Does the world need heroes? Or to put it in a more ’incredible’ way, does the world need super-heroes? Almost every film coming out of the Super-Hero genre has shown the positive effect that super-heroes have on our society. They rid the streets of eccentric mad-geniuses out to rule or destroy the world, they protect our children from any harm, and they do all of the above with an altruistic, selfless attitude. Well, isn’t that a very monochromatic portrayal of a these multifaceted, colorful personalities.
Pixar in its latest offering, ?The Incredibles? shatters the illusion of the perfect super-hero . Mr. Incredible(Craig .T . Nelson) has to find time out of his hectic crime-fighting schedule to get married to Elastigirl(Holly Hunter). He has to face lawsuits from people he saved who didn’t want to be saved and who sustained injuries in the process of being saved.
The satirical approach used by the script brings out subtle, yet ?I can’t stop laughing? kind of humor which I found to be refreshing. Anyway, the government can no longer bear the expenses for the damages and lawsuits caused by these super heroes and all the super heroes become part of the super-hero protection program where they can no longer be super heroes but live as ordinary citizens with their secret identity being their only identity. Hmm... Did you ever hear of such a thing in any super-hero movie you have ever seen? Well... it gets better... read on
You might think super heroes with all their powers would find it easy to manage a family!!!
Think again....
Mr. Incredible is Bob Parr, Insurance agent, father of three(secret super-hero kids) and husband to Elastigirl(Helen Parr). He is frustrated for not being allowed to be a super-hero anymore. ElastiGirl is trying hard to camouflage the ?incredible? family as an ordinary family. Dash(he can run very fast), Violet(she can become invisible and create force fields), and Jack Jack( well no one is sure of his powers yet) are the three special kids trying hard to act normal and fit into society but always wanting to break out.
The director takes a jibe at the average American dysfunctional family by showing that even a super hero family can be dysfunctional. Fights at the dinner table, husband-wife spats, lack of social acceptance are all sighted to show the family’s imperfections despite all their powers. Mr. Incredible, in between all this chaos, sneaks out with his super-hero buddy, Frozone(Samuel Jackson) to relive their old super-hero glory days by performing super-hero feats secretly. Also to spice things up are two more characters called Mirage and Syndrome who invite Mr. Incredible for a secret mission to an Island.
This secret mission mixed with all the above mentioned ingredients boils up to an action packed climax, spy kids style.
Pixar manages to outdo itself with every film it makes. The script, the characters, the animation all blend in perfect harmony like a well written symphony. The animation is top class, the performances superb(especially the delightful cameo of Edna E mode, a Q style gadget maker by Brad Bird, the director), and a lively mix of slapstick and sarcastic humor. What can I say but, Encore Pixar!!!