Ahoy, squirts! Quint here, gathering my strength and packing my bags for a week-long adventure in LA. I'm just hoping that whatever happens at the polls, whether my guy wins or not, LA doesn't riot while I'm there nor does any terrorist group try to hit LAX at any time tomorrow!
But before I pack my riot gear and all the duct tape I can carry-on, I wanted to give you folks a short, short review of THE INCREDIBLES, which I've seen twice now. The fact that I've watched it twice already should tell you all you need to know. Simply put, THE INCREDIBLES is everything you hoped for when you heard Brad "IRON GIANT" Bird was teaming with Pixar and much more. This movie is going to make so much money, I don't know if there'll be enough bean counters in Hollywood to take on the challenge of counting it all.
THE INCREDIBLES is what any superhero movie should be. It has the heart, it has the danger, it has the characters, the music, the poses, the moments, the pacing, the bad guys... The family dynamic is absolutely brilliant. The main theme of family working together is pulled off without ever having to revert to preaching to the audience or boring them with over long and over sentimental scenes.
The voice work:
Craig T. Nelson... I grew up with POLTERGEIST and COACH, even though I never really liked COACH all that much it was one of those shows that was ALWAYS on and I, for some reason, watched. He rules the Earth in POLTERGEIST and he's note-perfect as Mr. Incredible. When he gets super-pissed in the film, he changes his voice... does something that makes him sound as cold-blooded as Ann Coulter naked in a freezer. It's shocking because throughout the whole film he's a typically nice guy. I surely hope he gets a boost from the almost guaranteed super-success of this flick.
Holly Hunter... I like Holly Hunter, but she's not my favorite actress of all time. That said, I didn't recognize her at all as Elastigirl. She plays it perfectly, my favorite parts being her very Black Cat/Spider-Man rooftop flirtation with Mr. Incredible at the beginning of the film. She plays the character that's hardest to like, because as a mom she's trying to repress the superpowers of her children and keep their whole existence safe. In other words, she tries to stop the fun. It's a testament to what Ms. Hunter did with the voice work that you can not only feel for Elastigirl, but also come to love her.
Spencer Fox and Sarah Vowell... these two completely unknown kids voice Dash and Violet, the two super-kids. Dash is easily my favorite character. He's in love with his superpowers, in love with adventure and his boyish, unadulterated excitement is contagious. Violet has a little more of a self-image hurdle to overcome, which is fitting as her power is invisibility (and the ability to make force fields... so, Invisible Woman, but as a Wednesday Addams-esqe young teen), but her discovering her true ability and reveling in it is spectacular to watch... She has a quiet "birth of a superhero" moment that made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end... just watch when she puts on the mask. I have a feeling we're going to be seeing a lot of Violet and Dash costumes come next Halloween, and deservedly so.
Samuel L. Jackson... Well, he is the man and always has been, even before Tarantino underlined his god-like status in KILL BILL v2. He plays Frozone (aka Iceman with soul and an attitude that won't quit). He rules the earth, as usual, but be ready for him to appear for very little of the runtime.
Jason Lee... This man deserves much applause for not simply reverting to his "wacky Jason Lee as known from Kevin Smith's films" persona. It took me about 3/4ths of the movie for me to place a name with his character... And boy is Syndrome a great villain. Over the top, but not stupid, intelligent and completely aware of what's going on around him. He's got a great backstory, too, which we see in much of the first act of the film.
There are some other great talent involved, including Wallace "Inconceivable!" Shawn and director Brad Bird himself as Edna Mode, who is probably the easiest to quote character.
The film is darker than you think it is. It opens with a gunfight. Superheroes die, both on-screen and off and henchmen get battered and blown up. There's a reason this film got a PG and it makes all the difference in the world. Bird's imagination is in high form in all aspects of the film. The design of the island lair, the waterfall door, the "stingray" entry, the lava passage... all perfect and shows a side to superhero films that isn't on full display, even in the best live-action fare like SPIDER-MAN 2. Does Bird top IRON GIANT? I can't say, yet. I can tell you that THE INCREDIBLES made a bigger impact on me upon first viewing, but IRON GIANT has proven it's a modern classic upon multiple viewings, something INCREDIBLES hasn't had the chance to do yet.
I don't think there's much else I can say without giving too much of the film away. THE INCREDIBLES is everything you could ever want in a superhero flick... scratch that, it's everything you can want in ANY flick. Go, enjoy the movie. I know you will!
Anyway, I'm off. Wish me luck on avoiding mass hysteria/riots/bombings in my travels! I've got some goodies for you folks in the near future, so keep them balls o'jelly in your head aimed at the site, squirts. 'Til that day, this is Quint bidding you all a fond farewell and adieu.
-Quint
