Ever since seeing Ratatouille over the summer (one of the best movies I have ever seen), I've been wanting to see every Pixar movie I can get my hands on. This past Thursday, it was The Incredibles.When reviewing Pixar films, it's not a question of good v. bad. The answer to that is implicit. Rather, it's more very good v. excellent. The Incredibles lies on the "very good" side of the spectrum.
The Incredibles has the same basic storyline of other Pixar films. The main character is unappreciated (Mr. Incredible, Remy the Rat, Woody...), becomes self-absorbed, and is recognized and humbled in the end.
The major problem I had with The Incredibles was that the main character was under appreciated and self-absorbed for too long. With Woody and Remy, I had sympathy. I looked past their self-absorption, and actively rooted for them. With Mr. Incredible, this wasn't the case. His self-absorbed phase went on for too long. He deceived his family and was a total jerk for nearly half the movie, and I couldn't look past this.
It's odd that I'm basing my critique of a computer animated film on whether or not I rooted for the main character. Yet, my rating is strictly based on how much I enjoyed the film, and my dislike for Mr. Incredible definitely impacted my overall enjoyment.
Nonetheless, The Incredibles was very good. Though I couldn't stand the main character, what made this movie stand out was the minor players--the costume designer, the insurance boss, Dash, and the mom. These were all remarkably crafted characters who only Pixar could make up. The music was also an excellent touch.
I know The Incredibles has quite an ardent following, and I don't want it to seem like I disliked like the movie. It was a very good film. All I mean to to say is that it's not going up on my Facebook profile, in the pantheon of great movies.
Correction: After an incredibly embarrassing Facebook exchange with an Incredibles aficionado I realized that the sons name is Dash not Flash. I have fixed the mistake and apologize.
2 comments:
I happened to love the Incredibles. I see your point about how the dad was in "jerk mode" for too much of the film, but what really struck me about it was the way the film criticizes how society celebrates mediocrity and vilifies "special people" for disturbing the status quo. (Like how the dad complains about Dash's fourth grade graduation. What's so special about graduating fourth grade? Dash has an amazing gift - but must hide it because it would make the "normal people" uncomfortable.) Although I have never read Ayn Rand, I have read a number of essays and reviews that say this film is closely tied with her philosophical views. It is very interesting. I consider it one of my favorite films, just because it's such a perfect mix of action, comedy, pathos, and social commentary.
Also, you mentioned Ratatouille, which is funny because I re-watched a bit of it last night with my family and really realized what a GREAT film it is. I mean, I liked it when I first saw it, but didn't fully appreciate how perfect its animation and script is. Very clever well-written - a gem.
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