrific new film.


The Incredibles does well to remind us what it is that makes Pixar movies so much better than most of the other animated offerings we are served up by big studios. Instead of simply throwing money at big actors and creating a character around them *coughSharkTalecough*, here the characters are beautifully filled out and then perfectly matched to their voice actors (the glorious Holly Hunter should be particularly singled out here). The film is also consistently funny, but it doesn't resort to the broad, scattershot comedy of Shrek 2, which was a series of over-the-top sketches, throwing out as many pop culture references as it could to please the adult audience. Bird's script is witty and clever, and peppered with just the right amount of visual gags and set-pieces.


As a superhero story goes, it's top-notch. It smartly avoids the 'origin story', which has crippled the pace of many films like it, and instead dives right into the characters, who are all perfect: the strong, reliable father; the flexible, adept mother; the ice-cool best friend; the angsty and protective teenager who just wants to disappear, and the bundle-of-energy son. Their characters are perfectly defined, and their superpowers all fit perfectly. It's what makes the final act of the film work so well: not only does The Incredibles have some of the most exhilarating action of any film released this year, but throughout you can feel the characters shining through, which makes it all the more exciting and involving.


The Incredibles digs a lot deeper and darker than other Pixar films have ever dared. The family depicted feels truly realistic, and the message of embracing your individuality isn't hammered down your throat in a traditionally cloying manner. Villains brandish guns at children and play drinking games over a report of a city being ransacked by an evil robot, our hero is cruelly tortured both physically and psychologically, and there are even references to divorce and the break-up of the modern family (Helen also clearly suspects her husband of having an affair). But this is not to say that the movie isn't a rollicking good time: filled with laugh-out-loud moments and wonderful action set-pieces, I left with a huge smile on my face. One of the most memorable and successful films of the past few years, for sure, and a very worthy follow-up from Brad Bird.

*****