Meet Bob aka Mr. Incredible, Bob’s wife is Elasticgirl (Holly Hunter) and his kids, a speedster named Dash and a force-field/invisibility powered angst-ridden teen called Miss Disappear (voiced brilliantly by NPRs Sarah Vowell), all try to fit into a world where, genetically, they just can’t fit. Oh there’s also Jack-Jack, a precocious toddler who seems to be powerless.

This fantastic foursome, In hiding, aren’t happy. They can’t use their powers and while the Mrs. is living and loving the adventure of family life … Bob is enduring the ammoral rigours of the insurance game. Their lives get up-ended as Mr. Incredible attracts the attention of a mysterious benefactor. He’s paid well to safe-guard an island fortress and fight a giant robot, and, well, the rest would be spoiling the movie and we can’t have that!

This is Pixar’s longest movie and one of the most ambitious. They don’t achieve the beauty of Nemo’s undersea realm but they don’t have to. The Incredibles evokes the starkness of 50’s and early 60’s art deco  and then contrasts it with a volcano lair straight out of Dr. No and Austin Powers. The look is amazing because it’s so stylistic. Like the Batman Animated Series, or the best comic books, it achieves a hyper-realism that serves, rather than distracts, from the story. The music is boppy, very 60’s feeling, and makes you think more about Mission Impossible than the Batman live action TV show. The Incredibles is funny, but never campy, and always cool.

Directed by Brad Bird (The Iron Giant) and like his earlier cult favorite, it’s a film with a lot of heart, perfect comedic and comic book timing, and an epic feel. Best of all is how the powers are exploited. The film kicks into turbo charge as the kids unleash their powers against some goons and then into overdrive when their far more experienced parents enter the scene. Stretchy powers are so cool! The superhero battles rival anything you’ll see in the Justice League animated series or even Spider-Man 2, and this fanboy can’t help wishing that the folks responsible for the Batman Animated series get their hands on this kind of computer animation one day.

Until then we have this terrific film and the promise (hint) of a sequel at the end. Here’s hoping!

Kid Factor The Incredibles is aimed at the teen audience, hence the PG rating, but the violence isnﾒt nightmare inducing or overly shocking for younger audience members. If anything the best reason to avoid taking a 3-5 year old is because the movie takes itﾒs time getting going. The action is reserved for the second hour and then itﾒs pretty much non-stop and there isnﾒt enough lowbrow humor to keep small children from squirming. Adults and older kids will get a lot out of it as the kids problems and reactions are realistic and ever adult man will identify with Bob’s midlife crisis and every woman will delight in plucky Holly Hunter’s Elastagirl. “Leave the saving of the world to the men? I don’t think so!”
 

Reviewer’s Recommended Ages 7+

Reviewer’s Note:

This is a reprint from the old GamerDad site, yes, and I’ll admit its a rough effort.  I was newer at this then. I’m still proud of my initial interpretation of the film because seeing it now … roughly… 40 million times I’m now certain about my insights.  Hope they hold up for you as well, or at least they entertain!

Tags: Movies with Children