*** Official THE INCREDIBLES Discussion Thread (1 Viewer)

[Ray Chuang]

GeoffBr, you wrote:

quote:This trend is only exacerbated by movies like Shrek 2, which struck me more like an exhausting string of pop culture references and riffs than a film per se.

I think you're totally missing the point of Shrek 2. The movie is intended as a parody/satire of the entire entertainment industry culture in Hollywood, and as such is succeeds brilliantly.



But getting back on topic,

I think my concerns about The Incredibles is the fact all the action sequences get a bit repetitive by the last quarter part of the movie. If they had just cut back on the action sequences in favor of better storytelling it would have been a vastly superior film.

 

[DaveF]

quote:I don't think the point of this movie was to tear down the idea of heros, for the sake of tearing them down.

quote:Yeah, I think The Incredibles is more of a reconstruction of superheroes

quote:If it makes any comment on the comics industry...

I definitely wasn't looking for that. Something closer to ]b]Unbreakable[/b]: imagine superheroes are real and what that really means for such people



(Responding to the previous page) I may be using the wrong terminology, but by "deconstruction", I mean the notion of looking at superheros as imperfect people, with concerns both petty and profound, and not just larger-than-life creatures with perfect moral compasses. The Watchmen takes this to one extreme, exploring a corrupt and weak form of superhuman. AstroCity, I found, gave a richly diverse view, even the tremendously powerful, The Samaritan, is strained by his expectations and responsibilities, and longs to take a breather and enjoy a simple dinner on occaision. Spiderman 2 got at the with competance.



My preconception was to find something like that in The Incredibles. And so, in ways, it was. It took the superheros, and made them normal. With egos, romance, love, and conflicted desires (stable home versus saving society).



But as a reconstruction, it is not as sophisticated as other recent efforts. However, I now think that wasn't its goal.

quote:it's about as joyfully "old school" as you can get

Indeed. When it got ripping, in the second half, it was tremendous superhero fun! Great powers, creative uses, super villain with great gadgets! It was incredible fun!





As for the business of violence: I'm single. I don't notice ratings any more. I assumed it was G, and I was surprised at times by the explicit violence. And yet, I find much more emotionally distressing "Jesse's Song" from Story 2. For me, cartoon violence is just that. It's Roadrunner and Wile E. Coyote. But a sublime song about friendships being discarded strikes home.



An old friend preferred to let his daughter watch Galaxy Quest over Snow White. The wicked witch speaking murderously of Snow White was more stressful than all the carnage and language of GQ. I don't understand it, but I accept that different things affect people.
And so, that's not a fair statement. It is a family movie for many families, though not all.

 

[Casey Trowbridg]

Great film, I wrote a small review but it doesn't really do how I feel about it justice.



Also to clarify something, Mr. Incredible refers to him as "buddy" even at one point he responds with "My name's not buddy".



I also have to agree with what Robert Anthony said about what is and isn't a kiddy movie...great post man!



The Incredibles is now my favorite Pixar film.



Oh, and count me as one that didn't get the ROTS trailer. Its a good thing that I didn't just go for that purpose.



Also, I liked the boundin short. Not as funny as birds, but it was ok.

 

[Robert Anthony]

Whoa, really? See, I thought the action sequences weren't even CLOSE to repetitive (something new in each sequence) and the action sequences were so well done simply because they actually carried the weight of the storytelling WHILE being great set pieces in and of themselves. The escape from the island isn't just bang and crash, but it's the culmination of a couple plot threads tied up in a very neat, all while simultaneously building a HUGE head of steam going into the finale. If you cut out those action sequences, you lose Dash and Violet's growing into themselves, realizing and putting to use their full potential, as well as Bob's final realization of what's really important.

Part of what made this movie so great, to me, is that it uses the action sequences perfectly. NONE of them are superfluous at all, they're actually the more revealing character pieces in the movie. I learned more and became more attached to the characters in this movie as they fought and escaped and manipulated their superpowers than I did when the movie quieted down. Not to say the movie didn't work when it quieted down--but I think the majority of the heavy lifting in the characterization is actually done in the action pieces--which is REALLY hard to do (look at almost every other action movie for examples)

If anything, you could have cut the initial Mr. Incredible/Incrediboy prelude/rescue/wedding to Elastigirl and simply skipped straight to the lawsuits after the file footage interviews--and the movie would have been about 10 minutes shorter. If anything needs to be cut from this superhero movie, it's some of the sitting still dialog.

But even then, I wouldn't lose those, because it ends up contributing to the atmosphere of the whole thing. There's really no reason for Mirage and Bob to just sit in front of the lava curtain babbling about bosses and volcanic dirt--that could go REALLY easily--but it just contributes so much to that 60's spy movie atmosphere this movie is soaked in, it'd be a shame to lose it. Perfect homage.

I dunno--for as perfect a Superhero movie as this is, it's hard to imagine how cutting superhero action THIS sublime would make it BETTER

 

[Chris]

quote:I think you're totally missing the point of Shrek 2. The movie is intended as a parody/satire of the entire entertainment industry culture in Hollywood, and as such is succeeds brilliantly.

See, I'll be honest, I really, really came to dislike Shrek 2.



For kids, I'd much prefer my kids see "Incredibles" to Shrek2.



That having been said, Shrek2 struck me as something which will be incredibly dated with no real universal message I'd want to pass on to anyone, whereas some of the points of films like "Incredibles" are broad and well applied and can act as both current commentary and timeless commentary

 

[SteveCallas]

This is by far the best movie by Pixar to date. The length was just right, the action was perfect, the animation and color was excellent, and the comedy was spot on. When I watched the previous Pixar films, I could tell it was not geared toward someone my age, but they threw in just enough to keep me interested. In this film, it has legitimate appeal to all ages and I was engaged and excited throughout.



Those who are bitching about this movie being too adult for little children are not being very realistic. We live in a world were we are at threat from terrorists who will hijack a plane and crash it into a skyscraper or attach explosives to themselves and run into a crowd and detonate because of a difference of values. Children will not be emotionally traumatized from watching this movie...that is, unless they haven't already been so overprotected and sheltered that they wouldn't understand the difference between good and evil.



As far as time, again, I don't understand what the complaints are. Everything that was in the movie needs to stay in the movie, timing and storytelling was perfect.



And to Holadem, sorry to hear that, in my theater the robot's steps and jet flybys packed quite a punch. In particular, the scene where the family is in the van and the robot walks by had some deep, loud bass. I can't wait to own this on dvd.

 

[Phil L]

quote:This is by far the best movie by Pixar to date. The length was just right, the action was perfect, the animation and color was excellent, and the comedy was spot on. When I watched the previous Pixar films, I could tell it was not geared toward someone my age, but they threw in just enough to keep me interested.

+1.



Really enjoyed this movie.



Pixar is outstanding.

 

[Pete-D]

Overall I enjoyed it. I was some what surprised at some of the more adult aspects of the story (the cubicle job, the doldrums of marriage, etc.).





I felt there were some pacing problems though. The movie really seemed to drag at times. Even in the context of a comic book homage, the whole "James Bond villain" island device is getting a bit boring too.



But the character's were definitely likable. I'm not so sure about "Cars" however, the trailer just did nothing for me.

No ROTS trailer here either, kind of a bummer. One thing I was reminded of though, now that Pixar is free of Disney, hopefully we won't have to endure a storm of Disney trailers before each Pixar movie.

 

[James_G]

I had feelings similar to Pete.



The adult aspects like the sexual innuendo, "take a shot when..." drinking game, not-so-mild violence, etc. were all surprising but welcome. However, it *did* feel a bit too long and the whole spoofing of superhero devices is getting a little old after the Spy Kids movies, Austin Powers movies, and others. The 'no capes' bit was brilliant though.

 

[Peter Kline]

A question. Did Violet have her hair parted on the left AND right in the early scenes before she put it back (when in costume). I seem to remember either her left or her right eye being covered by her hair. (Could be wrong, of course). She was a "shrinking" Violet until she used her super powers!



If you go to Rotten Tomatoes you'll see only a few negative reviews, currently 97% fresh.

 

[Patrick Sun]

I only remember the hair parted from left to right (showing only her left eye usually).

 

[Andrew Grall]

My wife and I saw this film on opening night. I was disappointed at the lack of the SW trailer, but I had already seen it on the net.



Great movie... While I think it is a great movie on its own, I am somewhat saddened by the thought that there could be no sequels to the film due to the rift between Pixar and Disney. Any ways around this?

 

[Tarkin The Ewok]

I also noticed the switch from left eye visible to right eye visible with Violet's hairstyle. Since these movies are pretty painstakingly put together, I imagine it was either a decision by the character to mix it up a little, or they could be spoofing live-action movies and shows that reverse shots from time to time. Yes, I'm looking at you, TOS-era Shatner.

 

[Peter Kline]

Andrew.

If and when Pixar leaves Disney, all the film characters produced during their association will belong to Disney (through next years Cars). This doesn't include the short subjects I believe. Disney would have the right to do sequels albeit perhaps not as well as Pixar, but who knows, of Toy Story, Monsters Inc, The Incredibles, etc.. That is why it would be in the best interests of both to eventually come to an agreement. The current stalemate has to do with as much money as the two personalities involved, Steve Jobs of Pixar and the soon to depart Michael Eisner of Disney. The latter development, Eisner's leaving in two years, may open the door just a smidgen for the two companies to come to an agreement, perhaps.

 

[Peter Kline]

The film did about $70.6 million beating out the opening weekend of "Nemo". This is excellent considering a non-holiday opening and a PG rating and longer play time - one less screening per day. Also the screen count was lower then "Shrek 2" by about 1000. "The Polar Express" will give it a run for its money this coming week, opening on Wednesday.

 

[JonZ]

I absolutely loved this film. Cant wait to see it again.
My new favorite Pixar film.

"the only real nod to revisionist Watchmen-like stories is the joke about capes"

Samm Hamm who wrote the first Batman film hated capes as well,so he wanted the write a scene where the cape would screw Batman up horribly. The original ending had Batman chasing Joker in the subway. Batmans cape got snagged by a passing train as he was pressed against a wall and gets dragged as the Joker escapes for the sequel. WB hated the ending so he changed it.

1/2 out of 4

s

 

[Quentin]

Did it get one less screening per day?? It's only 15 min. longer than Nemo.



Well, if true, that is a very successful weekend. No surprise.

 

[Tim Hoover]

Mr. Incredible called Syndrome both "Buddy" and "Brodie". It happened when he first found the young Syndrome sitting in his car, and he said something along the lines of "Brodie?...ummm...Buddy?"

 

[scottLarson]

Incrediables

PG(more adventure style voilence)-115 min



Craig T. Nelson .... Bob Parr/Mr. Incredible (voice)

Holly Hunter .... Helen Parr/Elastigirl (voice)

Samuel L. Jackson .... Lucius Best/Frozone (voice)

Jason Lee .... Buddy Pine/Syndrome (voice)

Dominique Louis .... Bomb Voyage (voice)

Teddy Newton .... Newsreel Narrator (voice)

Jean Sincere .... Mrs. Hogenson (voice)

Wallace Shawn .... Gilbert Huph (voice)

Spencer Fox .... Dashiell 'Dash' Parr (voice)

Lou Romano .... Bernie Kropp (voice)

Sarah Vowell .... Violet Parr (voice)

Michael Bird .... Tony Rydinger (voice)

Elizabeth Peña .... Mirage (voice)

Bud Luckey .... Rick Dicker (voice)

Brad Bird .... Edna 'E' Mode (voice)



This movie is about Family dealing with superpowers in which they can't used because of past problems. I highly recommand this movie to everyone because it was little of everything in the movie. The animation was breathtaking. My fav. character was Syndrome voiced by Jason Lee. I love the mallrats(underated comedy) reference when he was called Brodie. He was the first disney villian to have no remorse. The only thing bad thing was that I wish that SLJ was used more if he was I bet he would have been my fav. character.10/10 So far my fav. pixar movies are 1. Finding Nemo 2.Incredibles 3.Toy Story 2 4.Toy Story 5.Monsters inc 6.A Bug's Life

 

[Patrick Sun]

Ah, the "Brodie?" line is referencing Jason Lee's former role in "Mallrats". Glad to see I wasn't hearing things when Bob called him "Buddy" as well as "Brodie".