Incredibly Incredible
Nov. 16th, 2004 09:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
orikesI saw the Incredibles on Sunday, and it was absolutely wonderful. Visually stunning and an utter delight for any comic book fan, it also had a surprising amount of intellectual meat, to get me thinking.
First off, the animation was just wonderful. Each character's powers were shown just perfectly. I think my favorite bits were Dash discovering the ability to run over the surface of the water and watching Frozone speedskate on his ice slides. That last bit was particularly well done. They had to have watched and modeled speedskaters in action, because he had it down. In the comics, you never see Iceman actually moving on his ice... it just moves him. Frozone in action was what Iceman -should- be.
This movie is also probably going to be the catalyst that gets me to read 'Atlas Shrugged'. I've read a few things inspired by the book, but never really actually had the urge to find it and read it by itself. With this movie, though, I've been thinking. Do we truly encourage and enforce mediocrity so no one feels lesser? At what point is the line crossed in either encouraging individual excellence or in recognizing everyone's individual worth?
I grew up in the 70's when education was all about 'How does that make you feel?' and 'feeling' good about something was better than actually doing it well. Thirty years later, we recognize that for the crock of bullshit it was, but it truly did leave its thumbprint on my psyche as well as most of those people of my generation. It's sometimes difficult to step outside and examine a philosphy like this when I was taught to think in almost the completely opposite direction.
Eitherway, the movie was absolutely wonderful for a multitude of reasons. Go see it if you haven't. :)
First off, the animation was just wonderful. Each character's powers were shown just perfectly. I think my favorite bits were Dash discovering the ability to run over the surface of the water and watching Frozone speedskate on his ice slides. That last bit was particularly well done. They had to have watched and modeled speedskaters in action, because he had it down. In the comics, you never see Iceman actually moving on his ice... it just moves him. Frozone in action was what Iceman -should- be.
This movie is also probably going to be the catalyst that gets me to read 'Atlas Shrugged'. I've read a few things inspired by the book, but never really actually had the urge to find it and read it by itself. With this movie, though, I've been thinking. Do we truly encourage and enforce mediocrity so no one feels lesser? At what point is the line crossed in either encouraging individual excellence or in recognizing everyone's individual worth?
I grew up in the 70's when education was all about 'How does that make you feel?' and 'feeling' good about something was better than actually doing it well. Thirty years later, we recognize that for the crock of bullshit it was, but it truly did leave its thumbprint on my psyche as well as most of those people of my generation. It's sometimes difficult to step outside and examine a philosphy like this when I was taught to think in almost the completely opposite direction.
Eitherway, the movie was absolutely wonderful for a multitude of reasons. Go see it if you haven't. :)
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(no subject)
Date: 2004-11-17 03:30 am (UTC)So saieth me. ;)
My lit-freak friends are split nearly exactly down the middle on whether they love the book, or want to scream and violently throw it away every time they see it.
Good luck, should you try to read it.
(no subject)
Date: 2004-11-17 06:23 am (UTC)"On the subject of books, it is not a matter of how many you get through, but rather how many get through to you." -- Mortimer Adler
If a book doesn't leave me wanting to cuss and shout at *somebody* I didn't get my money's worth.
This, and I very much love Ayn Rand. :)
(no subject)
Date: 2004-11-17 03:54 pm (UTC)He filed it back into his bookshelf and pulled out Anthem instead. /That/, I enjoyed. It's what I recommend to people who say they want to try out some Ayn Rand but don't know where to start.