Q'n'D Review: The Incredibles

One more before the evening is out, as I went with my bro and the lovely and talented Heather Waterfield to see this one this evening. I remarked to my brother that even before it came out, I had really been hoping that this one went through the roof, to claim from Shrek 2 the title of "most successful animated comedy of all time" (I REALLY don't like Shrek, sorry). Now that I've seen the film, I don't think that's possible, because I don't think what the fine folks at Pixar have done is really a comedy.

The Incredibles, amazingly, straddles quite well the genres of action-adventure and family entertainment, creating a film that feels almost without precedent. This is not just another superhero satire, this is a film that tries - really tries - to place its superheroes in a realistic modern context. Now, I'm not sure the film really is sure about what it wants to say about the scenario it sets up (what are we to read of the fact that frivolous lawsuits are what drives Mr. Incredible out of business?), but it certainly tries to position this story much more in the real world than any of its previous productions. (I realize it's weird to say that about a superhero movie, but we're speaking relatively, here.)

In addition, the movie is jam-packed with action, and this ain't like G.I. Joe where the makers try to cop out by having people mysteriously survive by parachuting out at the last second. This is a movie that deals headlong with the danger its characters are in, and the end result is way more gritty and serious about its action than I ever would have expected. This isn't an innocuous fable like Finding Nemo, it's alot more straight-faced film, about what it would be like to be in a society where these kind of people exist, and the ramifications of being one.

Not to say that it's a downer, not at all. The film has plenty of laughs, and it's impossible to not wear a silly grin while you're watching it. But it definitely carries itself with a more adult tone than any of Pixar's previous outings - the action is slam-bang, the issues it deals with are treated fairly seriously, and there are more than a few flat-out innuendos thrown in, for good measure. This is not Pixar's best film (Toy Story 2 and Nemo still hold that place in my heart), but it makes a definite statement - the best animation studio on the market is quite deliberately (and successfully) expanding its boundaries.