Why I love: The Incredibles

I feel sorry for the new generation because films peaked The Incredibles 21 years ago.

As film fans, we often get caught up in our enjoyment for a film. We will watch something an instantly proclaim it as either ‘One of the best’ or ‘One of the worst’ films we have seen without ever truly thinking it through. Which is unfair to label a film as such, especially if it is the latter.

In saying that, and I promise I am not guilty of what I have just said, The Incredibles might be one of the best films ever made.

Pixar’s 2004 superhero family drama, loosely based on Marvel’s Fantastic Four, is the epitome of what made Pixar’s early work so special.

It captures the heart, the grittiness and the innovative ideas we associate, or at least used to associate with this company.

It's a film which feels like it was solely made for adults. Sure, kids will enjoy the explosions and the fights, but primarilythe themes and the story are tailored to people in their late teens at least.

It follows the former Mr. Incredible, Bob Parr (Craig T. Nelson). His crime-fighting days are long behind him and he is instead stuck as an insurance adjuster after superheroes are forced into hiding. 

He has to trade the catching bad guys for helping his family out at the dinner table, the fame for a perpetual state of mediocrity and the thrilling day-to-day life for a mundane one in the suburbs with his three kids - Dash (Spencer Fox), Violet (Sarah Vowell) and Jack-Jack (Eli Fucile) - and his superpowered wife Hellen (Holly Hunter), formally Elastigirl.

But when given a mysterious assignment, he squeezes into the costume once again as a chance for him to relive the glory days. 

They waste no time in thrusting us into the adult themes. We go from Bob stopping a suicide to the monotomous process of going through insurance and the uncomfortable struggles a marriage can have.

There is still enough here to keep your kids ticking over until the action starts, but for us, we get a good grasp of the severity of it all.

It never treats us like we are stupid. It is mature in its themes and gives them the right gravitas and space to breathe.

The best example of this is how the film deals with death. It is mentioned and is happening constantly in this film, but it is never glossed over. They treat it how we all do, a terrifying thought.

Every time I watch it I am still amazed by it all. I will always get goosebumps as Bob thinks his family has been killed by missiles in the plane. Equally, I will giggle and have a grin ear to ear while watching director Brad Bird put these immaculate fight sequences take place.

Each time I sit down to watch, I find myself being a kid all over again, filled with an overwhelming feeling of excitement for the next 115 minutes.

I mean how can you not get excited when you hear Michael Giacchino’s score? Its infusion of the classic sounds of spy thrillers and the retro feel elevates every scene it is in. I don't think there is a score which is more instantly recognisable.

The voice acting is equally incredible. With every argument, every scream, wince and panic in their voice, they sell that behind the powers, they are just a normal family. Helen is just a normal mum, worried about her kids and of course she is.Elastic powers would never stop that.

Superhero films have plagued the film industry since, but it is a shame because none of them were ever going to get as close to perfection as The Incredibles did.

A true marvel of a film that has been rarely topped in the 21 years it has been around. It is animation at its best and Pixar at its best.

Makes the sequel all the more disappointing.