im bored of being green......add me to your CoT and I will too =)
im bored of being green......add me to your CoT and I will too =)
Member since:14.01.2005
Reviews:25
Members who trust:6
Director: Brad Bird
Release date: 2004
Tagline: "Can they save the day?"
My review: This Christmas, I needed to see a film. I considered going to see the Polar Express, which starred Tom Hanks and of course looked great on TV. But then I heard about this little film the Incredibles, somehow managing to miss all the hype and images on billboards, magazines, comics, papers, TV shows etc. The mail film critic exclaimed in a typically measured fashion "This is surely the greatest family film of all time!". Well he's been wrong before. After all, this is the same man who jumped head over heels for 'The Grudge' released earlier this year, saying it was one of the scariest films ever made (to put it mildly, it wasn't). But this time the press blurbs and excitement proved unusually true. From the moment the titles rolled across the screen, I knew that 'The Incredibles' would be golden popcorn entertainment and so much more.
But why is it so great? Well first let's look at the voice talent. You have Craig T Nelson (who is he By the way?), who gives a stellar performance as Mr. Incredible. Samuel Jackson is his best friend, the ice cool 'frozone', and Holly Hunter is his wife Mrs. Incredible. The rest of the cast are a list of unknowns, given this, you might be surprised at the energy that comes through in every voiceover in every scene. Some magic was clearly going on backstage. Unlike Shark Tale (released late last year too), the voiceovers are not from super famous A listers who other shadow the actual people within the film. Rather, it is the characters within that give the film its strength. And that is what else is great about the Incredibles. The story, like there other movies, is strong. Rather than just make a bland film about superheroes which are a dime a dozen these days, the writers have fleshed out the characters very intelligently. The superheroes have the stereotype 'family' powers; the father has super strength, as the father of any family is traditionally seen as the pillar supporting the family. The mother has elasticity, as mothers in real life must often stretch in many ways to keep their family together. Teenage girls like to be reclusive, so young miss incredible had invisibility powers. Young boys are often energetic, so 'Dash' has super speed. Simple ideas, yet they work marvellously.
Of course, the effects are superb, but you might have come to expect this watching any other recent animated film. The make or break factor lies in the story itself, and the film delivers this in true style. I particularly loved though the gadgets located on the 'mystery' island that were ready to dispatch the Incredible family at will. Some may criticise the film for being too action packed, but I think this give the film strength. Pixar have diversed their thoughts and instead of making a 'cute' film like Finding Nemo or A Bug's Life, they have made an action packed fun-fest that betters the action scenes in many real latter day action films. This is Pixar's first non-cute film in any respects, and yes, some people are hurt. But criticism is irrelevant, as anyone old enough to be toilet trained won't go running scared, they will be simply enjoying themselves.
The Incredibles is near perfection, but not quite. The one flaw I can think of is it 1 hour and 51 minutes it is a shade too long. If the film had cut out a few scenes it would have been a tighter film that would not have betrayed some members of its very young audience who were restless by the end of the screening I was in. But this is a minor quibble.
Should you go se this film? Yes, in my opinion, you should. Not only is it first rate entertainment, it is also full proof, for I have not yet met one person who did not thoroughly enjoy themselves. This truly is a film for all ages. And if I were you, I would see it, or at least be in line when the DVD comes out.
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Jan 15th, 2005
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