Incredible Unbreakable

This morning was the first morning I can remember when I didn't open my eyes and feel...sadness. - Unbreakable

Job depression is a common theme often explored in Superhero stories. This theme is especially prominent in current superhero drama popularized on the big screen. The breakthrough case seemed to come from M. Night Shyamalan's 2000 film, Unbreakable. Here was a story about a man discovering the vast, superhero-like powers within himself and the underlying evil present within others. Shyamalan's character of David Dunn is a petty and unsatisfied man. In scenes capitulated throughout the film we discover that Dunn is deeply dissatisfied with his wife, his job, and life in general. When the film’s co-star presents a solution to him, David Dunn's life seems to rise up from the disillusioned ashes embodied by his workplace and family troubles. He discovers at the end of the film that saving lives is his true calling, and that his life sequence was merely an attempt to find his true calling: that of a protector.
Pixar Animation Studio's new film, The Incredibles, takes up this theme and expands upon it after the fact. Picture a film years after David Dunn has set aside his green smock. Imagine a film where he has retired from his life of protection. Picture a film where the solution to his depression is already imminent, yet relief is held in suspension by opposing forces. And picture a film a little bit lighter hearted. Piece all of these elements together and you just might get Pixar’s The Incredibles, a story about retired superhero Bob Parr and his dysfunctional, repressed family.
Bob Parr, much like David Dunn, has a need in life. He has the need to protect others. His incredible strength (ironically, much like Dunn's strength in Unbreakable) drives Parr to seek out and ensure the safety of others. But here's the real twist: Parr and other superheroes are placed under deep restriction by the government. After a hairy lawsuit depicted in the beginning of the film, Superheroes like Parr were deemed unsafe and suppressed by the government into normal, suburban lives. It is within this premise that we begin to explore a character story similar to Shyamalan's. Bob Parr has a need in life. And while he has the advantage of knowing what that need is, he is unable to fulfill it. Dryly underscored like a mid-life crisis, Parr’s needs send him off on a quest to help a mysterious organization. As wacky as the premise sounds, watching it unfold is even more fun.

The Incredibles has earned a plethora of kindly reviews, and it deserves every one of them. It's a tremendous piece that was written and directed by Brad Bird, whose other achievements include The Iron Giant and a renowned run on The Simpson’s. Bird's characters have flair unlike any other Pixar creation to date. Brimming with Superhero clichés and subtle irony, these characters inhabit a world that manages to poke fun at the Superhero archetype without succumbing to the tasteless mockery exhibited by past films. And yet, part of the reason why the film remains so successful in that regard is because the story itself seems crafted with a true reverence for the genre.
It's obvious from the commercials and teasers that this is a piece unlike any other Pixar story to date. Other films from the studio were obviously crafted under a particular atmosphere. This atmosphere follows a rule that promises great fun to kids, while at the same time throwing off a few subtle winks to the adult viewer. It was a remarkable technique that made many of the studio's films, from Monster's Inc. to the essential Toy Story 2, unforgettable. While The Incredibles seems to roughly follow this technique, the film also seems to be running along a different line of development.
I must say that it gives off a malicious air at times. There's no doubt about that. Moreover, it seems to be underlying with a snickering type of humor that almost feels as if it could rub off as offensively to one viewer as it might charmingly for another. It's a sharper film, and that's why it works.
I think the film’s abrasive characters contribute part of this sharpness. Truly, the only likeable character in the film is Bob Parr/Mr. Incredible. He's good-natured and genuinely pitiful most of the time. The other characters, including Parr's wife, and the film's villain, Syndrome, all exert an air of arrogance. In some cases many of the characters are even dislikeable. And this is what makes them so brilliant; Parr's wife is a perfectionist and a snob. Syndrome is a whiner and a snotty showoff. Even the family’s child, Dash, acts like a pretentious, competitive little brat. This sharpness expressed by the film's characters sets it apart from other Pixar films.
Arguably, the only character of questionable popularity in previous Pixar efforts was Kevin Spacey's character in the film A Bug's Life. And yet his performance is one of the most memorable for me. In my personal opinion, this edginess places The Incredibles second only to Toy Story 2. Brimming with nostalgia trips (like the classical James Bond designed island in the film) and a varying story archetype, Brad Bird has created a film that succeeds without completely pandering to the Pixar mission statement. I wouldn't question Pixar's films in any way, but this is the first one that attempts to set itself apart from the pack, and it pays off tremendously.

Now that I've spilled some of my thoughts regarding the film, I wanted to wax nostalgia for a moment about one of the film's voice over actors, Jason Lee. Lee plays the films' villain, Syndrome. His character is truly a maniacal performance that I'd equate with Kevin Spacey's in A Bug's Life. Lee's performance was especially notable for me however, because of his past. Lee is a skateboarding legend. He first broke onto the scene in the early 90's by mastering the 360 flip. Lee was part of the movement that shaped skateboarding into what it is today. He even appeared in the legendary skateboard video, Blind Video Days, directed by none other then Spike Jonze. Lee has kind of popped in and out of the indie film scene over the years, but I find him most memorable for his impact on the skateboarding culture. I was glad to see (or rather, hear) him in the film.