The Incredibles (2004)

Dream collaboration between Pixar and Brad Bird, weirdly enough, results in the studio's weakest effort. Which should just tell you how really-fucking-on these guys are, since The Incredibles is still leagues ahead of everybody else in the CGI-animation sweepstakes. Surprisingly non-functional as a clever kiddie comedy, but it makes up for it by being the year's most pulse-elevating and inventive action movie (maybe because by nature it can't be ruined by overreliance on CG effects). So it's not as magical or fulfilling as, say, Toy Story 2 or Finding Nemo (or Bird's previous The Iron Giant). So what? It's still a rollicking good time. The voice casting, as ever, is dead solid perfect. (Jason Lee as fanboy-turned-evil-villain-genius is not only a textbook definition of inspired -- it's the first time in years that Lee hasn't been miscast or misused.) By the way, I feel kinda guilty saying this about an animated character in a family movie, but Elastigirl got BACK.

Grade: B+