“Every superhero has a secret identity I don’t know a single one who doesn’t” “Masks. We all wear them. But we cannot hide our true faces from those who actually know us -Sam Esmail.” Almost 15 years ago me and my brother went to go see the Incredibles, we were both toddlers and like most kids we grew up watching Pixar movies. We were already fans of the story’s they came up with and used to watch toy story all the time, but the incredibles has a special place in our hearts even though we were to young to express why that was. And since I am older; and a nerd, I decided to share my thoughts on why many think the incredibles is the best pixar film ever made.
The film opens with some very real 1950s era TV interviews with big heroes of the time, not unlike celebrities they all seem happy to talk to the camera but they all come across as a little self absorbed seeing obsessed with their own image. it’s ironic that all the heroes end up with much different lives after this interview Frozone talks about dating superheroes but marries a normal girl, Elastigirl wants to continue fighting crime but ends up being more devoted to her family, Mr Incredible earns for a normal life but ends up wanting more superhero action, it’s funny how things can change.
After this we get a really fun throwback to the 1960 superhero action drama the police working hand in hand with superheroes, wearing colorful costumes, and driving batmobile like cars. After the initial clash with bomb Voyage and Buddy that’s followed by quite a bit of destruction, the general public decides they’re done with superheroes running around, and makes a law that decides that all of them must go into hiding. “It is time for their secret identity to become their only identity” This is a superhero movie for kids that begins with a lawsuit, not even ten minutes have passed and already important issues have been addressed.
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But this is just the opening, Some years have passed and Bob and Helen are living in a generic suburb with a generic lifestyle every day Bob drives of to his generic work in his generic car he can’t even fit in because he got incredibly fat and his work is literally the most boring soul consuming office job you can imagine. As for Helen she has the job of a common 1950s style housewife she manages the home and the kids. One of the central conflicts of the incredibles is that all former superheroes are living in a shell of their former selves Elastigirl can pretend all she wants but none of them are truly happy with how their lives turned out. Why? because no one is who they want to be. Robert and Lucius tell their wives that they go bowling but the reality is they like to listen to the police scanner looking for some action. How many of us are living as a shadow of our past? Like those in our society that want to stand out society has rejected them.
“Right now honey the world just wants us to fit in and to fit in we just got to be like everyone else” “everyone’s special Dash, Which is just another way of saying no one is” This reflects the central theme of the film “It’s not a graduation he is moving from the fourth grade to the fifth grade. Its psychotic. they keep creating new ways to celebrate mediocrity, but if someone is genuinely exceptional”. Society doesn’t like really special. They like mediocrity, mediocrity makes everyone feel special, to do the extraordinary makes them miserable, because being outstanding or special acts like a spotlight shining down on missed opportunities. This conflict creates what would have been a good tagline for the movie, “the Parrs have to save the day but first they have to save their marriage”.
The filmmakers found creative ways to keep each character engaged, giving each one of them personal goals that still work to tell the story as a whole. Helen wants to take care of her family, Violet wants to stop being shy and awkward and her powers reflect this, Dash likes to show off and just wants to compete in sports. But it’s Bob that wants to relive the glory days that makes him the most interesting character, He may be super but he still has very emotions. Like all of us he’s flawed he has a short temper and constantly succumbs to his urges to relive the past. He’s like so many of us leading an average life, working at some crap job, living in a generic neighborhood, longing for freedom from the confinements of modern society.
The filmmakers did an amazing job to portray human complexity such as Bob’s midlife crisis, But also exploring the dark places that Bob goes to once he thinks his family is dead. He tries to grab Syndrome to kill him but grabs his secretary instead, and threatens to snap her in half. Again, children’s movie dwelling on some pretty dark stuff. Pixar managed to capture pain and what it can do to even the best of people. The use of color is very interesting in the film as well, There’s a huge contrast between the office which is gray and boring and the island which is very bright and beautiful. While Bob’s office may seem like the safest place in the world where no one will kill him, it’s really the most dangerous in terms of his soul and damage he does to it.
While the island is quite literally the home of all evil in the film, It’s the most beautiful place there is. This represents the idea that this place where Bob feels the happiest, for him this is the most beautiful place in the world because he gets to be a hero again. This is where Bob exposes himself to the biggest danger he has faced in his entire life, but also the place he can finally be himself and do the things that he loves. Maybe the beauty of this place lies only in our main character sense of adventure of being in the face of true danger one more time. There’s this moment in the film when the family finally comes together as a team on the beach, It’s the first moment in the film where all the characters finally get what they wanted , but so does the audience.
“And when everyone’s super no one will be” Buddy represents all evil in the world in this movie. He’s quite literally the bad guy that kills all superheroes. In real life, he’s represented by the corporations, by the educational system, or by anyone that tries to drown the voice of anyone that’s special. Buddy represents mediocrity, the very idea that everyone should be the same, so people don’t feel bad about themselves because they’re mediocre too. The incredibles is a very special movie because it wasn’t just for kids, 14 years ago it was a fun animated superhero movie.
Rewatching it 15 years later, it definitely still is all those things. But the appreciation now also comes from being able to deal with mature themes while still appealing to kids. It manages to balance a personal, emotional, story with big action and has some of the best characters ever put to screen, and as usual Pixar pushed the boundaries of computer animation with a cartoon about a Dad with superpowers going through a midlife crisis and they succeeded in every way possible the film was totally wicked. but above all the incredibles is a film that rejects the 9 to 5 office mentality, It rejects being average like everybody else. It’s an important movie that asks us to go out there and do the things that actually make us happy to do the things we love.
“When you look closely at the seams between order and chaos, do you see the same things I see? The strain, the tears, the glimpses of truth hidden underneath. Why do they fight so desperately to mask what they are? Or is it that they become who they are when they put on the mask? Sometimes I wonder what you hide behind, my silent friend. What mask do you wear? Or are you just as afraid as the rest of them? Me? Am I afraid? Nah, man. I’m different.”- Rami Malek
