Techtite's DVD Reviews!

"One of the best films in Pixar's repertoire... which is saying a lot!"

--from the review

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Incredibles 2...? With Guest Stars? I'm reminded of how Toy Story back in the day could not get any big name toy tie-ins, aside from classic toys like Mr. Potato Head and Slinky Dog. The resulting demand for such toys made the big name toy makers change their tune in the sequel, with such cameo appearances as Barbie herself. Now, mind you, a sequel to this film would have the added pressure of all DC Comics characters being used in Universal films, and all Marvel comics characters being in Sony/Columbia Pictures films. That's a big hurdle if Pixar sticks with these studios rival, Disney. Yet what about other underdog comic book heroes? Think of all the many comic book stars that you always wanted to see on the silver screen yet they're not popular enough to get their own film. Could an Incredibles 2 use them to their advantage? I'd like to think so. Too bad no sequel is planned as of yet...though with all the box office records this film is breaking, maybe that can change in time?

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The Incredibles

B0007A2GSM (VHS) B0007A2GSW (Full Screen) B00005JN4W (Widescreen)

A Techtite Review

If someone has been waiting for years to see if Pixar can make a film with as much charm, fun, and imagination as Toy Story, then The Incredibles is it. This is the kind of movie that comic book fans have always wanted: a CGI superhero tale. What could go wrong with such a concept? Exactly. There's nothing wrong with this film at all.

The story imaginatively begins in the golden age of superheroes. What age was this exactly? Much like Batman The Animated Series, it doesn't say. All we need to know is that superheroes are rampant, and as would be the case, they're often considered the "cause" of whatever damages happen around them, even when saving the day. After a string of lawsuits, and various property damages due to super battles with super villains, the decision is made to slip into their secret identity roles, permanently. The age of superheroes is no more.

Jump ahead 15 years. Former super-heroes Mr. Incredible (voiced by Craig T. Nelson) and Elastigirl (Holly Hunter) have been married for all this time, and now have three kids. Both of the older kids have grown accustomed to their own unique superpowers, which they can not reveal in the real world, or else blow their secret. Teenage daughter Violet (Sarah Vowell, a Conan O'Brian Show regular) has powers of invisibility and "force fields"; her little brother Dashell, "The Dash" (Spencer Fox) has powers of speed so fast that nobody can see him when running. The only one who seems to be adapting to life nicely is little Jack-Jack, who as a baby, has no superpowers at all. 

The same lack of conflicts do not apply for the older Incredibles. Dash in particular gets into numerous scrapes with the school principal because he likes to use his powers for pranks, although the security cameras have yet to prove it's really him. Father Incredible is having it the roughest, in an insurance company job where his moral instincts cause him to inform clients of every loophole, so they actually get their money; a form of business etiquette that doesn't please his boss very much.

After having it up-to-here with his boss (and quite frankly giving him what the boss had coming), Mr. Incredible is fired, but by now he's blown his cover enough to be noticed by the sorts of people who have been looking for him for years. They need him for a special assignment...or so they say. He can be Mr. Incredible again! What's more; since he is being hired for an actual job, he can make money doing it. His family is oblivious of dad's new lifestyle; they think he's been promoted at his old office job. But how will they react when his new "boss" reveals that he actually wants him dead...and Mr. Incredible is now in trouble?

The story is absolutely brilliant, in both its simplicity (superheroes trying to live normal suburban family lives) and its ingenuity (an otherwise typical sibling fight turns into a superpower free-for-all). I also liked how they integrated typical family woes we can all relate to, into these superheroes' tales. Incredible is dealing with a bigger waist; his wife, bigger...um...hips. Daughter Violet is trying to get a boy to notice her, but her shyness forces her to disappear whenever he looks at her. I particularly liked the different reactions mom and dad have about their son's latest principal office visit; mom is scolding him for using his powers unwisely, while dad eagerly asks, "How fast did you go son?"

There's a good moral here, too. The story's arch-villain, Syndrome (as spoiled already on many a McDonald's Happy Meal) could've been a powerful "mortal" superhero in his own right, if only he had been himself. He could've been Rocket Man, Dr. Roboto; anything. Instead, he wants to be somebody he's not; specifically, Mr. Incredible. Everybody is special in their own way, and should simply use their gifts to be themselves. That's a good lesson; one the superheroes must soon learn as well. They've been given special gifts. Why hide these gifts in fear? 

Of course, it's a Pixar film, so the animation is brilliant. True, there aren't as many coral reefs and colorful aquatic life as seen in Finding Nemo, and yet here imagination is the key. The animators seem to have had the most fun with Elastigirl, who uses her elastic powers for some of the most inspired and hilarious moments of the film. What really brings this animations strength home, however, is in realizing how every piece of rubble and broken glass, in every super hero battle, had to be rendered from scratch. That's one incredible achievement, small pun intended.

Now all the film needs are the accolades it deserves. Sadly, aside from Beauty and the Beast, no animated film has ever been given decent award treatment, even though such films have been among the best each year. I guess the Oscars and Golden Globes are too embarrassed to have a "cartoon" as a Best Movie nominee. Fortunately for Techtite.com; we have no such reservations. There is no shame in admitting this film is one of the most imaginative, fun, enjoyable, uplifting films I've seen all year. How fitting that such a film was made all the more possible by a band of superheroes. As always, once again they save the day.

---Techtite

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