The Incredibles Series Second Opinion Review

If you would like to read Daniel Azbel’s earlier review of the Incredibles series, click here.

The Incredibles

Synopsis: Bob Parr was ”Mr. Incredible”, one of the world’s greatest superheroes – before all of the legendary crime fighters of the day were forced to retire after a string of mishaps & frivolous law suits. Itching to get back into action, Bob gets his chance when he discovers that an evil genius bent on diabolical revenge is behind the mystery. His family flies to the rescue for an extraordinary battle of wits and superpowers. (Rovi)

Starring: Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, and Samuel L. Jackson

Writer: Brad Bird

Director: Brad Bird

Rating: PG (Canada/United States)

Running Time: 115mins

Trailer: 

So this is where it all started. Before the deluge of superhero films that have dominated this century, there was the Incredibles. This also happens to be the first Pixar film with an all-human cast. As much as this was a superhero film, it was also a film about family. For those who are still unaware of the story, the film was about a family of superheroes, Bob Parr/Mr. Incredible (Nelson), his wife Helen/Elastigirl (Hunter), and their children Dash (Spencer Fox), Violet (Sarah Vowell), and Jack-Jack (Eli Fucile). Just like most Pixar films, it has plenty of appeal for both young and old by being entertaining to watch featuring a deep and grounded story with themes may go over the heads of younger viewers.

This film focused on Bob and his quest to relive his glory days as Mr. Incredible. After being forced to retire, Bob, Helen, and the rest of their family were forced to live a normal pedestrian life. It was easy to relate to Bob’s frustrations as all he wanted to do was to help people even though some weren’t always grateful for it. He never fit into civilian life which presented some funny moments. When an opportunity for him to don his suit presented itself, it looked too good to be true until it proved to be all for naught as it was revealed to be a ploy from an evil genius known as Syndrome (Jason Lee) who wanted his revenge against Bob and all superheroes.

Bob’s unrest became a major disruption within his marriage. Helen did all she could to keep her family together and out of the public eye. She came to terms with their new life because she cared about her family, however, she still kind of missed her own glory days as Elastigirl. While Dash and Violet were quarreling as brothers and sisters do, they were waiting for the chance to have glory days of their own. Of course their self-imposed exile wasn’t going to last forever as they would forced to step into the light. It perhaps took a little too long to happen because of the film’s focus on Bob but the moment when they all came together for the first time was a powerful moment for sure.

Being a 14 year old film, the level of animation has improved dramatically since then but the animation here still holds up. There is a considerable amount of detail present here with all the characters and their respective powers as well as the environments. One of the most memorable things about the film was its impressive score (it’s a shame that it missed out on an Oscar nomination). Its retro/jazz-y sound never overpowered the action on screen while giving it an epic feel. The voice acting was great across the board with Nelson and Hunter being the standouts. They were sensational as Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl respectively while Lee was near-perfect villain as Syndrome. Jackson was great as Lucius Best/Frozone though in limited screen time. Writer/director Brad Bird even voiced a character that many will surely remember, the eccentric suit designer, Edna Mode.

Overall, this was a great animated film with production values that still hold up after 14 years, featuring plenty of superhero thrills and a deep, grounded story about family that should entertain viewers both young and old.

Score: 9/10

Incredibles 2

Synopsis: Telecommunications guru Winston Deavor enlists Elastigirl to fight crime and make the public fall in love with superheroes once again. That leaves Mr. Incredible with one of his greatest challenges ever — staying home and taking care of three rambunctious children. As Violet, Dash and Jack-Jack offer him a new set of headaches, a cyber-criminal named Screenslaver launches his dastardly plan — hypnotizing the world through computer screens. (Rovi)

Starring: Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, and Samuel L. Jackson

Writer: Brad Bird

Director: Brad Bird

Rating: PG (Canada/United States)

Running Time: 118mins

Trailer: 

It’s rare to see a sequel to anything be released 14 years after the original but that is the case here with the second Incredibles film releasing 14 years after the original. A lot has happened since the release of the original as superheroes have dominated the landscape. In fact, this film is the fourth superhero film this year. However, this series has always been different from those films and should not be compared to the MCU or DCEU. Not only is it animated, it also has something different to say about superheroes. This is why the series has developed quite the fan base over those 14 years. Is it worth the wait? The answer is a resounding yes.

This film wisely addresses the gap between films by starting where the last one left off with the conclusion of the Underminer (John Ratzenberger) saga. The Parr family were finally coming together as a crime fighting team but unfortunately for them, superheroes were still outlawed. Things were changing, however, when a telecommunications tycoon named Winston Deavour (Bob Odenkirk) offered Bob (Nelson), Helen (Hunter), and Lucius (Jackson) the opportunity to change public sentiment.

Of course this was what split up Bob and Helen in the trailers as Helen went on to work for Deavour and his sister Evelyn (Catherine Keener) while Bob took care of the kids. Helen’s subplot is arguably a little too derivative of the first film though was still compelling to watch as it was juxtaposed with an initially jealous and frustrated Bob having to take care of the kids. After the original, this time proved to be a valuable lesson for Bob. The majority of the film was hilarious but seeing Bob in over his head was especially hilarious to watch and it was during those scenes that we got to see more of Dash (Huck Milner) and Violet’s (Sarah Vowell) personalities. The chemistry between the family was better this time around, however, what most people will remember is Jack-Jack (Eli Fucile) stealing the show with his range of powers.

The last 14 years have seen advances in animation and it shows here as characters, powers, and environments were simply brighter, sharper, and more detailed than the original. The same dynamic score from the original returned as well. While it wasn’t as dynamic or prevalent as the original, it was still epic in feel. The voice acting was great across the board once again with Nelson and Hunter being the standouts. They were sensational as Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl respectively, even more so in Hunter’s case with Elastigirl’s expanded role. They were excellent at conveying Helen’s excitement and Bob’s range of emotions. Jackson was solid as Lucius Best/Frozone and writer/direcotr Brad Bird was even better as Edna Mode.

Overall, this was an excellent animated film that should still entertain viewers young and old while improving on the original both technologically and with a more compelling story full of hilarious moments that better utilizes its characters.

Score: 9.5/10

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.