FauxNixon

The Incredibles was an amazing family-friendly action-adventure comedy that still managed to stuff in some adventure and action here and there.  It can truly be something that entertains the entire family and not something that is simply child-friendly and adult-tolerable.

The voice cast is first-class, including Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Samuel L. Jackson, Jason Lee, and John Ratzenberger.  It is written and directed by Brad Bird and was released to some serious critical acclaim in 2004.  As I review it in 2008, a number of things occur to me.

Firstly, even by voice acting standards, Jason Lee’s work as Buddy Pine, the arch-nemesis of Mr. Incredible is weak at best; his tones are all over the place and his voice imparts very little of the emotion that would be necessary to the action taking place on screen.  This is not a major detractor from the movie, but certainly one of it’s bigger flaws.

Craig T. Nelson and Holly Hunter are fantastic in their roles as Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl, respectively, bringing with them not only recognizable and interesting voices, but also the emotive and expressive content that is exactly what Buddy Pine’s character lacks.  They are as superb in their voice acting as they are in their traditional acting.

Brad Bird has written and directed one of the best films for families to come out of Hollywood in years, and again, when I say that, what I mean is that this film can be enjoyed by the whole family, rather than just being a child-appropriate film that can be tolerated by adults.  That is a huge demarcation and an important one, making watching movies with the whole family an enjoyable experience for the whole family, just as it should be.  If you haven’t yet, see this movie.  If you have a family, consider buying a copy, as you’ll get a lot of use out of it, I assure you.