Film Review: The Incredibles (2004)

The first quarter of the 21st Century can be, in terms of popular culture, easily described as the Age of Superheroes. This impression might be given due to the commercial behemoth of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but the process of the superhero genre transcending its comic book ghetto into new media like film and television began much earlier. One of its most telling manifestations was the commercial and critical success of The Incredibles, the 2004 animated feature film written and directed by Brad Bird. It is a monumental achievement not merely as a piece of entertainment, but as a sophisticated deconstruction of the genre that appealed to both children and adults simultaneously.

The plot begins with the introduction of Mr. Incredible (voiced by Craig T. Nelson=, a dashing and popular superhero. During his crime-fighting exploits, he meets fellow superheroine Elastigirl (voiced by Holly Hunter), and the two fall in love. However, the public, which once adored superheroes, begins to turn on them, launching devastating lawsuits and ultimately leading the government to ban their activities and offer them a special relocation programme with new identities. This historical context of the "Superhero Relocation Program" provides the backdrop for the domestic life of Bob and Helen Parr fifteen years later, They live in the suburbs with children who have inherited some of their superpowers: Violet, an insecure teenage daughter who can become invisible; Dash, a hyperactive ten-year-old son who possesses superhuman speed; and infant Jack-Jack, whose abilities have yet to manifest. Bob is forced to earn a living as an insurance clerk, suffering abuses from his boss Gilbert Huph (voiced by Wallace Shawn), while nostalgically reminiscing about his glory days.

The prospect of those glory days returning is brought by Mirage (voiced by Elizabeth Peña), a mysterious woman who, just as Bob loses his job, approaches him with a job requiring the use of his superpowers. The mission takes him to a remote island called Nomanisan, where an experiment on a giant invincible robot, Omnidroid, goes horribly wrong, resulting in the robot running out of control. Bob agrees without telling his family and approaches Edna Mode (voiced by Bird), his superhero costume designer, to help him fix a tear in his old suit. Edna, due to a misunderstanding, creates special suits for his entire family. This proves very handy when it turns out that the mission is an elaborate trap by Syndrome (voiced by Jason Lee), a supervillain who was once Mr. Incredible's biggest fan and, after years of rejection, became bitter and determined to take out all superheroes. Syndrome intends to use the Omnidroid to create chaos and present himself as the world's saviour and only superhero. Bob gets captured, and Helen, Violet, and Dash are forced to undertake a dangerous mission to save his life and stop Syndrome.

The Incredibles was produced by Pixar Animation Studios, one of the most highly regarded institutions of modern-day Hollywood, and distributed by Disney. Despite this corporate background, the project was a very personal affair for its creator, Brad Bird. The work on it began after his previous project, the critically acclaimed but commercially unsuccessful 1999 film The Iron Giant. Bird found inspiration for the script in his own life and family, especially the motifs of midlife crisis.

In terms of technology, The Incredibles showed Pixar again at the top of its game, taking 3D computer animation technology to a whole new level. The animation team was tasked with animating an all-human cast, which required creating new technology to animate detailed human anatomy, clothing, and realistic skin and hair. While many of these techniques might look less impressive today, they were revolutionary for the 2004 audience. Bird, who had begun his career as an apprentice of the famous "Nine Old Men" at Disney Studios, represented a bridge between two eras—hand and computer animation. The film’s ability to create realistic skin textures, fabric movements, and vivid environments set it apart from contemporaries and influenced many films that followed.

The most impressive aspect of the film is the script. Bird takes an uncharacteristically long running time for an animated film—nearly two hours—to deliver a great story and characters. Brad famously described how he imagined main characters and their superpowers based on their family stereotypes: the father is strong, the helicopter mother is elastic, the insecure teenage daughter is invisible, and the hyperactive young son is fast. This wonderful characterisation was complemented by great voice acting by a cast that includes celebrated professionals like Nelson and Hunter and sometimes unconventional actors like radio commentator Sarah Vowell, singer Spencer Fox, and Bird himself as Edna Mode. The need for "cool" voices also brought Samuel L. Jackson, who plays the generally underutilised character of Bob's old friend Frozone. The film balances laugh-out-loud humor with fascinating twists on classic comic book superheroes and genuine emotional drama.

In terms of the general design of the fictional world—whether it is suburbs, metropolis, or an exotic island with its villain's underground lair—The Incredibles were clearly inspired by retrofuturistic 1960s depictions of the world, as well as James Bond and popular 1960s spy-fi classics. These references were underlined by a 1960s-inspired musical score by Michael Giacchino. The film manages to be many things at once: an ode to classic spy movies, a spoof of comic book superheroes, and a clever children's movie appealing to all ages. It has a charm and delicacy that was unique in the genre, particularly in the subtle ways it observes its gifted characters trying to "dumb down" and join the crowd. Children in the audience will likely miss that level, but will like the exuberance of characters like Dash, while grown-ups are likely to be surprised by how smart the movie is and how sneakily perceptive.

The film had its premiere during the US 2004 presidential election. In the hyperpartisan atmosphere, some of the critics approached it with a clear ideological bent, often describing the celebration of family life as conservative and right-wing. Bird, who liked to describe himself as a centrist, rejected those claims. The political message, if there is one in the film, might be open to interpretation, but the main purpose of the film is entertainment, and Bird successfully reached the sweet spot between content suitable for children and content for more mature and perceptive audiences. The film offers more for adults than its presumed target audience; it features a strain of teenage angst and a message about the challenges of growing up that appeals to adolescents, but the writer-director tailored much of the film's emotional substance, aesthetic influence, and subtexts for adults. Examples include attempted suicide, frivolous lawsuits, insurance bureaucracy, governmental oversight, personal responsibilities, and self-actualization in its narrative. These are big ideas for an animated family film, but they are also traditional and timeless ideas that adults more than children will recognise and appreciate.

The Incredibles became a great success at the box office, grossing $632 million worldwide and finishing its theatrical run as the fourth-highest-grossing film of 2004. It won many accolades, the most important being the Oscar for Best Animated Feature. The film launched a successful franchise of its own, and in 2018, a long-awaited sequel, Incredibles 2, was released. The Incredibles is regarded as a groundbreaking film in the superhero and animation genres. It pushed the boundaries of how lifelike animated characters could appear, influencing many films that followed. Its blend of humor, action, and heart pioneered a template for storytelling that balances adult themes with child-friendly content, setting a new standard for animated filmmaking.

RATING: 9/10 (++++)

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