The Incredibles (2004)
★★★ — The Incredibles (2004)
Brad Bird came to Pixar having already made The Iron Giant (1999) for Warner Bros., a film that flopped on release but earned enough of a cult following to establish his reputation as someone who could balance action, humour, and genuine emotional weight. The Incredibles was his Pixar debut, produced at a reported $92 million, which was substantial even by the studio's standards at the time. The film arrived in a crowded superhero landscape, just a couple of years after the first Spider-Man and X2, and its script drew loosely on the kind of mid-century spy and adventure aesthetics that Bird had long admired. It also marked something of a first for Pixar, being the studio's earliest feature to centre entirely on human characters rather than toys, fish, or monsters.
It’s hard to fault The Incredibles for ambition or style. Brad Bird’s sleek, angular vision of a world where superheroes have been driven underground is packed with wit, from the mid-life crisis of a suburban dad who used to save cities, to the sharp satire of bureaucracy and mediocrity. The animation holds up remarkably well, the action sequences hum with energy, and Michael Giacchino’s jazzy, spy-inflected score is probably the strongest single element. It’s stylish, smartly written, and undeniably entertaining. Yet for all its strengths, it never quite reaches the emotional depth or narrative boldness of Pixar’s very best. The family dynamics are engaging but familiar (the restless son, the invisible girl, the baby with hidden talents) and while they’re played with charm, they don’t evolve much beyond archetypes. The villain’s motivation, though tied neatly to a theme of validation, feels slightly undercooked, and the final act leans heavily on spectacle over substance, with a city battle that, while well-animated, lacks real tension. It’s a solid, above-average Pixar outing (inventive, funny, and more than watchable) but it sits comfortably in the middle tier rather than the upper echelon. It’s got ideas, flair, and heart in places, but not quite enough of the latter to elevate it beyond a well-crafted, slightly impersonal blockbuster. A good film, yes, but not quite a great one.
Rating: ★★★ | Year: 2004 | Watched: 2025-07-24
Where to watch (UK)
Stream: Disney Plus
Rent: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Sky Store
Buy: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Amazon Video · Google Play Movies
Physical: Amazon UK
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Related on Movies With Macca
More from Brad Bird: Incredibles 2 (2018) · Ratatouille (2007)
More with Craig T. Nelson: Incredibles 2 (2018)
More from the 2000s: Kirikou and the Wild Beasts (2005) · Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004) · Daredevil (2003) · Apocalypto (2006)
More action: A Better Tomorrow (1986) · The General (1926) · Hand of Death (1976) · Daredevil (2003)
More adventure: Alice in Wonderland (1951) · The Eagle (1925) · Louisiana Story (1948) · The General (1926)
