TB4000
11-10-2004, 02:18 PM
Secret lives of superheroes revealed in The Incredibles
Batman. Spider-Man. X-Men. These are only a few of the classic comic book characters that have been brought to the movie screen for your viewing pleasure, and although they were as faithful as they could be, they never really quite caught that feel of the comics. Part of that is due to the immense throngs of internet message board posters that make it their duty to pick apart any movie that even slightly deviates from what they know and love, but also due to the limitations you have when bringing something like that to a live action form. The Incredibles manages to capture the exact feel of what a comic book movie should be, and even though it’s animated and done by the same people that created Toy Story and Finding Nemo, it’s still got those earlier movies beat by so much it’s not even funny.
In The Incredibles, the world we live in is populated by superheroes and super villains. They go about their daily tasks of saving the day or trying to take over the world, depending on the side you’re on. Characters like Elastigirl, Frozone, and villains like Bomb Voyage(an obvious rip on The Joker) One of the most famous heroes is Mr. Incredible, who is well loved by all citizens, particularly one little boy named Buddy, who is basically stalking Mr. Incredible in hopes of becoming his sidekick. Over and over, he’s rejected, which in the superhero world, can lead one to become pretty much unhinged and desire revenge. It’s obvious that we’ll be seeing Buddy again, but he won’t be as innocent the next time around. Getting back to Mr. Incredible, after his attempt to save someone from a suicide attempt, he’s sued by the guy, and then lawsuit after lawsuit against all the heroes forces them to be placed in witness protection, where they have to live out their lives as “normal.”
Fifteen years later, Bob Parr aka Mr. Incredible is in a definite rut, slowly counting the hours away in his cubicle at his 9-to-5 insurance job, secretly helping little old ladies get quick coverage. His life at home isn’t any better, with his wife Helen (known in the old days as Elastigirl) doing her best to keep her kids in line, all of which have powers of their own; Dash, who can run at the speed of light, Violet, with the power to become invisible and project force fields, and baby Jack Jack, who doesn’t seem to have any powers…yet. The high points of his day come when he and Frozone sneak out to listen to police scanners in hopes of helping the citizens before the cops. The routine comes to an end however, when Bob receives a message from a woman named Mirage, telling him that a secret mission is being prompted that only he can perform. Turns out that the entire thing was a trap courtesy of Buddy, now known as Syndrome, the world’s latest super villain. He captures Bob, and then it’s up to the rest of the family to go help Dad before Syndrome unleashes his most heinous of plans.
Other movies based on DC or Marvel comics have tried their best to get the look and feel of their inspiration just right, but The Incredibles honestly has them all against the wall. The action scenes where characters have to battle giant robots, enemy soldiers, and death rays are a lot better looking than anything Spider-Man did in his last two movies put together. Samuel L. Jackson’s Frozone does everything that the X-Men’s Iceman should’ve done, but didn’t. Each of the characters also reacts the exact way you’d think a normal person with powers would…they exploit them, they get frustrated, they argue about why they can’t be used, etc. That’s the thing that the other movies missed, in my opinion.
Although Pixar created the movie and it looks like a kid’s flick, it’s as far from that as you can possibly get. It’s their first PG rated movie, and they don’t waste any of it. The movie can actually get pretty dark and morbid at times, and many people get seriously beat up or killed. The best “dark” joke is a lecture on why superheroes should never wear capes, which is hilarious in its own right.
The Incredibles is truly one of the best movies to come out this year, and one of the best superhero movies in existence, and that’s really saying something. Anyone that’s ever read a comic book, anyone that’s ever posted on a message board about how the Hulk from today compares to The Hulk from 1987, will be all over this one.
5 stars
Batman. Spider-Man. X-Men. These are only a few of the classic comic book characters that have been brought to the movie screen for your viewing pleasure, and although they were as faithful as they could be, they never really quite caught that feel of the comics. Part of that is due to the immense throngs of internet message board posters that make it their duty to pick apart any movie that even slightly deviates from what they know and love, but also due to the limitations you have when bringing something like that to a live action form. The Incredibles manages to capture the exact feel of what a comic book movie should be, and even though it’s animated and done by the same people that created Toy Story and Finding Nemo, it’s still got those earlier movies beat by so much it’s not even funny.
In The Incredibles, the world we live in is populated by superheroes and super villains. They go about their daily tasks of saving the day or trying to take over the world, depending on the side you’re on. Characters like Elastigirl, Frozone, and villains like Bomb Voyage(an obvious rip on The Joker) One of the most famous heroes is Mr. Incredible, who is well loved by all citizens, particularly one little boy named Buddy, who is basically stalking Mr. Incredible in hopes of becoming his sidekick. Over and over, he’s rejected, which in the superhero world, can lead one to become pretty much unhinged and desire revenge. It’s obvious that we’ll be seeing Buddy again, but he won’t be as innocent the next time around. Getting back to Mr. Incredible, after his attempt to save someone from a suicide attempt, he’s sued by the guy, and then lawsuit after lawsuit against all the heroes forces them to be placed in witness protection, where they have to live out their lives as “normal.”
Fifteen years later, Bob Parr aka Mr. Incredible is in a definite rut, slowly counting the hours away in his cubicle at his 9-to-5 insurance job, secretly helping little old ladies get quick coverage. His life at home isn’t any better, with his wife Helen (known in the old days as Elastigirl) doing her best to keep her kids in line, all of which have powers of their own; Dash, who can run at the speed of light, Violet, with the power to become invisible and project force fields, and baby Jack Jack, who doesn’t seem to have any powers…yet. The high points of his day come when he and Frozone sneak out to listen to police scanners in hopes of helping the citizens before the cops. The routine comes to an end however, when Bob receives a message from a woman named Mirage, telling him that a secret mission is being prompted that only he can perform. Turns out that the entire thing was a trap courtesy of Buddy, now known as Syndrome, the world’s latest super villain. He captures Bob, and then it’s up to the rest of the family to go help Dad before Syndrome unleashes his most heinous of plans.
Other movies based on DC or Marvel comics have tried their best to get the look and feel of their inspiration just right, but The Incredibles honestly has them all against the wall. The action scenes where characters have to battle giant robots, enemy soldiers, and death rays are a lot better looking than anything Spider-Man did in his last two movies put together. Samuel L. Jackson’s Frozone does everything that the X-Men’s Iceman should’ve done, but didn’t. Each of the characters also reacts the exact way you’d think a normal person with powers would…they exploit them, they get frustrated, they argue about why they can’t be used, etc. That’s the thing that the other movies missed, in my opinion.
Although Pixar created the movie and it looks like a kid’s flick, it’s as far from that as you can possibly get. It’s their first PG rated movie, and they don’t waste any of it. The movie can actually get pretty dark and morbid at times, and many people get seriously beat up or killed. The best “dark” joke is a lecture on why superheroes should never wear capes, which is hilarious in its own right.
The Incredibles is truly one of the best movies to come out this year, and one of the best superhero movies in existence, and that’s really saying something. Anyone that’s ever read a comic book, anyone that’s ever posted on a message board about how the Hulk from today compares to The Hulk from 1987, will be all over this one.
5 stars