Posted on 11/12/2004 6:32:48 AM PST by 7thson
I know that a thread already talked about this movie but I wanted to start a fresh one.
Saw The Incredibles yesterday with my wife and grandkids.
First, I really enjoyed it. I thought it was extremely witty and well-written.
Second – and a pleasant surprise – were the hidden messages that jumped right out and grabbed me. I read someone stated that the movie was a metaphor on America and the WOT. I not only agree but the whole movie was about America and its place in the world.
Mr. Incredible is America. So sure in his mission, so right in his purpose, so confidant in his role in life and on the world stage. He can go it alone; he will accept help but does not need nor request it. The one criminal Bomb Voyage is so much like France. Upon immediate confrontation quickly surrenders and yet so slimy and despicable to even cause possible harm to a child to get its way. The failed suicide is society at large, blaming America for everything. Mr. Incredible states that he save his life and the guy shouts back you ruined my death. Society wants people to die but the message of America is life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Society gangs up and forces Mr. Incredible/America and the rest of the heroes/democratic nations to retire from the world scene. He is seen in an office, miserable and impotent, knowing he can do incredible things and yet society stops him from being what he is. Under his nose the rest of the heroes are being killed off – western nations under the threat of Islam. He sees the mugger and so desperately wants to right the wrong but his boss/UN stops him. When he does return, he is seen as fat and sloppy but still able to get the job done. Scenes in the movie –
When everyone is super than no one is.
These people have no qualms on killing children.
You have to act now!
A united front will succeed which leads to the great message –
There is no school like the old school!
Most definitely a movie I want to see several more times which is always the mark of a good film and a great story.
Kids have been bugging me to see it...think I'll give in now...thanks for the reposting as I had not seen the first one...
Go see it. You will not be disappointed.
I liked the way it portrayed the mom and dad as strong authority figures demanding obedience and respect from their kids. Just added to the feeling of euphoria I've had since Election Day.
Powder..Patch..Ball FIRE!
Saw it last night with my kids also.... Two freeper thumbs up!!! WE ALL ENJOYED IT!!!!
*Bump*
If Mr. Incredible represents America, Mrs. Incredible represent the people.
Mr. Incredible losses his job, (terrorist attack on 9/11) begins to lie to his wife, (evil purposes of Patriot Act, gets work supposedly with government (deceit of war in Iraq), is tied up and tortured (ongoing terrorist response in Iraq, wife finds our about the lie and comes to the rescue. (the people begin to see thru the charade and set the government straight).
Unfortunately, the latter has not happened.
Great movie! I have a 6 year old and a 11 year old; we laughed and talked ablut the movie the entire drive home. It is a lot of fun!
Taking my kids to see this tonight.
Disney (spit!)
Sorry it's a reflex. ;o)
I think you're kinda reaching there for a few of those comparisons, joebellis, but I suppose with enough effort I can see where you're coming from.
I liked the movie. Little to violent for a kid under six, in my opinion. There's a lot more subtle "adult humor" in this one that I didn't like much-Like the scene where Before Mr. Incredible beats up the van full of guards, you hear one say "Every time one of them runs screaming in terror, we take a shot" then he proceeds to pour champagne. Pixar decided that this would be their "we have to stretch our boundaries movie" and did it well, while staying true to the kid and family friendly premise that has brought them their success.
Enjoy your children while you can (or it will go by way too fast and you'll miss the chance)
Took the family to see it Saturday. It was a great movie and good clean fun for all. Even my 3 year-old son had a good time. Kept talking about the bo-bot (what he calls robot) hours after the movie.
Saw it last night with my family. Very enjoyable, hadn't thought of the WOT tie. My favorite character was the daughter, Violet. In the beginning she is introverted and afraid (whoever voiced her character did a marvelous job), and at first is unable/unwilling to use her powers. However, SHE is the one who is able to escape the electric chains (don't want to give away too much) and rescue her family! Her transformation at the end of the movie into a confident young lady is beautiful to see.
It's a great movie, but the allegorical references you mention are a bit of a stretch. See it for what it is: a fun and entertaining movie, but leave the WOT references aside. I don't think this movie is some vindication of America and its role as world hero.
Sorry it's a reflex. ;o)
Hey, THAT hadn't occurred to me. Disney coming out with a movie about an intact family???? How did THAT escape the executives notice! :-0
Saw it last night with my son. Great movie. Good story and the animation is extraordinary.
I do not go into this movie with this perception in mind. I went for entertainment as all of PIXAR's stuff has been great. As I said, these messages jumped out at me. I am not the only one, if you took time to read this and other threads concerning this movie.
Love it! Went though to see the Revenge of the Sith trailer myself!
I love the Pixar films. I will be taking the kids to see this tonight.
Sorry it's a reflex. ;o)
Made by pixar,Distributed by Disney. Important difference. Pixar and Disney couldn't come to terms, so after 2006, they go their separate ways. Have you been to a Disney park lately?. without pixar, the mouse is screwed. Just another Eisner cluster****.
CC
Yeah, the Revenge of the Sith trailer was pretty cool. Hopefully George Lucas will set things straight with number 3 as 1 and 2 were major disappointments.
I thought Pixar had made its last movie for Disney and was now independent.
I think The Incredibles is the last one together.
I took my family to see The Incredibles last night. It was GREAT! The whole family enjoyed it and the message of the movie was very positive. I highly recommend it.
ping
It was a great movie. I miss being around my little brothers, I could take them and have an excuse to go again.
That's what animated films should be. The rest of the American animation industry should take a look... or just cede everything to Asia, whichever.
Perhaps Pixar making a family-oriented movie was their version of a parting "Cock a Snook" to Eisner?
I have never set foot in a Disney (spit) park. And unless I'm abducted by a 4 foot tall mouse I never will. What does Pixar have in the works for 2007?
I always like to see this sentiment expressed.
Here's a good review of the movie from decentfilms.com.
http://www.decentfilms.com/reviews/incredibles.html
Hopefully, I'll get the chance to take the family to see it this weekend.
Pixar's original deal with Disney was for 6 films (sequels don't count).
Toy Story (I and II) - counts as 1
Bug's Life
Monsters Inc
Finding Nemo
The Incredibles
Cars (to be released next year).
After that, Pixar is on their own. Disney screwed the pooch on this one.
Went to Disney World back in 89. It was okay. It started to rain and my wife and I ducked inside the Captian EO thing - the one with Michael Jackson. Very bizzare! Some interesting stuff at EPCOT but all in all not as good as my first experience.
The whole family went last Christmas to Disney World. I was reluctant but I was over-ruled. Everything quite not right. Too "hip" and "cool" for my tastes. The best part - for me - was the Hall of Presidents and the Patriotic theme expressed in USA Land.
This is the funniest movie I've ever seen, and I've never heard an audience laugh as much! The adults laughed every bit as much as the kids.
I predict that will
NEVER HAPPEN. Pixar needs
Disney marketing
and Disney strongly
needs Pixar quality. Both
make the other strong.
You just watch. Either
Jobs will head the new Disney,
or a Jobs friend will . . .
I kept wondering where I had heard that voice before, and then it came to me. The teen's voice was from a reporter who does stories for an NPR series called "This American Life." She does funny, self-deprecating and quirky slice-of-life vignettes. Also, she's a flaming LIB, but I still like her and I like that show.
All Disney does is distribute. They wouldn't be doing that if Pixar could get out of the contract.
Bite me.
I noticed something else: there was strong anti-socialism message. The villain wants everyone to have super powers so that "no one will be super." The son wants to play sports, but his mother resists. The son's response is something to the effect of, "why do you want everyone to be mediocre?" It's a good movie on many levels.
The Incredibles' Ayn Rand
The Incredibles' Ayn Rand
When the animated feature "The Iron Giant" came out in 1999, some libertarians saw a theme of man or robot versus the state, because the movie depicts the government, in the person of a repressive bureaucrat, trying to destroy an innocent and good giant robot.
The Pixar production "The Incredibles," directed by "Iron Giant" director Brad Bird, boasts not only more sophisticated animation than "Giant" but perhaps a more sophisticated theme as well. At any rate, more than one reviewer is finding the footprint of Ayn Rand.
Says Newsday's John Anderson:
Ever wonder what a collaboration between Tex Avery and Ayn Rand might have uncorked? Wonder no more. "The Incredibles"...is a fun-filled foray into animated action, fantasy and adventure. And Objectivism. And tort reform....Far more intriguing, however, are the movie's points of view. Balking at attending his son's "graduation" (from fourth to fifth grade), the mothballed Bob lets it all hang out: "They're constantly finding ways to celebrate mediocrity, while someone who's truly exceptional...." When he later balances a globe-shaped robot on his shoulders, should we be thinking Atlas Shrugged?
Meanwhile, over at the New York Times, A. O. Scott -- who was wrong about "The Hulk," by the way -- also finds Ayn Rand to be an easily discernible, if feverishly tapped, influence:
"The Incredibles," written and directed by Brad Bird and released under the mighty Pixar brand, is not subtle in announcing its central theme. Some people have powers that others do not, and to deny them the right to exercise those powers, or the privileges that accompany them, is misguided, cruel and socially destructive.... The intensity with which "The Incredibles" advances its central idea -- it suggests a thorough, feverish immersion in both the history of American comic books and the philosophy of Ayn Rand -- is startling. At last, a computer-animated family picture worth arguing with, and about! Luckily, though, Mr. Bird's disdain for mediocrity is not simply ventriloquized through his characters, but is manifest in his meticulous, fiercely coherent approach to animation.
Yes, let's argue with that. Or about it. (Scott, too, quotes the line about celebrating mediocrity, though he remembers it differently: "They keep finding new ways to celebrate mediocrity." Somebody needs to brush up on the shorthand.)
At a certain point conventional wisdom takes over and you start hearing echoes of reviews in other reviews. But there's also this from another early review of the film, by John C. Snider at the scifidimensions web site:
"The Incredibles" is, well, incredible! Writer/director Brad Bird ("The Iron Giant") has delivered a fresh, entertaining and shockingly philosophical parody of the superhero genre. This film is chock-full of homages to various classic franchises. The Parr family are obviously cut from the same template as Marvel Comics' Silver Age Fantastic Four and X-Men.... There's even an Ayn Rand undercurrent (and maybe a little "Harrison Bergeron") criticizing our society's tendency to encourage mediocrity and beat down self-esteem and personal excellence.The most amazing thing about "The Incredibles" is the extent to which it is not aimed a children; in fact, most toddlers and elementary schoolers will be bored by its less-than-frenetic pace and sobering depiction of suburban drudgery. The social commentary and gradual character-building pays off in the end....
This is obviously a movie that requires you to first read The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged if you hope to truly appreciate it. Fortunately we've got stock of both. Read feverishly.
No, Pixar and Disney are still going to be making movies. They ended up with an agreement to still make stuff after Cars.
< Before I go any further, you posted something that always irks me about reviewers. Here it is -
Balking at attending his son's "graduation" (from fourth to fifth grade), the mothballed Bob lets it all hang out: "They're constantly finding ways to celebrate mediocrity, while someone who's truly exceptional...."
Not to be too picky but it is not about attending a graduation. It is about his son competing in sports! What is the reviewer watching?
For an animated flick, it has made me think. Especially about the anti-socialism message. Going back to Jesus, he stated the Father gave all of us talents and it is up to us to best use those talents. This movie says we have different talents and it is a crime, a sin, and a shame to not be able to use them for the greater good.
I need to see this film again!
Thumbs up from this FReeper and the rest of my clan.
It was a great movie. It was funny and there was nothing that one has to take with a grain (or truckload) of salt.
Another revolution in Disney's swirl down the drain....
You might be right, but
people who don't listen to
Disney Radio
or don't get Disney
Channel on cable I think
seriously miss
the incredible
Disney community that
cross-promotes itself.
Pixar by itself
is just a hot company.
Hot firms come and go.
The community
of Disney fans and the tools
for advertising
to them are unique
to Disney. Pixar would be
foolish to leave them.
Didn't Pixar split from Disney?
Apparently they still have an relationship through 2006.
I noticed that about that French chracter tonight and I wasn't the only one in the theater that noticed it too as I heard quite a few chuckles.
It was a good movie.
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