Some more notes on the best film of the year, The Incredibles.
Early on, Dash has an argument with his mother about what he feels is a waste of his super talents. He wants to compete in sports like all the other boys, but the parents are too concerned about keeping the family in hiding. Helen (mother Incredible) tells him the need to make everyone feel special and not single anyone out. Dash shrewdly replies that this is another way of saying that “no one is (special).”
Later, Bob (father Incredible) confirms this feeling in an argument with Helen. She’s upset with him for missing Dash’s 5th grade graduation, which he feels is just a “celebration of mediocrity,” not an isolated achievement worthy of praise.
And finally, the family’s nemesis Syndrome extols the same virtues, but in a twisted villainous way. Since Syndrome has no actual super powers of his own, he has ingeniously invented his own with technology (the marvel Omnidroid and his zero-point energy blasters are key examples). His goal is to level the playing field. The legal trouble that all the Supers got into over Mr. Incredible’s ill-received daring-do isn’t enough for Syndrome. He’s feeding his deep insecurities and wants to eradicate all Supers. By sharing his inventions with the world, “one day everyone will be super… which means no one will be.”
As you can see, the subtext is quite clear. At its heart, Incredibles unashamedly combats the postmodern ethos of neutrality and indistinction. It celebrates the notion of hero and personal achievement through family and community. All the more reason to love the film!
3 Comments
does the postmodern ethos propogate total neutrality and indistinction or does it suggest that distinction is a function of context and therefore neutrality (or non-elitist position) is the result of a variety of distinctions?
as a total aphilosophical tangent, at the gifted school where i teach the staff just had a discussion about the incredibles and the ways that distintions in the general population (i.e. gifted students) are often snuffed out in the public school environment just like the little boy character in the incredibles. it was a pretty interesting conversation.
Hmm,
Interesting question. At the risk of sounding very conservative, I would have to say that social programs such as equal-opportunity employment and affirmative action have flourished in this postmodern environment. Neither of those programs could have been feasible 50 years ago.
It’s a tough ideal to promote, that of elitism. If a society goes too far with hero worship, you become very susceptible to fascism or class warfare. On the other hand, if everyone is reduced to the same worth and ability (whether truthfully or not), it starts to feel Orwellian pretty quickly.
Thanks for the fun thoughts!
How wonderful it is! Today, I had seen the film - “The Incredibles” this afternoon, my father also had seen this film in this evening. This cartoon movie is powered by Disney-Pixar.
In this film, I love the people’s sensation, scene, bugbears. The scene is so sublime.
With the great imagination.