The Incredibles DVD: Review By T.Clark

The Incredibles is a whole bunch of fun. A "unique" take on the super hero genre told only the way Pixar can tell it, the flick offers the goods the only way Pixar can deliver them: awesome animation and a great script. It seems that Pixar movies, while being animated, actually have more emotional connection than most live action films. After all, the film comes from the creators of "Finding Nemo," which pretty much set the bar for animated storytelling. While the film might not be as emotionally invested as Nemo, it does offer some intense, gut wrenching, scenes of survival and pain(i.e. Bob thinking his family's dead).

The Incredibles centers around Bob and Helen Parr, who, back in thier prime, used to be Mr. Incredible and Elasti-Girl, respectively. After the public lashes out at the "Supers," as they are called here, for thier acts superheroics that cause more damage than safety, Supers are out lawed and forced to retire. 15 years later, Bob and Helen have 3 kids, Violet, Dash, and Jack-Jack, who, with the exception of baby Jack-Jack, have developed powers of thier own. When Bob is called back to duty on a mysterious island, he finds himself missing the glory days, only to discover he's in the middle of an evil plot that he'll need his family to help stop.

The movie is awesome, no doubt about it. At first glance, it DOES look to be a unique new film. However, peel away the snappy dialogue and character development, and you'll find yourself comparing it to many characters and stories. The whole "super-family" is clearly taken from the Fantastic Four and out lawing of Supers, after thinking about it, resembles the "Keene Act" in Watchmen. However, even with all of its simmilarities to pre-existing properties, the Incredibles manages to actually stand out and becomes an action-packed Pixar film that is in no way a "rip-off," which is hard to achieve in this day and age.

This film is written and directed by Brad Bird, who also directed another animated great, "The Iron Giant." Bird clearly has a respect for the genre, believing animation to be an "art form" rather than a, well, genre. Bird does an incredible(no pun intended) job of creating characters that, while being animated and "super," are still relateable. You feel for the characters.

The features in this DVD are fantastic. The 2-Disc set offers the goods and allows us to get more bang for our buck.

"Jack-Jack Attack"-

In this animated short that directly ties into the Incredibles story, we actually get to witness what really happened during the time The Incredibles are fighting Syndrome and Karli is babysitting Jack-Jack. The short is hilarious and shows the baby using his newly found powers to destroy the house and drive Karli crazy. It's short, hence the title of being a "short," but still manages to deliver the laughs.

"Boundin"-

This is another short that has nothing to do with the Incredibles, but you know that when you get a Pixar movie, there's going to be a non-relateable short to go with it. This short offers the message that you shouldn't care what others think of you, as a sheep is suddenly left without his wool, naked. He becomes depressed, until a jackalope comes along and shows him that he can be cheerful no matter what. While I thought this short was, well, gay, when I first saw it, it's great for the kids. The bouncing's fun to the watch, though.

"Incredi-Blunders"-

These are the bloopers and outtakes for the movie. Since it's animated, there's not a whole lot to "bloop" about here, other than some crazy and unfinished animated work.

Deleted Scenes and Alternate Opening-

There's plenty of deleted scenes here and the alternate opening is hella fun. Bob and Helen are at a picnic with new born Violet. Everything's going fine until Bob accidentedly "cuts his fingers off." Naturally, the knife doesn't do anything with Bob's powers, but the people at the picnic get don't know that. The couple acts as if they're going to the holspital(Bob covers his hand in ketchup to make it look like blood) and the scene ends with a great intereaction between the two. The only downside? The scenes are in the storyboard stages, meaning hand drawn, black and white, non-moving, people.

Top Secret Files on the Supers:

Probably my favorite of the features, this takes you deep inside the lives of every super: how they lived, how they died, what they're powers were, etc. It takes a while to rummage through all the heroes, but it's worth it.

Behind-the-Scenes Making of-

Like with every DVD, there's usually a "Making Of" feature that takes you backstage to the action. Here, you'll meet Brad Bird and others, as they demonstrate what went into making this great flick.

*Theatrical Widescreen Viewing Presentation(2:39:1)-Enhanced for 16x9 Televisions

The picture is fantastic and clear, and the animation is perfect. Not much more to say here about the subject. Pixar always delivers on nearly every level, and the quality of the picture is no exception. It looks very...stylish. Bright colors, huge explosions, all look great.

*English, French, and Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround EX

The film not only looks great, but sounds great, especially with the great voice work. Craigg T. Nelson(Bob), Holly Hunter(Helen), Samuel L. Jackson(Frozone), Jason Lee(Syndrome), and others, lend thier voices to the project, and each to exceptional jobs.

The case slide-over cover is great, showing nearly all the characters in thier glory on a shiny case that depicts it as a 2-Disc Collector's Edition. The thing that was missing was Syndrom and one of his giant machines in the top two corners. I think that would've completed the look of the slide-over. Slip the cover off, and you see the same cover, only not shiny. Open if up, and you get the promised 2 discs, which satisfy your Pixar and super hero thirst for excitement.

Overall, this DVD is amazing, excellent, INCREDIBLE...whatever adjective you want to lose. If your a Pixar fan, you won't be disappointed. If your a kid, you won't be disappointed. If your a superhero fan who's looking for something never before seen, you might be a LITTLE dissapointed due to the aforementioned similarities. However, like I said, the film does a good job of standing out despite those similarities, and I'm sure you'll enjoy it if you haven't already seen it.