It's been said that the rising costs of health care, insurance premiums and general run-ups in pricing of most any product can be linked back to spiraling malpractice and other such personal legal suits where money is sometimes more the goal than justice. They're the ones that make lawyers and a handful of plaintiffs rich, but most everyone else poorer in one way or another.
Who knew, however, that such legal matters would also jeopardize a much beloved profession that's as American as apple pie, baseball and comic books. That's right, due to frivolous lawsuits, the saviors of all that is good, right and decent in the world -- the superheroes -- have been put out of business. Like federal witnesses, they've also been put into a relocation program where they've been given new identities and occupations.
Yet, no matter the nice house, secure job or suburban family life, being a superhero is in the blood and there's no use resisting the urge, nay need, to save people, deal with emergencies and defeat villains. If all of that sounds silly and potentially entertaining, well it is, especially as delivered by the folks at Pixar in the form of "The Incredibles."
With a perfect batting average (all of their hits, "A Bug's Life," "Toy Story" 1 & 2," "Monsters, Inc." and "Finding Nemo," being home runs), those wonderfully wacky, funny and imaginative Pixarians have once again knocked one out of the park.
They've done so taking a few "risks." For one, this is their first PG rated film that might be a bit too intense (for action related mayhem) and long (at nearly 2 hours) for the youngest of viewers. And in a time when it seems that hand-drawn or computer-animated films flop when they feature humans rather than animals, monsters or toy characters, the "casting" of people as the main characters may seem like a bit of a gamble. Of course, these "humans" can fly, stretch to incredible lengths, run faster than anything else on Earth or, when needed, turn invisible or create protective force fields around them.
As has always been the case with the terrific Pixar films, their characters' very human faults and idiosyncrasies are what make them so endearing, engaging and funny for both kids and adults alike. It's in the fine details -- those character traits, the in-jokes and many references, the visuals and more -- where the film excels. As written and directed by Brad Bird ("The Iron Giant"), the film might not ram them down your throat, rapid-fire, as occurred in "Shark Tale" or the "Shrek" films, but the material is just as funny, clever and imaginative.
Whether it's the family dynamics (such as the teenager who can turn invisible like so many girls wish they could at times or the middle-aged father having a midlife crisis, etc.), life in the 'burbs, working for "the man" or all of the spoofing or homage to the many superhero elements, James Bond type material and much more, the film is rife with entertaining and highly enjoyable creativity.
The only thing I wish it were a tad better at was the main story. Granted, the majority of that is wrapped around the brilliant setup and follow-through of superheroes reassigned to suburban life, etc. Yet, the final plot thrust -- of them having to come out of retirement to battle a new archenemy who's the weakest of all the characters (usually a fatal flaw but just a flesh wound, if you will, here) -- feels a bit lackluster in comparison to everything else that surrounds it.
That involves the usual terrific visuals and inspired production design (emulating 1950s comic book stylings, early Bond flicks and more) as well as superb vocal performances. While I particularly enjoyed Holly Hunter ("Thirteen," "O Brother, Where Art Thou?") as the new suburban mom, and Samuel L. Jackson ("Die Hard 3," "Pulp Fiction") gets some decent mileage out of his usual vocal delivery and intensity, the work from the likes of Craig T. Nelson ("The Devil's Advocate," "Poltergeist"), Spencer Fox (making his debut), Sarah Vowell (making her debut) and the rest is all top-notch.
While it doesn't possess as strong or engaging an A to Z plot as most of its predecessors, this picture makes up for much of that with the rest of its splendid offerings. Possibly more entertaining for adults than kids (although they'll likely love it as well), "The Incredibles" marks another highly enjoyable effort from the folks at Pixar who sure know how to turn out critical and box office hits. The film rates as a 7.5 out of 10.
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