For Brad Bird fans, things here are going to seem awfully familiar. The final segment is another robot-on-the-loose tip-of-the-hat to 1950s sci-fi, just like "The Iron Giant." However, none of the magic that was contained in that film is retained here. Everything thrown on screen is there to look good and impress fans of this style.
Then again, the only thing saving this film from a complete pitfall is the animation. So much has been done and there's so much more power available, that something you wouldn't even think was important (like hair), is just stunning here. The water effects are some of the best you'll ever see come out of computer. However, all of the computing power in the world doesn't make a great movie and that little dash of originality in the opening is nowhere near enough to make up for the rest of it. (** out of *****)
With no film to degrade, there's little that can go wrong with a Pixar DVD transfer. With this oddly ratioed 2.39:1 picture, there is. The bright red suits of the title heroes are just too much for the format to handle. Compression is heavy, even if the rest of the film looks stunning. Bleeding can be prevalent at times, hindering a transfer that is just one notch short of absolute perfection. There's no way around it. If the other Pixar discs didn't exist, this would be the best you could buy. Unfortunately, they do, and "The Incredibles" just doesn't stack up, at least comparatively. (****)
Presented in 5.1 EX, the disc makes up for those minor visual shortcomings with this audio mix. Bass should never be this strong without a little DTS logo somewhere on the packaging. Movement (check out Dash running around the dining room) is captured flawlessly. The use of the surround channels never seems forced or overdone. Dialogue is perfectly blended, even during the most intense action sequences. You can't get much more than this. (*****)
The same goes for the always-exhaustive feature set. Disc one of course contains the film and two commentary tracks. Brad Bird commands the first along with his producer, John Walker. A ton of the animation crew then handles the second. Enthusiasm is infectious during both and they're well worth a listen either way.
Disc two contains the type of feature set that gives a reviewer wrist cramps. Bird starts things off with a basic introduction that overviews everything. "Jack-Jack Attack" is heavily promoted (on both the front and back of the case), a short four-minute look at how hard it is to baby-sit an eye-laser shooting toddler. It offers more laughs than a good hour of the actual film.
Article comments
1 - Masochist
Gee Mr Negative .. you need to get laid or something .. The Incredibles wasn't THAT bad. My girlfriend laughed from start to finish. I found it stumbled in the middle but thought it was overall quite good,
2 - Steve Rhodes
Iron Giant is great. I bought the DVD recently.
Brad Bird will be speaking in San Francisco on April 7 at a series on Sound & Cinema. He'll also be giving the State of the Cinema talk at the SF International Film Festival.
3 - Eric Olsen
Matt, have to disagree with you on this one - I really love The Incredibles
4 - Aaron, Duke De Mondo
matt, i agree that the tone of the film shifts dramatically after the first half hour. i think i prefered that first bout of comedy and pathos more than the action type stuff. still, i think the film is wonderful.
and i may well prefer Iron Giant. too early to decide.
5 - Kim
OH SHUT UP YOU LOSERS- GET A LIFE ALL OF YOU
6 - The Theory
^that was a constructive comment. Thank you, Kim, for your wisdom and insight.
7 - Creford
How wonderful it is! Today, I had seen the film - "The Incredibles" this afternoon, my father also had seen this film in this evening. This cartoon movie is powered by Disney-Pixar.
In this film, I love the people's sensation, scene, bugbears. The scene is so sublime.
With the great imagination.