I know what you're all thinking. This movie came out in '04 and isn't all that relevant or has virtually nothing to do with comics.
To that, like a horse, I say NAY! Eventually, Disney adapted this little gem into a full blown comic series. Granted, it wasn't a juggernaut like Batman or Wolverine, but I'm giving credit where it's due.
The thing I was most drawn to were definitely the super powers. The entire family vibe really puts out an old school Fantastic 4 vibe, with a few modifications. This may not be one of the top 5 Best Pixar movies for most, but it's up there for me.
The voice acting could not have been better. Sure, Craig T. Nelson is a little past his prime since "Coach" and "Poltergeist," but the voice work for Mr. Incredible was pretty dead-on. I had never heard of Holly Hunter(Elastigirl) before the movie, yet for some unbeknownst reason, I was drawn to her voice. Jason Lee as Syndrome was about 50/50 for me--Could have picked a better actor, but it could have been worse. And let's not forget Samuel "I'm in Every Movie if you look hard enough" Jackson as Frozone. First off, pretty sweet name. Second, and pardon the pun, the guy was just all around cool.
Moving on to the story, sure, it does seem a little convoluted. But to me, it was like it was literally pulled off the pages of our beloved funny books. An angry fanboy grows up and becomes a villain by killing off all the original supers? Awesome. And if it was just a random group of people who got together to battle him, I don't think the movie would have done as well. I know, it's Disney, so it's going to have the family aspect in there somewhere, but I'm not sure it would have worked otherwise.
The effects are great. Of course, it's Pixar, so we shouldn't expect anything less. The locales they created are absolutely sublime. A villain's fortress hidden in a volcano? This movie was dying to be put into panels.
All in all, "The Incredibles" is an underrated masterpiece. I felt I should give it the justice it so rightfully deserves.
BTW, Jack-Jack FTW!
Focker=Out!
