The Incredibles (2004) User Reviews

Charming and fun

[basrutten · 9/10 · 24 December 2004]

Shortly after Dreamworks screwed up with the uninspired "Shark Tale", Pixar contains its remarkably success story with "The Incredibles". And while I have to say that I liked "Finding Nemo" a bit better, "The Incredibles" is still an amazing movie.

First of all, this is because it's funny. It's not so funny that you're constantly laughing out loud, but there are more than enough good jokes in the movie to keep you entertained, and it's full of good observations about superhero movies (note all the ridiculous superhero and villain names) and references to other movies. It's also a brilliant James Bond spoof/homage, containing all the gadgets, secret island bases and crazy schemes that made early Bond movies so much fun.

Secondly, this movie has heart and charm in droves. It's full of memorably and likable characters you can really identify with and care about. Characters like Edna are instant classics. The voice acting is universally excellent, but Holly Hunter steals the show as Elastigirl. This is a movie that doesn't need toilet humor, characters modeled like celebrities, or a "hip" soundtrack...it easily succeeds on charm and style alone.

Also, I found it to be a surprisingly good action movie. The plentiful action sequences are full of energy, extremely fast-paced, and exciting, and put many a live-action movie to shame.

Finally, I also liked the tone and message of the movie. "The Incredibles" basically makes a plea against mediocrity, breaking with the politically correct idea that "everybody is special" (and thus nobody really is), and encouraging people to use the talents they have been given. I think this couldn't be more true. Not all people are equally talented (just compare Pixar to Dreamworks), but this is no reason to keep the talented people from not reaching their full potential just because it makes the less talented ones feel bad.

"The Incredibles", while maybe not as hilarious as I had hoped (though it's still very funny), is nonetheless an extremely entertaining movie, that manages to charm you wit its combination of great characters, lots of style, tongue-in-cheek attitude and good message. Highly recommended.

****1/2 of ***** stars

Amazing! Brilliant! Fabulous! Wonderful! Astonishing! I'm not avoiding using a certain word!

[ThePedofinderGeneral · 9/10 · 23 December 2004]

The Incredibles is a great film, and probably my favourite Pixar picture (Toy Story is the best, but that's different to favourite). It takes a while to properly get into the action, but when it does, it delivers it in spades.

And that's exactly it. I would actually call The Incredibles an animated action film, because to be honest, I don't think there was enough comedy to call it an animated action comedy film. There are quite a few funny moments, but the gags don't come as fast as Finding Nemo or Toy Story.

That being said, it does have truly amazing action set-pieces, brilliant voice acting, a fabulous script, wonderful characters and the animation is simply.....well....incredible.

The music is definitely a stand-out. It actually made me smile, with it's jazzy tones and James Bond type scores.

One of the greatest things about The Incredibles is that it's not a kiddies film; it's completely different to all the other Pixar films. They bring out tommy guns in the second scene, for crying out loud! If you want to see a more adult animated film, then go see The Incredibles, and enjoy every minute. But I wouldn't bring someone younger than 4 maybe, because it isn't really aimed at them, and they probably would find it quite scary.

This is a great film, one of the best of 2004 in my opinion. If it just had a slightly higher gag rate, than this would be an absolutely perfect picture.

9/10

One of the best films ever made

[evansjoshyr · 10/10 · 20 February 2021]

17 years after incredibles was released, it continues to be a compelling, entertaining, funny, smart, ambitious, original, mature and just simply enjoyable movie. The dialogue is exceptional and the animation holds up surprisingly well. The characters are well written and very fleshed out. It is an animated film about superheroes and yet the chatacters and world feel so real.

It is my favourite pixar film and probably always will be. If you haven't seen this masterpiece yet, stop reading this review and go watch it right now. Infact, even if you've seen it before, just watch it right now. It is that freaking good.

Wonderful, beautiful to watch, all in all, incredible.

[PyrolyticCarbon · 10/10 · 21 November 2004]

WOW! What a movie. I can honestly say this is in my top ten movies of all time, how do Pixar continue to out do themselves at every movie release?

The Incredibles is a fantastic story, wonderfully scripted and with the most stunning animation you have ever seen, it provides a perfectly rounded story with plenty of action, laughs and (almost) tears.

Basically, this is a story of a man encountering a mid life crisis and leaping headlong into it without a care or a thought for his family, proving exceedingly selfish and failing to see the good in his life. Meanwhile the wife is left to try and look after the family. Really, that's the story. Now, what Pixar have done is drop in the idea that the parents are Superheroes, banned from being Super many years previously by the Government and the people, trying to live a normal life. Add to the mix that some of their children have inherited their own powers and that the Super villains are planning a comeback, and you have this wonderful movie.

I can't begin to convey how wonderful the animation is, it's perfect. I mean you'll always be looking at it knowing it's animation, but when the story takes you along you'll suddenly realize you're still watching animation. The subtle difference is that you forget, and there are parts (for instance when the father is cheering his son during the race) that you actually think it is real. The effects for water, fire (two of the hardest things to recreate in animation) and lava are wonderful to watch and caught me drawing a breath when I first saw them.

The characters and acting are wonderful, and you will find yourself caring about them as real people. At some points I could feel a big swallow coming up and a wavering adams apple, obviously due to the food earlier, nothing to do with the movie.

I often find that movies aren't paced well, that they either have too long or too short an introduction to the characters, or the events that lead up to the pivotal point of the movie are unbalanced against the climax, all sorts of combinations. Not here, this move is perfect and well balanced, the story takes you along just when you are ready, and there were no points where I wished we could move on, or something could happen quicker. My only frustration were at the kids, and this was only because they were behaving exactly as real kids would.

It was interesting to see the comparisons and links to other famous Superheroes through comic-lore. Definitely with nods to The Fantastic Four, Silver Surfer and huge nods to The Watchmen. My only concern is that there is so much similarity to The Watchmen that those who haven't read the graphic novel will be saying "That's the Incredibles movie" when Watchmen finally comes to fruition.

The short film showing before this was wonderful in itself, and had the audience laughing out loud loads. Excellent, and once again, outdoes every short that they've produced before. Boundin' was beautifully animated and wonderfully told. Guaranteed to bring a huge big smile to your face.

All in all I think this movie is perfect and truly incredible.

A Truly, Pardon the Pun, Incredible Movie

[Sargebri · 13 November 2004]

This is one of the finest animated films I have ever seen. Not only is it a fine animated film, it is a great film period. The film obviously takes its cue from several real life super hero comic books, especially The Fantastic Four and the Justice Society of America. The Fantastic Four comparison is obvious due to the fact that Elatigirl and Violet were obviously inspired by Mr. Fantastic (aka. Reed Richards) and the Invisible Woman (aka. Sue Storm Richards) respectively. The J.S.A. influence is a little more obscure. Several years ago, DC Comics issued a mini-series that attempted to explain the demise of the Justice Society by claiming that the group was forced to disband after their loyalty to America was questioned during the 1950's. In this film, all the heroes were forced into hiding after the government refused to pay for wrongful legal claims brought against the super heroes of this film. Also, there are many in jokes that the casual viewer might not get, but that made it enjoyable for comic book fans. This the island scenes look as if they could have been inspired by many of the series produced by Gerry Anderson of the 1960's (eg. the Thunderbirds and Captain Scarlet).

Another thing that made this film unique was its look. If you notice, the city where the story takes place looks like a fairly modern metropolis. However, if you look at the cars in the film, most of them look as if they would have been more at home in the mid to late 1960's. Also, the way that many of the characters were dressed also could have put them in that time.

However, the thing that I really loved about this film was the fact that even though it was geared primarily to children, it was dark enough in theme to appeal to adults. In fact, there are a couple of scenes that you wouldn't normally associate with a film geared towards children.

This film is definitely a classic of animation and once again Pixar shows why they are the masters of computer animation.

My favorite film from Pixar in over five years- Bird and company produce a triumph of a family film

[Quinoa1984 · 10/10 · 5 November 2004]

Writer-director Brad Bird here has something that I was caught off-guard by just a bit. I always expect Pixar films to be above-par, family entertainment, the kinds of films that can have an appeal to adults on a satirical, jab-in-the-side effect by having the characters reacting to each other as they would on a film with a higher rating, whilst giving the bright colors, action, and silliness that appeals to kids. Watching The Incredibles, their sixth feature-length offering, I wasn't so entertained and amused since their 98 film A Bug's Life, and it almost brought me back to the emotional impact I felt when in the theater for the first time getting Toy Story into my system.

It's a film that takes on a type in society that we all know well (in the past they've done toys, bugs, monsters, undersea life, and now comic book archetypes) and transforms it superbly to the imaginative computer-animated landscape. This is also in credit due to Brad Bird, who proved five years ago with his sleeper The Iron Giant that he could transcend the genre and appeal with heart and vigor for almost every age bracket.

So what little touches make The Incredibles so appealing? How it starts to deconstruct the idea of a superhero, perhaps, as well as how the family unit is shown in the usual conventions under unusual and funny circumstances. As an example, one of our heroes Mr. Incredible, a.k.a. Bob Parr (voiced wonderfully by Craig T. Nelson), goes to visit a woman who fixes and creates the uniforms of superheroes. In one scene she explains why a cape is not a good idea. This is the kind of scene that might not make it into most Hollywood movies, and would sometimes if not often be discredited as being too 'smart' for kids to get. But by appealing to a kind of level late teens and adults can relate to, it reaches a higher, far more intelligent plane. In fact, many of the best scenes in the film take on what we all know in films displaying the 'family unit' and morph it with the power and imagination of superheroes.

I won't go too much into the plot as some may already have, except to say that what makes the story in and of itself appealing is how it is a fully formed story, and doesn't try and sell itself short like other animated films (i.e. Sharktale for example). It also uses it's PG-rating perimeter wisely, and Bird and company create action sequences that are as exciting, if not more so, than in the action films that have been released this year (in fact, some of the scenes in the climax, for my money, could rival a couple of those in Spider-Man 2). By setting up the right emotional bases with the characters- Bob, his wife Elasti-girl (Holly Hunter), their kids, and with supporting characters voiced finitely by the likes of Samuel L. Jackson and Jason Lee, by the time the high-charged, internally fantasy scenes take off, they take off with great conviction and excitement.

Overall, The Incredibles is a film that is, in a way, what audiences wish they could get and rarely do- it's a film with wit and observance, a kind of video-game where the results are not as expectable as can be. Some kids may not get it as much as adults might, which is just as well, as it sometimes operates on a level like Antz did, only through the sphere of Disney. In other words, if you say the teaser trailer, which involved the out-of-shape Mr. Incredible trying with all his might to buckle his tights, you'll know what the film could bring. Personally, I can't wait to see it again.

Dahling, dahling, dahling.... this movie is incredible

[Mr Parker · 10/10 · 7 November 2004]

I hope that this movie does really well because this has to be one of the best animated movies I have ever seen. The story is really cool and it's obvious that there is a lot of respect here for the source of superheroes, whether it be comic books, serial flicks or Saturday morning cartoons.

The movie has an undeniably cool retro feel to it and it shows not only in the design of the picture but also in the music, which definitely sounds like something out of a 60's 007 flick. It is also unusually dark, especially for a Pixar flick. I'm not saying it's dark where people are getting their heads delivered to someone in a box or family members are sleeping with each other or anything like that but there were moments where I found myself wondering if a little kid might be able to deal with the intensity of what was going on on screen. Maybe it was the fact that the heroes were in very real danger most of the time. The bad guys weren't out to catch them as much as they were out to kill them. When you discover who the film's villain is, you can literally feel his anger coming off the screen. I may be over-exaggerating a bit but then again, it really is to the film's credit that it deals with human emotions in the way that it does.

Even though you are watching a film that is populated by CGI characters, the emotions they convey in what they say and do come across as purely believable. Whether watching Bob Parr interact with people at his job or just sitting at his desk was something that rang true to me, just in the feeling of it. Everything about this movie has a very concrete feel to it, even while looking like something you'd see in a comic book. The computer graphics in general were absolutely amazing and the voice acting is excellent across the board, so good in fact, that I really can't pick a favorite from the entire cast. I have to say that Craig T. Nelson and Holly Hunter were very good as Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl respectively. They had a moment near the end of the film that actually touched me but you can see that for yourselves. Samuel L. Jackson was hilarious and thankfully, he wasn't overused. Dash and Violet were realized so well that every time they came up on screen, I loved every minute of it. Dash, in particular was one of the funniest characters in the movie. Jason Lee made for a formidable villain as Syndrome. I loved the fact that he was your typical antagonist but was also aware of the conventions surrounding such a role, like when he chides himself for 'monologuing'. He was also one ruthless bastard, I'll give him that. Even the bit part characters were hilarious. There was a kid on a tricycle in this movie who comes out twice and made me laugh out loud both times.

In fact, this movie reminds me of why I like Finding Nemo over Monsters, Inc. In Finding Nemo, not only are the main characters great but every other character they run into makes some kind of impression on you. Remember all the characters that Marlin and Dory ran into on their adventures together? Of course you do. Whether it was that crazy pelican with the Australian accent, Willem Dafoe as Gill, leader of the fishtank crew, or Bruce the Shark, you remember them after all is said and done and it makes the viewing experience that much richer. That's exactly how The Incredibles is. Every character that appears will make you laugh or intrigue you in some way. I have to admit that I was laughing myself throughout the entire movie, especially with the character of Edna Mode who almost steals the movie. Man, even the end credits are awesome! I have to give the director Brad Bird a big thumbs up for this one. He pulled it off and hopefully this will attract attention to his other animated film, "The Iron Giant", which was sadly overlooked when it was released and is also a really great film.

All in all, I can't recommend this movie enough. I left very satisfied and felt no need to compare this to the rest of Pixar's movies. This one is just as good if not better than any other animated movie released this year and rightfully deserves its place among the best animated movies of all time.

RATING: ***** out of *****.

Serious original fun! A family film in every sense of the word

[mstomaso · 7/10 · 17 April 2005]

The Incredibles is a simple and slightly formulaic comic book-style animated Disney/Pixar feature with a great big heart. I just experienced this film for the second time, and though I didn't really catch anything new, or achieve a different perspective, I was certainly as entertained as I was in the theater the first time.

The Incredibles are the family of Mr. Incredible and Elasti-girl, living in a nightmare future where superheroes have been sued and regulated to the point that they are either forced underground or into protection programs complete with assumed identities and mediocre jobs. Mr. Incredible himself is invincibly physically strong, but emotionally drained by the uselessness of his new life as an insurance claim examiner, and his depression is so complete that he feels as if he is detaching from all that he loves. The children are "Dash" - a miniature Flash clone, "Violet" - who has all of the basics of Sue Richards, The Fantastic Four's Invisible Girl, and infant Jack Jack - about whom little can be said. Eventually, the entire family gets swept up into a crisis of vast proportion as a forgotten piece of Mr. Incredible's past comes back to threaten the very world which has rejected them all.

The film really does derive a lot of its archetypal character points from Marvel's classic Fantastic Four, but adds brilliant humor, a very positive message, and some voice work which really is nothing less than Incredible. I was especially impressed by Sarah Vowell's Violet. The voice talent in general, however, is exceptionally good, and the supporting cast doesn't slip a centimeter. Brad Bird's Edna is also a memorable stand-out.

Visually, the film is as good as any of the recent animated features most movie fans have enjoyed, though perhaps slightly less inventive and a bit less pretentious. I guess I would have to say that it's also my favorite, with Finding Nemo running a close second.

This would be a great film to see with your kids. It's clean, fun, and yet serious enough to engage even the most angst-ridden teenager. It also contains some very positive messages about the value and meaning of heroism, family, and 'sticking together' through the worst and the best of times.

Super, human.

[MisterMxyzptlk · 7/10 · 31 August 2010]

This is a very enjoyable movie, with a lot of smart and interesting twists to the superhero genre. however it feels like two separate movies. The first half is more serious and is like a cross between a superhero spoof and the idea of a superhero taken as reality. The problem comes when the movie switches from being something that questioned the genre and made it more real to something that no longer takes its characters seriously. By the end this is just a ride movie, not an action movie with consistent character development and a point that people could walk away with. now, i'm not talking about a sound-byte "Message" that was missing, because something like that actually was there, it was just betrayed by the ending. The family of the incredibles became people with extraordinary powers rather than truly special or extraordinary people. *Spoiler* The lack of responsibility towards the villain that Mr. "incredible" showed disproves that he is anything other than a man with superhuman strength. He is not a hero. His ego had a part in creating the villain. syndrome had free will and choice to do what he did and it couldn't be called Mr incredible's fault, but Mr. incredible does kill him in a very cavalier manner with no attempt to capture or rehabilitate him, as a hero, incredible is supposed to be better in character than regular people. The film also treated the killing of syndrome as a joke, with that cape thing. on the one hand something like that can be considered funny in a cartoonish comic book setting but not in a world that is supposed to be taken seriously as the world of the incredibles had been set up to be. This movie had great potential and is still excellent in many respects, but it is not the great film that many critics and audiences seem to think it is.

Good movie...TERRIBLE messages

[TensersFloatingDisk · 3/10 · 2 June 2005]

Movies don't just entertain -- they MEAN. They have messages. They instruct, influence, and evoke.

So what is the meaning of _The_Incredibles_? Simple: You Don't Count.

I am, perhaps, unusual in that I scrutinize every movie, TV show, newspaper story and advertisement for its deeper message -- but I think that practice is a lot more common when we consider media aimed at children, as this movie, with its toy tie-ins and McDonalds-driven marketing, most certainly is. So when friends suggested that Pixar had hit another one out of the park with _The_Incredibles_, I naturally screened it for my kid, thinking this would be a beauty.

Imagine my shock and dismay to find that, underneath the comic-book overtones, this is not a movie for kids at all. Not only is the violence fast, furious, and rampant, it's deadly...as the characters themselves point out, Saturday Morning Cartoons offer kids an unrealistic belief that deadly violence is somehow fun. Well OK, I can get behind that message, but it's going to be tricky explaining to my six-year-old that when he sees a plane full of bad-guys blow up as it rips through a tree, that this isn't just metaphorical -- that guy is DEAD.

But I got more and more disturbed when I saw that the majority of the violence in this movie wasn't being perpetrated by the bad guys at all -- it's mostly coming from our "heroes," The Incredible family themselves. Mr. I. uproots trees, tosses bombs, knocks down buildings, and punches mere mortal villains with fists which we've seen lift train cars. And then, in a fit of pique, in an early establishing scene, Mr. Incredible punches his boss. Who is *NOT* a villain. He's an unarmed civilian, which Mr. Incredible outweighs by about 200 pounds. He punches this guy through several walls, and later views of this poor guy in the hospital make it clear that he's broken a lot of bones.

This is our HERO???? And then there's the main message of the film: you don't count. You see you, me, all us non-super-heroes, we aren't "special," like the Incredibles. And no, the idea that everyone has some special quality, that everyone has unique skills or traits, that's disdained by our hero as a "celebration of mediocrity" -- his normal job, like the one you and I have, you see that's not good enough for the special people. No, the special people should be given the opportunity to requisition government aircraft, to own supercars they haven't paid for, to throw civilians through walls without any consequence if they act annoying. In fact, the guy who suggests that everyone *could* be special or super, if given the chance, is the VILLAIN of the movie! So there goes about 2,000 years worth of morality, right down the drain. According to this movie, might makes right, and anyone who thinks otherwise deserves to be stomped into the pavement. Jesus wept.

The Incredibles 2004 Review

[chandean-69762 · 9/10 · 7 February 2021]

An amazing family film and also one of the best superhero films of all time. Action is amazing, especially in the final act with such a range of powers all used brilliantly. And do I need to say anything about the animation? Pixar just knocks it out of the park every time. The Incredibles is just full of personality and charm, making it endlessly rewatchable.

Also we need a Frozone solo movie.

Is it a bird, no it's a plane, no it's the Incredibles

[silva-w-pius · 9/10 · 29 May 2014]

Is it a bird, no it's a plane, no it's the Incredibles…Imagine if one crazed scientist had a colossal sized blender and put the love and affection of The Modern Family in it, then sprinkled some dysfunctional madness of Malcolm in the Middle and then added superpowers to the mix, I guarantee that what comes out still won't be a match for the crazy, adorable, high octane and utter zaniness that are the Incredibles. The dad is supper strong, the mother can stretch like taffy, and the teenage girl can become invisible and throw up force fields and the 10 year old is lightening fast, which is quiet lucky when they must come up against the rich, genius of the villainous Syndrome, who seeks to destroy the hero he once worshipped in Mr. Incredible and an the whole city along with him. Despite the film being an animation featuring a story line that was extremely fantastical, not once did I remember it was a movie. The actions scenes were spell bounding and highly imaginative. But most importantly, I really believed in these characters that spat witty sharp dialogue at each other at a furious pace, not just because they were funny, but because the characters were so believable and relatable. Subsequently it should come as to no surprise that film was nominated for a best screenplay Oscar, which is a rarity for an animated film, but this ain't just your average animated film, it's an Incredible animated film

Good Entertainemt For About Any Age

[ccthemovieman-1 · 8/10 · 17 February 2008]

This was somewhat of a surprise hit when it came out in 2004. Most of the attention was on a competing animated film but this is the one that turned out to be a huge box-office success. Word of mouth helped his immensely. It's what made me check it out, as several friends recommended it. I wound up agreeing with them: it's excellent entertainment.

The visuals and sound are very impressive, but it's the story that carries this film: a solid combination of humor, drama, suspense, family ties and action. The action, as in many modern-day films, was overdone in the last half hour of the movie but overall....the DVD is a good investment since people 3 to 63 should enjoy this.

As an adult, it's not always easy to keep my attention for two hours with animation but the fact this movie does, tells you how good the story is presented. There are wonderful colors in here, too, and a good 5.1 surround system with a sub-woofer would probably blow the roof off!

The Incredibly Mediocre Movie..

[Rob_Taylor · 6/10 · 24 November 2004]

Don't get me wrong...it has its moments. But they are few and far between in this film.

The decision to make the story more "real" by having the superheroes portrayed as an ordinary family with ordinary family problems went a long way to disappoint me, even though I had expected this from reviews. To me "ordinary" and "super" are two words that should never get mixed together. I appreciate the movie's thought that, if everyone had superpowers, then everyone would be ordinary, but come on. I want to be entertained, not run through an updated episode of The Flintstones.

Another nail in the coffin for this one was the hype. Once again, the movie moguls hype up a film, raising our expectations to silly levels. How can we be anything but disappointed with the reality?

If you compare this movie to the likes of Toy Story or Finding Nemo it doesn't even come close to being in the same league.

Unlike those movies, where a bit of affectionate scene plagiarism was appreciated for what it was, The Incredibles just annoyed the Hell out of me with its "Return of the Jedi" jungle chase scene. A quick flit through the jungle with the hero being chased by the bad guys - just long enough for you to realize it for what it was - would have been fine. But no. They had to drag the scene out for minute after minute, adding in all the scenes from the RoTJ chase, such as the enemy drawing alongside, the swinging from the vines etc. until you were sick of it and praying it would end.

There are some good ideas, but on the whole the film doesn't get my thumbs up of approval. Once again, partly the hype to blame, but also mostly because it's not that good.

Greatly bundled pack of entertainment

[Guga3D · 9/10 · 14 December 2004]

Pixar has again proved that it's ethics and capabilities are inexterminable even for the tough-willed Dreamworks, which are gradually attempting to catch up on with standards. But with Pixar's new title, we once more experience a great gratifying animation which deeps you inside by it's humorous and enthralling plot and keeps you laughing out loudly until the very end. Dreamworks' titles compared to Pixars are not too peculiar, but they seem to rip all their titles from Pixar and create a fake illusion of originality. Now that Pixar has created another chef-d'oeuvre, no doubt Dreamworks will once more rip the idea and create a title relating to superheroes. 9.5/10

A bewildering combination of brilliance and despondent themes

[GSmith9072 · 7/10 · 18 June 2007]

I want to congratulate director Brad Bird on one of the most original animated opening sequences I've seen. From the very start of the film, the viewer is all ready to submerge into a film that takes animation and "children's entertainment" to a whole new level, and this level isn't just pretentious gibber concocted to look revolutionary. This is the real thing. And it's almost a superb film. But I must take strong, even drastic conflict with the underlying themes that the film presents. What makes the "The Incredibles" both excellent and reprehensible is Bird's writing that unfortunately overlooks and neglects aspects in it's presentation. At least I hope so. The film leaps back and forth from a respectable animated film into something dark and ugly, and, amongst such, paints a gloss over it and claims accessibility to children. It is such a fact that I pray is never repeated.

Bird's writing flounders in the very fact that it is trying to promote a message, and not a silly one. While doing so in the context of a superhero film, the film meanders back and forth from being real and fantastical. Essentially, the film can't decide what it wants to be. Does it want to pay homage to classic comics where elements of our reality are taken for granted or does it want to portray a strange new world where supers are taken out of context and applied a different role in the society? That is, the film begs to be taken as some kind or allegory, at the time maintaining, even emphasizing it's seriousness. The film contains fantastic voice work from the whole cast involved, and toward the middle of the film there are some impressively convincing moments of drama and suspense. What is further done with this is utterly disappointing. The film sporadically morphs back into a comic book where the lives of everyone except our heroes are meaningless, as is the physical and emotional pain of these characters. Some situations that involve very serious acts perpetuated by the protagonists are never resolved and are thusly deemed as acceptable. This is evident from the very start of the film when our hero, who's personality is much more like the appearances of the characters in "Monster's Inc", derides the talent of the soon-to be powerful villain as a youngster and never cares to say anything about it until years later, when the tables are turned. The film's message is to point out that "no, we aren't all special", and I can live with that to a certain degree because it's true for the most part. But one wonders if these certain facts are necessary for smaller children to digest? Perhaps this film isn't for them at all, and that's fine. What do I as an older person think? I think these themes scream some pretty reprehensible notions, and it killed any entertaining factor that "The Incredibles" had, as well as making me dislike the characters. Aside from our hero's treatment of Buddy and his hardly fairly matched boss in the beginning, when you view what occurred in terms of the film's overall theme it fails to mesh into anything we'd think as admirable if you're the average caring person. Buddy's child-like enthusiasm for his talent is not a bad thing, but it is treated as such. One talent is favored over the other, and I'm not sure why. Justifably, Buddy seeks out to be like his ex-hero and is killed for it. Wait, I'm completely aware of Buddy, who's later turned into Syndrome, is a serial killer. But what can we say about the depiction of a struggling person desperate to be labeled what is considered "special" as a vicious murderer? Something just isn't right here. It isn't helped by the very fact that virtually every non-super is either looney or negative in nature.

There are further questionable sequences in the film, including the aforementioned violence occurring toward the end, that even while in self-defense, it is not believable when compared to the same intensity of other scenes involving the protagonists in mortal danger. I certainly do demand that films, despite the lowered standards for family entertainment, be further observed beyond their entertainment value or admittedly very good direction. Still, the film is also to be commended for it's artistic landscape, a somewhat 1950's universe laden with modernist design. A true rarity animation for adults is, and this so disappointingly has to offend in an unusual and problematic way.

Very predictable, but very lovable at the same time

[Smells_Like_Cheese · 10/10 · 18 April 2005]

Yes, I've seen this story a million times. I'm also not a very big fan of Disney and Pixar together, but this time they got me hooked. After fearing to rent this, many of my friends convinced me that I should take a look at it. So, I did and feel in love with it.

The effects, I feel like today, there are way too many fancy computer effect movies. But it works with "The Incredibles" because that's half the humor with it. There are some very reconizable voices in there that you know very well.

Is this just a kid's movie? No, it does contain some adult humor. I can see with parents taking their kids to the theater, it has to be somewhat enjoyable to adults too. So as a family or whether you have children or little relatives, I would recommend this movie for you guys. It is very enjoyable and fun to watch.

10/10

Very good but not Pixar's best.

[Locut0s · 7/10 · 27 February 2010]

While never achieving the hight of some of their later works like Ratatouille and Wall-E this is nonetheless still a very entertaining film. Expect the same masterful Pixar animation, rendering, and character design. Plot wise this is a twist on your basic comic book super hero. In this case we have a family of super heroes living in a world that no longer appreciates them. Think super heroes meet mid life crisis and you have the basic idea. Much of the film obviously borrows heavily from the James Bond genre from the music to the over the top villain and his evil super villain lair. One half expects to see Dr. Evil pop up somewhere. The writers have done a good job crafting a believable and charming family that you will actually care for, good dialogue goes a long ways here. They have also done a good job of finding creative and comical ways of using each characters super powers both individually and in tandem as a family super hero team.

My only complains with the film is that after watching the greatness of Ratatouille and Wall-E The Incredibles just sort of feels like Pixar was turning the crank with this one. It's still a very enjoyable film and heads and tails above most other animated works but it's not Pixar's best. It's a little too formulaic for that and the characters while charming never quite grab you they way some of Pixar's best creations do.

Incredible Mediocrity

[fleetmind · 1/10 · 15 March 2005]

Am I missing something here? When this movie came out last year everyone went on about it like it cured cancer. Well I just saw it on DVD. What is remotely new about this movie? Nothing. It's nice visually, but so what? I thought it was going to be a biting, snide and outrageous parody. Instead we get the same old family dynamics and boring "be yourself" speeches.

A few minor jokes about expanding waistlines do not carry a movie. And frankly, too much action leaves me numb and animated action even more so. The whole idea of the stay-at-home (not to mention incredibly NAGGING) mother was a bit tired. And I thought the black character was really insulting. Was it necessary for him to be a jive-talking stereotype? This movie is for people who actually thought Finding Nemo was good too.

Pixar's most "epic" animated film since "Toy Story."

[MovieAddict2016 · 9/10 · 26 April 2005]

Although "The Incredibles" is not the best film Pixar has released (via Disney) since 1995's "Toy Story," I felt it is the most epic. When I went to go see "Toy Story" in 1995, the epic scale of the picture -- the non-stop frantic pace, the action sequences, etc. -- were all so breathtaking that it contained the same tour de force attitude as, believe it or not, a blockbuster such as "Terminator 2": a crowd-pleasing, overwhelming picture.

"Monsters, Inc." wasn't quite as epic. It was a great movie, just as good as "Toy Story," but it didn't have the same style per se. "Finding Nemo" was very good as well but still didn't capture the same epic scale as "Toy Story." (I'm not saying that's a bad thing, just different.) "The Incredibles" seemed to. I saw it on DVD and from beginning to end the action is non-stop, the laughs aplenty, and the exotic locations and action-hero references continuous. For this reason, somehow, it reminded me very much of "Toy Story." It seemed like older Pixar, rather than some of their newer stuff (all of which is great as well). Pixar has yet to make a bad movie. Even their worst -- "A Bug's Life" -- was better than most animated films.

"The Incredibles" also returns to the spoof roots of "Monsters, Inc." and "Toy Story" (something "Finding Nemo" did but not as often) -- it parodies cultural references. (Something hard to do in an underwater sea adventure.) Although this is a family film, it is NOT a "children's film." That is evident from the beginning when the fake news reel in "The Incredibles" features articles about a suicidal man suing superheroes because he "didn't want to be saved." This is clearly a tongue-in-cheek criticism of the shameless legal standards of the day. (Such as the woman who sued McDonald's because her coffee was too hot. A true story!) Another film might not be clever enough to integrate iconic cultural references into itself but "The Incredibles" does.

Similarly, using superheroes, Pixar examines the at-home relationship of a family and spoofs our own rituals. (Such as eating at the dinner table -- the mom tries to stop the squabbling kids just like we do, only because she has superpowers, it's a bit... different.) All in all "The Incredibles" really is a great animated film. I enjoyed it more than "Finding Nemo" (which I didn't expect to as I loved "Nemo") and just as much as "Toy Story" and "Monsters, Inc." Pixar has solidified a new style of family film-making -- the cultural parody animated film -- and the evidence of this can be seen in such take-offs of the formula as "Shrek" and "Shark Tale" (which featured many cultural references as well).

All in all "The Incredibles" is incredibly fun. And funny.

A Movie That Really Deserves to Be Among the IMDb Top 100

[claudio_carvalho · 10/10 · 11 April 2005]

After many unfair lawsuits against superheroes, inflicted by persons saved by them, the government requests the superheroes to retire and hide their identity as if they were normal citizens. Mr. Incredible marries Elastigirl, has three children (Violet, Dash and Jack Jack) and has a boring job in an insurance company. When a chance is offered to Mr. Incredible to become a hero again, he becomes happy and in shape. However, when the identity of the mysterious contractor is revealed, the family has to fight together against the evil Syndrome to stay alive. "The Incredible" is an amazing movie, and has superseded my best expectation of an animation. The story is excellent, having action and humor in right doses, the characters are very charismatic and it is a movie recommended as an excellent family entertainment. Today there are 528 comments, most of them favorable, and the movie is in top 250: #91. Therefore, I believe it is not necessary to extend my review. Last but not the least, "The Incredible" is a movie that really deserves to be among the IMDb Top 100. Lets wait for the inevitable sequel… My vote is ten.

Title (Brazil): "Os Incríveis" ("The Incredibles")

Incredible in every sense of it!

[Jay_Exiomo · 10/10 · 25 July 2005]

"The Incredibles" is by far and away the most mature and engaging Pixar film to date.

This movie is nothing less than a display of sheer brilliance to an utmost prestigious level that proves the genius in director Brad Bird ("The Iron Giant"). From the perfectly created characters to the witty and humorous dialog involved, "The Incredibles" is the ideal film for true fans of the animation and/or comic book genre. It doesn't fail to provide viewers of with a fragment of every genre; incredible animation, action, and even a bit of drama.

However, the aspect most evident in "The Incredibles" that was frequently credited for the success of its predecessors was the emotional aspect. The thesis on midlife crossroads on personal and professional dilemmas was well presented.

Bob Parr (Craig T. Nelson) seems an average guy who works in an insurance agency, and lives a "normal" mediocre life with his wife Helen and three kids: Violet, Dash, and Jack-Jack. But there's more to it, actually. Bob used to be Mr. Incredible, and Helen was Elastigirl (Holly Hunter), two of the world's greatest crime fighters until a series of lawsuits have forced superheroes to adopt civilian identities. But when Bob receives a mysterious call that has him for a top secret assignment, he sees this as an opportunity to be Mr. Incredible again. He accepts the mission but soon discovers that it is a trap of a nemesis from way back, and the whole family eventually has to to join him to fight evil and save the world.

What we have here is something that unfortunately becoming quite a rare thing nowadays: an example of a truly brilliant animation. As I have said, not only does it have some of the most phenomenal computer graphics and action sequences ever committed to film, but like all the best movies it also has the heart to support the movie between the adrenaline-pumping moments.

The main reason for this is the great characterization. "The Incredibles" may contain a little too much of violence that may be better suited for older children than the younger ones. Yet one cannot easily discount the family themes and comic episodes, with characters like superhero-costume designer Edna (voiced by Bird) and Bob's friend Frozone (Samuel L. Jackson) providing ample support.

Another is that the film, as is with previous Pixar films, is effective in the use of computer generated images (CGI) which is a major plus for moviegoers. The details in which the animators for the film present are awe-inspiring and breathtaking. The music also pasted itself impeccably with the atmosphere Bird has created for the film. Very retro.

It is a demonstration of precision and excellence, created by the brilliance and meticulous mannerisms of the director. It goes beyond an animated movie and is without a doubt one of the best animations of all time. It is truly incredible to see a film like this.

This move was incredible!

[emeraisyoboi · 4 March 2021]

Great characters, action, humor, villian, Edna Mode, everything is really good.

A Superhero movie with real Superheroes.

[thepsychocritic · 7/10 · 31 August 2011]

I am on a superhero high. I've had so much of them that I have finally learnt to shoot laser from my eyes; really. Most of it has been bad. I felt that the superhero days were over. A certain desolateness was creeping into my hapless existence. Desperate times call for desperate measures. I stole my hot, blonde neighbour's Porsche, drove at jet speed to my nearest retail store, ran down two priests, a banshee and a flatulent Eskimo on my way and bought a DVD of The Incredibles. That digital versatile disk didn't work, so I sued the shopkeeper and did the stealing, running over and buying thing again. I plugged it in and blissfully slipped into an animated world of action, comedy and some real superheroes.

The reel rolls with an expected action sequence. Mr. Incredible (voice by Craig T. Nelson) catches thieves, prevents a man from committing suicide, saves a cat and is about to defeat Bon Voyage when an intrusion by his 'biggest fan' results in large scale loss of public property and the escaping of the criminal. Suddenly, the public is angry at these virtuous vigilantes and they are forced underground.

Fifteen years later Robert Parr is facing a midlife crisis. He has married Helena Parr, formerly Elastigirl (voice by Holly Hunter), has helped increase the world population by three and works in an insurance firm under an obnoxious boss, who soon fires him. On the same day he gets a message from a mysterious woman who provides him with another shot at long lost glory. It is a clandestine operation and hidden from the scrutinizing eye of his family, Mr. Incredible returns to business.

In all fairness, animated movies have a definite advantage over non- animated ones. The former don't have to worry about testy actors, bad weather and other such misfortunes that plague the unfortunate latter. If The Incredibles was not an animated movie, it wouldn't have been as good a movie as it otherwise was. However, it IS an animated movie and that puts things in a whole new perspective.

As many detractors would say, the concept isn't highly original per se and it is difficult to contradict them. However, undeniably, The Incredibles was a fresh watch. It was a surprise in 2004, releasing before Nolan's Batman, Ironman and other recent hits.

The four protagonists are extremely well characterized and do not end up becoming tropes. They are affable, endearing and with a baby named Jack- Jack, make a good little superhero family. The side –cast too (Frozone, Edna, Mirage) too manage to carve their own identity, each of them being memorable. The antagonist, Syndrome, leaves more to be desired. He should have been more evil, more clever, more mysterious and more everything else Supervillians need to be.

The film loses out slightly because of being predictable. At every point in the movie you can foretell how the events are going to unfold next. As a result of which nothing surprises you. Everything happens exactly how you had expected it to. What could have been an amazing entertainer becomes a clichéd entertainer. It lacks the ingenuity that other PIXAR films bring with them. It is a pity because an otherwise brilliant movie slips into mediocrity due to this error.

The Incredibles scores well on other fronts. It does well to wring emotions out of you. Your kids, who are also the target audience, are going to love it. The kid in me did. They will be enthralled by the effects, action and superpowers, and in all likelihood won't begrudge the movie for the above mentioned reasons.

And to top it all, like all PIXAR releases, this one too is subtly heart-warming. How does one complain against that?