DVD Review: The Incredibles
This review is a long time coming. Since buying the DVD for The Incredibles, I've watched the film four times (including both commentary tracks) and all of the extras at least once; some of them more. It's a solid 9 out of 10 in my books, both for the quality of the movie and the quality of the DVD extras.
There are a lot of factors that come into play when laying out what makes The Incredibles such a good movie, so bear with me here as I'm bound to miss a lot of points.
The Story
While other CG animation studios are churning out pop culture time capsules with hip jokes, Top 40 soundtracks and huge casts of celebrity voices and cameos, Pixar puts their stories first and foremost - and this film is no exception. IMDb sums up the plot fairly well: "Undercover superheroes, while trying to live the quiet suburban life, are forced into action to save the world." What makes this compelling, funny, and entertaining are the characters and the deep respect for cinema (and comic books) the creators of this film have in their hearts. And speaking of heart...
The Characters
...the cast of characters are the heart and soul of this movie. I think that The Incredibles would have fallen completely flat if it didn't have characters that were brought so convincingly alive by all the various departments working on the film. In terms of the story, each of the protagonists within the Parr family (i.e. "The Incredibles") have personal obsticals to overcome. Robert ("Mr. Incredible") and Helen ("Elastigirl") have to cope with being parents; the issues related to getting older, raising a family, and the fading of past ideals. Violet, their teenage daughter, is challenged to find confidence in herself. Dash, the son, is a kid who struggles with having to hold back his full potential in order to fit in. There's a baby too; you'll have to see that for yourself. As a brilliant touch, each of these characters' powers are related to their personalities. Bob, who doubts himself but tries very hard to support his family, has super-strength; Helen, who has to be everywhere and everything as a homemaker, has elasticity; Violet, who is insecure, possesses invisibility and force fields; and Dash, who is a typical hyperactive and impulsive boy, has super-speed. The voice acting on all of these characters are top-notch and well-cast. It's nearly impossible to imagine the voice of Mr. Incredible as anyone other than Craig T. Nelson (of "Coach" and Poltergeist fame). Who would have thought? A fair number of non-celebrities also do amazing work here - notably the voices for Dash and Violet. Holly Hunter is perfectly cast as Helen, and Samuel Jackson - the biggest name amoungst the cast members - plays a great support role as Frozone. Pixar emphasizes talent over box-office draw, which is refreshing.
The Animation and Visuals
Every action sequence is jaw-dropping. The movement is snappy and convincing, with a dynamic style and sense of timing that is strongly reminicent of traditional (2D) cel animation. Having said that, I really think the quality of the animation shone through in the highly effective dramatic and comedic scenes. The characters' expressions are well-crafted, emotive, and most importantly, believable. On some level I managed to forget that these characters are animated. I enjoyed the small nuances of expression and posture that really helped sell a gag or bring a sense of reality to the on-screen action. The stylization of the characters is clever, consistant, and appealing. They don't have the zombie-like look of Final Fantasy: The Spirit Within or the wooden, bad-videogame look of Dreamworks animated features. The overall look of The Incredibles has its roots in a "sixties future" motif that is explained in an interesting featurette on the second disc. As a random note, I have to say that one of my favorite visual looks of the film is the lighting at the very beginning - during the Golden Age of superheroes - everything is sharp, warm, and vibrant. It really reminds me of all the things I loved about comic books when I was a kid; they somehow captured that feeling through their use of colour and the overall aesthetic. Oh, and another thing about Pixar - they treat their virtual cameras like real ones, so you get some really great cinematography. It ends up looking more "animated" and less "cartoony", if that makes any sense.
The Music
It's brassy, it's James Bond-esque, and it's awesome. It has a timeless quality that you just can't capture with a song by Smash Mouth.
The DVD extras
The First Disc: You get the film, plus two great commentary tracks. I highly recommend listening to the one with director Brad Bird. The other track is comprised entirely of animators, which is a cool thing, but not quite as interesting to listen to. On both discs, the menus are well-designed and easy to navigate.
The Second Disc: About an hour total of behind the scenes footage; very well produced and not dumbed-down at all. They assume that you know something about the way 3D movies are made and concentrate on explaining the big challenges. There are also deleted scenes in animated storyboard format, a cheesy early-60's style cartoon spoof (with optional commentary by Mr. Incredible and Frozone), a slew of easter eggs, and the short film "Boundin'", along with a brief (but interesting) featurette on the short's creator. Also included is "Jack Jack Attack," a DVD-exclusive short that's a spin-off from the movie (a la "Mike's New Car" from Monsters Inc.). I'd recommend watching the movie before the short to prevent spoilers. I'm sure I'm missing a few things...
...but I think that about covers it. In closing, a fantastic movie that gets a top-notch 2 disc DVD set. 9/10, worth buying.
There are a lot of factors that come into play when laying out what makes The Incredibles such a good movie, so bear with me here as I'm bound to miss a lot of points.
The Story
While other CG animation studios are churning out pop culture time capsules with hip jokes, Top 40 soundtracks and huge casts of celebrity voices and cameos, Pixar puts their stories first and foremost - and this film is no exception. IMDb sums up the plot fairly well: "Undercover superheroes, while trying to live the quiet suburban life, are forced into action to save the world." What makes this compelling, funny, and entertaining are the characters and the deep respect for cinema (and comic books) the creators of this film have in their hearts. And speaking of heart...
The Characters
...the cast of characters are the heart and soul of this movie. I think that The Incredibles would have fallen completely flat if it didn't have characters that were brought so convincingly alive by all the various departments working on the film. In terms of the story, each of the protagonists within the Parr family (i.e. "The Incredibles") have personal obsticals to overcome. Robert ("Mr. Incredible") and Helen ("Elastigirl") have to cope with being parents; the issues related to getting older, raising a family, and the fading of past ideals. Violet, their teenage daughter, is challenged to find confidence in herself. Dash, the son, is a kid who struggles with having to hold back his full potential in order to fit in. There's a baby too; you'll have to see that for yourself. As a brilliant touch, each of these characters' powers are related to their personalities. Bob, who doubts himself but tries very hard to support his family, has super-strength; Helen, who has to be everywhere and everything as a homemaker, has elasticity; Violet, who is insecure, possesses invisibility and force fields; and Dash, who is a typical hyperactive and impulsive boy, has super-speed. The voice acting on all of these characters are top-notch and well-cast. It's nearly impossible to imagine the voice of Mr. Incredible as anyone other than Craig T. Nelson (of "Coach" and Poltergeist fame). Who would have thought? A fair number of non-celebrities also do amazing work here - notably the voices for Dash and Violet. Holly Hunter is perfectly cast as Helen, and Samuel Jackson - the biggest name amoungst the cast members - plays a great support role as Frozone. Pixar emphasizes talent over box-office draw, which is refreshing.
The Animation and Visuals
Every action sequence is jaw-dropping. The movement is snappy and convincing, with a dynamic style and sense of timing that is strongly reminicent of traditional (2D) cel animation. Having said that, I really think the quality of the animation shone through in the highly effective dramatic and comedic scenes. The characters' expressions are well-crafted, emotive, and most importantly, believable. On some level I managed to forget that these characters are animated. I enjoyed the small nuances of expression and posture that really helped sell a gag or bring a sense of reality to the on-screen action. The stylization of the characters is clever, consistant, and appealing. They don't have the zombie-like look of Final Fantasy: The Spirit Within or the wooden, bad-videogame look of Dreamworks animated features. The overall look of The Incredibles has its roots in a "sixties future" motif that is explained in an interesting featurette on the second disc. As a random note, I have to say that one of my favorite visual looks of the film is the lighting at the very beginning - during the Golden Age of superheroes - everything is sharp, warm, and vibrant. It really reminds me of all the things I loved about comic books when I was a kid; they somehow captured that feeling through their use of colour and the overall aesthetic. Oh, and another thing about Pixar - they treat their virtual cameras like real ones, so you get some really great cinematography. It ends up looking more "animated" and less "cartoony", if that makes any sense.
The Music
It's brassy, it's James Bond-esque, and it's awesome. It has a timeless quality that you just can't capture with a song by Smash Mouth.
The DVD extras
The First Disc: You get the film, plus two great commentary tracks. I highly recommend listening to the one with director Brad Bird. The other track is comprised entirely of animators, which is a cool thing, but not quite as interesting to listen to. On both discs, the menus are well-designed and easy to navigate.
The Second Disc: About an hour total of behind the scenes footage; very well produced and not dumbed-down at all. They assume that you know something about the way 3D movies are made and concentrate on explaining the big challenges. There are also deleted scenes in animated storyboard format, a cheesy early-60's style cartoon spoof (with optional commentary by Mr. Incredible and Frozone), a slew of easter eggs, and the short film "Boundin'", along with a brief (but interesting) featurette on the short's creator. Also included is "Jack Jack Attack," a DVD-exclusive short that's a spin-off from the movie (a la "Mike's New Car" from Monsters Inc.). I'd recommend watching the movie before the short to prevent spoilers. I'm sure I'm missing a few things...
...but I think that about covers it. In closing, a fantastic movie that gets a top-notch 2 disc DVD set. 9/10, worth buying.
posted by fritz @ 11:00 AM
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