Portland blogger Michael J. Totten ran into a few reviews of the Pixar movie that left him scratching his head:
bq. The Politics of the Superhero
I haven�t seen The Incredibles yet, but after watching the trailer online I intend to. Even without seeing the movie I find some of the commentary about it a bit strange.
bq. Suzy Hansen and Sheelah Kolhatkar wrote a piece about who�s saying what for the New York Observer.
One paragraph from Michaels excellent takedown on this (plus a couple other great quotes): bq. And what, pray tell, is wrong with freedom being �on the march�? Movies about superheroes who don't rise above mediocrity and who take freedom away would make lame audience-pleasers. Here comes Super Nanny! She snatches smokes, censors cable, bleeps out bad words, and turns down the volume on stereos! No. Americans don�t pay money for that kind of superhero. If that makes us �right-wing� then, well, whatever. Heh...The first hit of the Bush II years, The Incredibles pulled in $70.5 million in its first few days. The movie is about a family of superheroes forced by the government to go into a superhero-relocation program, suppress their awesome powers and hide out in the beaten-down, charmless miseries of suburbia�among tract homes, leftovers, cubicles, commutes, and dreary elementary-school commencement ceremonies in which every kid is celebrated for being "special." Eventually, of course, the superheroes�up against it in a dangerous world�release their superpowers, break free of Anytown, U.S.A., and explode with enough personal initiative to make The Fountainhead look like a bedtime story. They�re superheroes! The film is inspirational, a hopeful jolt for anyone feeling like they�ve buried their own superpowers, like they�re losing in this big, crushing society. But the funny thing is that even though the film�s primary target seems to be suppressed America and its credo pure libertarian, among the joyful recipients of its message are New Yorkers�and all blue staters�who, God knows, feel like losers these days. But it�s hard not to be suspicious of the winners. Any winners, for that matter, and that includes The Incredibles. While The Incredibles� battle against conformity and mediocrity screams anti-oppression to some, it�s obviously Randian to others. In that sense, the film is being touted as the latest proof that, on top of everything else , the right wing has even wit and creativity on its side these days: This is a world turned upside-down! Eventually, of course, the superheroes�up against it in a dangerous world�release their superpowers, break free of Anytown, U.S.A., and explode with enough personal initiative to make The Fountainhead look like a bedtime story. They�re superheroes! The film is inspirational, a hopeful jolt for anyone feeling like they�ve buried their own superpowers, like they�re losing in this big, crushing society. But the funny thing is that even though the film�s primary target seems to be suppressed America and its credo pure libertarian, among the joyful recipients of its message are New Yorkers�and all blue staters�who, God knows, feel like losers these days. But it�s hard not to be suspicious of the winners. Any winners, for that matter, and that includes The Incredibles. While The Incredibles� battle against conformity and mediocrity screams anti-oppression to some, it�s obviously Randian to others. In that sense, the film is being touted as the latest proof that, on top of everything else , the right wing has even wit and creativity on its side these days: This is a world turned upside-down!
