Incredible? Absolutely

Pixar has done it again. We shouldn’t be surprised, really. The animation studio, so far, has an excellent track record, with Toy Story, Toy Story 2, A Bug’s Life, Monster’s Inc., and Finding Nemo. Of their first five movies, only A Bug’s Life was kind of ho-hum, while the rest have been of superior quality, besting almost all other animated movies, past and present.

Pixar’s latest production, The Incredibles, easily lives up to its high expectations, and in one aspect—quality action sequences—it far surpasses any animated movie I’ve ever seen. Best of all, this isn’t the type of children’s movie that can just be merely tolerated by adults. Even without kids in tow, I suggest this one for everybody. Besides, movie popcorn is salty enough; it really doesn’t need the additional flavoring of your kids’ buggars.

Set sometime around the 50’s, The Incredibles opens by introducing us to Mr. Incredible (Craig T. Nelson), the city’s most beloved superhero. He has superfriends, like good buddy Frozone (Samuel L. Jackson) and fiancée Elastigirl (Holly Hunter). When a few ungrateful citizens start slapping all the superheroes with frivolous lawsuits, the saviors of the city are forced into a Superhero Relocation Program, their identity protected, in exchange for the promise that they’ll keep their capes in the closet.

Fast forward 15 years. Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl are now Bob and Helen Parr. Helen is a homemaker, taking care of their three children. Bob is an insurance claims adjuster, stifled and frustrated by his daily mundane routine. Stuck in a superhero midlife crisis, Bob longs for the crime-fighting days of old, sneaking out once a week with Frozone, to do some superheroing on the down-low.

A chance to reclaim the glory of his youth comes beckoning when he is offered a job from a thinly-veiled arch-villain, who lives in his own massively armed, technologically advanced fortress, in the heart of a volcano, on a private island. Caught off-guard by his new nemesis, Mr. Incredible is imprisoned and tormented. Luckily, his wife and children are superheroes, too, and quick to come to the rescue.

The Incredibles is the rare animated movie that might actually appeal more to adults than to children. Usually, the way for a children’s movie to appease the gray hairs in the audience is by throwing in the occasional sly joke that’ll go way over the heads of the younger ones, aimed directly at the parents. The Incredibles, however, aims the entire story at the adults. The overpowering theme of dealing with an adult life that’s lost its excitement will probably be lost on the kids, but will surely be appreciated by anyone who’s lived a little.

The Incredibles is written and directed by Brad Bird, a veteran writer for The Simpsons. Before The Incredibles, Bird’s only film credit was 1999’s The Iron Giant. The Iron Giant, for some reason, didn’t make much money, but it’s a great animated movie, affecting, intelligent, and reminiscent of E.T.. The Simpsons, needless to say, is always intelligent, so of course, the script for The Incredibles is, well…intelligent. There are no fart jokes, and only a couple sight-gags, one of which you’ve probably already seen in the previews.

Try as best I can, I cannot think of any animated movie that’s ever had any action sequences that even came close the quality we’re used to seeing in live action movies. Generally speaking, animated action sequences lack any real tension, so perhaps wisely, they’re usually limited to just a minute or so in length. Such is not the case in The Incredibles.

Befitting of a superhero movie, the action in The Incredibles is on edge and exciting. The standout scene of the movie, when Dash (the middle child) is finally allowed to unleash his speedy feet, is better than even most live action movies. What’s more, there were many times when I felt like I was watching a Spielberg adventure, because Bird and his talented animation team did such a good job mixing humor and action. This might also be the best time for me to point out that The Incredibles is rated “PG”, and perhaps too tense for anyone younger than seven or eight.

The computer animation is superb. Of course, it is. The same can be said of the voice acting. Jackson and Nelson are both good (you might know Nelson as the title character from the TV series Coach, and if you don’t instantly recognize Jackson’s voice, you probably don’t watch many movies). The best performance, though, was from Holly Hunter (Copycat, The Piano, Raising Arizona), simultaneously strong and exasperated, as the burned out mom. I also really enjoyed the jazz-infused music, composed by Michael Giacchino, a veteran composer of video game soundtracks.

So far this year, The Incredibles is the highest-rated major studio release, receiving more critical acclaim than any other Hollywood production. Does that mean it’s the best movie of the year? Not necessarily. What it does mean, however, is that it has very broad appeal. I can’t imagine there are too many people that wouldn’t thoroughly enjoy Pixar’s latest masterpiece. Should you leave the theater disappointed, I strongly suggest removing whatever foreign object is stuck in your tailpipe, because it’s ruining your demeanor. I wouldn’t wait until The Incredibles is on DVD. This one should be seen on the big screen.

By the way, make sure to show up early. You don’t want to miss the Star Wars preview. Darth Vader is back, and so is Chewbacca! Sweeeeeeet. Or, as Chewy might say, AARRGGLRGLRGLRGR!