The Incredibles (2004) Review: Midlife Crisis in Spandex

Is The Incredibles worth watching?

Yes. The Incredibles is one of the best superhero films ever made, animated or not, and a family comedy with a genuinely adult sense of frustration and wit. Brad Bird combines the retro cool of 1960s spy movies with a sharp portrait of a marriage and a midlife crisis, and the action is staged with a clarity many live-action blockbusters still envy. The small reservation is its final stretch, which settles into a more conventional showdown than the inventive first hour promises.

What is The Incredibles about?

The Incredibles takes place in a world where superheroes have been forced into retirement by lawsuits and public backlash. Bob Parr (Craig T. Nelson), once the celebrated Mr. Incredible, now works a soul-destroying job as an insurance claims adjuster. His wife, Helen (Holly Hunter), formerly the stretchy Elastigirl, is raising their three children in suburbia, where the family’s powers must stay hidden: shy teenager Violet (Sarah Vowell), hyperactive Dash (Spencer Fox) and baby Jack-Jack.

Bored and restless, Bob sneaks out for secret heroics with his old friend Lucius, also known as Frozone (Samuel L. Jackson). Then he receives a mysterious offer of work that lures him back into costume. Bird wrote and directed this American Pixar production in English, and it runs 115 minutes. It won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

A family comedy disguised as a superhero film

What sets The Incredibles apart is how much it cares about the family’s ordinary troubles. Bob’s boredom at work, his nostalgia for his glory days and his strained dinner-table conversations are drawn with real feeling, and Helen’s frustration with a husband who seems more interested in the past than the present is surprisingly grown-up for an animated film. The kids’ struggles are equally recognisable: Violet’s crushing shyness, Dash’s desperation to use the talent he is told to hide.

Hunter is especially good, giving Helen a brisk, funny competence that makes her the film’s true hero in many scenes. Nelson finds both the comedy and the sadness in a big man squeezed into a small life.

Bird’s action and retro style

When the film turns to action, it is superb. Bird stages chases, fights and escapes with a strong sense of geography and escalating invention, using each family member’s powers in clever combination. Dash’s run through a jungle and Helen’s stretching through a series of doors are among the most kinetic sequences in any Pixar film.

The design is equally distinctive. The film’s world looks like a mid-century vision of the future, full of sleek lairs, monorails and gadgetry, and Michael Giacchino’s brassy, jazzy score channels classic spy thrillers. A fashion designer to the heroes, Edna Mode, voiced by Bird himself, is a scene-stealing creation whose lecture on capes has become a comedy classic.

Where it plays it safe

The Incredibles is less original in its final act, which leans on a familiar superhero climax of large-scale destruction and a villain’s grand plan. The villain, voiced by Jason Lee, is funny and has a clear motive, but his scheme follows well-worn genre lines. Some viewers have also questioned the film’s message about exceptional people being held back by mediocrity, which can sound a little uneasy when examined closely. These are minor reservations in a film this entertaining.

Who should watch The Incredibles?

It is ideal for families with children of around seven and up, for superhero fans tired of formula and for adults who enjoy animation with wit and style. At just under two hours, it is on the long side for young children. There is more peril and cartoon violence than in many Pixar films, including gunfire and some frightening moments, so parents of very young viewers may want to watch alongside them.

If you enjoy it, try these next:

• Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, another animated superhero film that reinvents the genre through style and heart.
• Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, its ambitious sequel, for more bold animation.
• Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, Brad Bird’s live-action debut, with the same flair for inventive set pieces.

The verdict

The Incredibles is a smart, stylish and warm superhero adventure that treats family life with as much care as its action. A conventional last act keeps it just below perfection, but it remains one of Pixar’s most rewatchable and grown-up films.

Rating: 4/5