533. The Incredibles (2004)

Starring: Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Samuel L. Jackson

Director: Brad Bird

Running Time: 115 mins

The Incredibles is an American film about a family of superheroes, in hiding in the suburbs after they were outlawed fifteen years ago, who must resume their heroics after a deranged fan begins to wreak havoc on their city, and possibly the world.

THIS IS SO GOOD. Although Pixar may have taken a bit of a downturn in recent years, back in the glory days, films like this were not only fun family flicks, but top-quality pictures with great stories, brilliant characters, and amazing animation.

And all of that is perfectly epitomised in this fantastic film. I’ve never been a big fan of the superhero genre; I think it takes itself way too seriously for being based on a comic book, but in The Incredibles, it takes all of the great action from classic superhero stories, and adds hilarious comedy to make it a hugely enjoyable watch.

The story in this film is both fun and intriguing. It starts off with a nostalgic look into the so-called ‘glory days’ of superheroes, giving a warmish vibe to begin with, before it dives into a surprisingly complex legal plot which results in the superheroes’ outlawing.

The following of the family’s life in the suburbs is not only hilarious, but it’s a good commentary on the dullness and over-empowering nature of middle-class society. Then, all hell breaks loose, as the film goes into a thrilling and action-packed story about saving the world at all costs, just like a classic Superman story.

Throughout the ever-more exciting story, you get to know some really good characters, all with great individuality and imagination behind them, as well as a sack load of classic superhero powers all bundled into one story, which not only makes it a little bit more of a pleasant watch, but a much more relatable and close experience that brings you right into the action of it all, making it seem as if you are the person who will save the day.

On the other hand, the film always takes regard for its wide cast. The voice actors provide a wide variation of personalities amongst the characters, and that’s seen in the differences with their powers, and yet, there’s no particular main character as such, and everybody is encompassed and is a vital role to saving the world.

Probably the most important thing about this film, however, is the brilliant comedy. From subtle, to juvenile, to idiotic, pretty much everything about this film is hilarious. As well as satirising the suburban lifestyle, there’s a whole lot of slapstick and great dialogue, making it even more fun.

However, what’s best about this film is that at no point does it take a turn from its comedic nature into something a little more focussed on the action; it’s a constant laughter fest with great action and a brilliant story woven in between, so because of that, I’ll give this a 9.4.