Cinema Tuesdays Review

Incredible!  A Public Radio Connection!
By Nathan Cone

Pixar's latest film, "The Incredibles," arrives on home video with a bang this week. The two-disc DVD set is jam-packed with extra features on the making of the film, and the movie itself looks terrific, whether viewed on an analog television set or an HDTV. The film's audio track packs a punch, too, especially when run through amplified surround-sound speakers. The movie itself leans a little toward the standard action-movie fare, and seems slightly less inspired than previous Pixar efforts such as "Finding Nemo" or "Monsters, Inc.," but it's still a fun ride.

"The Incredibles" is about a family of superheroes, or more precisely, what happens when two superheroes retire to start a family and suddenly find themselves called upon to save the world after years of domestic life. Craig T. Nelson ("Coach") voices Mr. Incredible/Bob Parr, the dad, and Holly Hunter voices Elastigirl/Helen Parr. Elastigirl's name should give you a clue to her unique super power. Mr. Incredible is kind of like Superman, but without the ability to fly. They have a son, Dash, who has super speed, a daughter, Violet, who can make herself invisible and create protective force fields, and a baby, Jack-Jack, whose powers haven't yet been discovered.

The picture opens in flashback, and we discover how Mr. Incredible came to be retired. Evil villain? Nope. Power loss? Nah. Mr. Incredible was driven into retirement by a lawsuit. This is a very funny and intriguing premise, and the scenes that follow, of the Parr family's home, work and school lives, are nicely played.

One day, Bob/Mr. Incredible receives a call out of the blue from a mysterious secret agent named Mirage (beautifully voiced by Elizabeth Peña). Mirage's offer to bring Mr. Incredible out of retirement is enticing to Bob, as he's been longing for the days of his youth, the superhero lifestyle, and the good feeling he gets when saving the day. But little does he know that the assignment will prove to be more dangerous than he thought, eventually involving his family, too. This second half of the story is pretty straightforward, albeit with some incredible (uh, sorry) visuals. The colors of the film really leap off the screen.

It should also be noted that the movie seems to be set in the late 1950s or early 1960s, and the design of the film reflects this. Houses and buildings have a modernist feel to them, and cars are uniquely curved in that special way that disappeared from American autos from the '70s, '80s, and '90s, only to reappear in some of today's designs. The musical score by Michael Giacchino is also a throwback to the jazzy sounds of the '50s.

Documentaries included on the DVD set lean heavy on discussions of design and character animation work in the film, as does the audio commentary by director Brad Bird and Producer John Walker. None of the previous Pixar films have featured any human characters in prominent roles, so "The Incredibles" really aims high, and I think it succeeds. Compare the human (albeit stylized) characters in "The Incredibles" with the strangely life-like characters in a movie like the 2001 release "Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within." The characters in "The Incredibles" actually seem more alive than the "Final Fantasy" characters. NOTE: For more on this subject, follow this link to read about the "Uncanny Valley Effect," a term coined by Japanese robot scientist Masahiro Mori.

The DVD set also includes several supplements that are tangentially related to the film itself, such as "classified files" about superheroes mentioned in the movie, and a retro-style "lip-o-vision" cartoon featuring Mr. Incredible and Frozone (Samuel L. Jackson).

Public radio fans may be surprised to discover there's not one, but at least two links to the world of public radio. First, there's Randy Thom, one of the sound editors on the film, who won an Oscar this year for "The Incredibles." NPR listeners may know Randy Thom's name from his work as the sound designer of the "Lost and Found Sound" series, heard on "All Things Considered."

The second connection is more audible. Sarah Vowell, whose talents can be frequently heard on "This American Life," was cast as the voice of the shy teenager Violet Parr after director Brad Bird heard one of her radio essays. Vowell gets a nine-minute featurette all to her own on disc two of the DVD set. In Sarah Vowell's dryly-humorous video essay "Vowellet," she explains how she approached her first film role, and shows off some of her collection of Abraham Lincoln memorabilia. Vowell says Lincoln is like a superhero to her.

Finally, the DVD set includes the Oscar-nominated "Boundin' " a short Pixar film that accompanied theatrical showings of "The Incredibles." This short is about a tap-dancing sheep that's taught a thing or two about life by the mythical Jackalope. It's an amusing little film, featuring a cute song. The short was directed by and performed by Pixar veteran Bud Luckey, who also appears as a minor character in "The Incredibles."

While "The Incredibles" may not be as innovative as its Pixar predecessors, it nevertheless is an entertaining film, and manages to teach a valuable lesson to families about trust, and working together as a team. It's not incredible, but it is very good.

3/10/05

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