THE INCREDIBLES

Some of you are aware that I am a HUGE comic book fan. And a couple of you even know just how much I am absolutely in love with comics, especially (as it goes with most of us) superheroes. They're not always realistic...slightly-more-than-normal people dressing up in tights...but they're inspiring to me. The same way tales of knights used to inspire people. A person who sets aside his or her own personal wants and needs, and accomplishes something for the good of mankind. I love that concept...love it to pieces.

So when I learned of "The Incredibles," and the concept behind it (two former superheroes, Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl, are now married and forced to come out of government-enforced retirement with their family when their lives are endangered). For starters, it reminded me of a more comedic version of the comic book POWERS, in which an ex-superhero-turned-detective solves crimes involving people with powers (it's a street-level look at how superpowered beings would affect the real world). Second...well, it's Pixar, and it's a superhero film.

So does it succeed? And if so, as what? A cartoon? A comedy? A Disney film? Or possibly even...a superhero film? The first two, definitely. Third, not so much. Fourth, more than I thought possible. First, it is INCREDIBLY well-animated, and more than any other film so far, gives me hope at the future of cartoons, which is being taken over by computer generation. With this, they developed CG to the point that characters can express far more. Their faces and bodies are not limited the way a human's body is, which is a staple of all animation I love (see: Looney Tunes).

And it's FAST. The animation moves very, very fast, which is something network animation and most live-action comic book movies have been unable to attain (two exceptions are the train fight in Spider-Man 2 and the Wolverine/Lady Deathstrike face-off in X2). Dash, one of Mr. Incredible's kids, who's the speedster of the film, actually moves as fast as he's supposed to. And Elastigirl...Elastigirl is a work of art in animation, and people will point to her as one of the great works of animation in the film. The scene in which she breaks into the hide-out blew my mind.

Is it a comedy? Yeah, and it's a very funny one. The jokes hit well, and very few are anticipated.

But mainly...it's a superhero film, and I couldn't be happier. Animation has, to me, been the one place in which a superhero universe could exist, as it's totally free-flowing and the characters are guaranteed to not look stupid in their uniforms (for every Spider-Man there's a straight-to-video Captain America). And this succeeds beyond every animated superhero rendition (with the possible exception of some episodes of Batman: The Animated Series), and nearly every live-action film (it's so close to reaching Superman and Spider-Man heights).

The hero, Mr. Incredible, actually has a genuine motivation, and is the most relatable superhero since Peter Parker. The villain's motivation is thin, but he's such a great villain I can't complain. And Elastigirl...I talked about her in terms of animation, but she is my favorite character in this film without a doubt. I was really liking her for most of the film, but by the time we reach the plane crash, I absolutely fell in love with her. Wow.

And the fight scenes are VERY well staged. They characters don't just fight, it's a full-scale battle. The most important evidence of this? They change locations. What most superhero films miss is that it's not boxing. There's no limits to where the fight'll go. If you get knocked into an office building, THAT'S where you're fighting now. And as I said in with the animation...it's FAST. Few superhero films are able to capture how fast and how intense a superpowered battle would actually be...this is one of them.

I could talk for so much longer about this film. About Frozone having the best lines of just about any film this year. About how it's not so different from the themes addressed in Fight Club or American Beauty (really look at it...it's there). About the classic superhero genius that just grabbed hold of me in the opening. About the cultural implications of superheroes. But I'll save it...probably 'til the Superman movie, whenever that comes out.

But yes...see The Incredibles. It's certainly the best animated film since...wow, probably since the first Shrek. If it weren't for Spider-Man 2, it'd be the best superhero film since...oh, God only knows how long. I say this about few films, even the others I love, but we are truly lucky to have this. It's got a little something for everyone, and even if you don't believe in superheroes, there are few films as purely entertaining as this.