Picture This! Reviews The Incredibles

Reprinted from NotesFromHollywood.com

I like going to the movies where the person in front of me is so short I don’t have to lean to one side. Even with booster seats on top of 75% of the capacity crowd, there wasn’t a bad seat in the house at the The Incredibles opening.

The Incredibles is the latest Pixar creation to grace the screens in what has become the animation cash cow of the industry. Long gone are the seven year absences of classic animated Disney features. The video market is too lucrative (although the Disney folks still manipulate the market with limited DVD sales periods).

Brad Bird, the writer and director, has fun with his superheroes. Bob Parr (a.k.a. Mr. Incredible) is spending his middle age years in the equivalent of a “good guys” witness protection program. Married to Helen (a.k.a Elastigirl), and with two children, Dash and Violet, he wallows in an office cubicle under the thumb of a dweeb boss, and watches his muscular cartoon physique turn to flab. His only taste of the good life of yester years is when he sneaks out one night a week to do good deeds with Frozone, another retired superhero.

The adventure begins and the pace is relentless as good struggles to conquer evil. Chase scenes lead to gun battles that lead to fisticuffs that are foiled by trickery that leads to intrigue. What’s fun about The Incredibles is that the whole family comes to the rescue, not just dad. Each character experiences personal growth with the recognition of their powers (and limitations).

The Incredibles is rated PG (for action violence), which indicates it is a little edgier than say, Finding Nemo, but no one in the pint-sized audience I viewed the film with seemed to notice. It’s definitely a bit long for kids at 115 minutes – lots of quick trips to the restrooms in the dark. But adults can enjoy this outing, too. The image of a pint-sized Edith Head character is surely lost on the cheap tickets but it does add to the adult fun.

Rebecca Redshaw is the Arts& Entertainment Critic for www.NotesFromHollywood.com. She can be reached at r2redshaw@hotmail.com.