In the galaxy of superheroes, nobody shines brighter than Mr.
Incredible (voiced by Craig T. Nelson), with his invulnerability and super strength
(and really cool car) he protected and saved people from all sorts of dangers
and villains. However, his heroic career comes to a screeching halt when a
suicidal man whose life he saved sues him on the basis that Mr. Incredible had
no right to interfere with his suicide attempt. This opens the door to a
multitude of lawsuits against all of the superheroes all over the world, and the
rampant litigation succeeds in doing what no super villain could not: end the
golden age of superheroes. Mr. Incredible, like his colleagues, is forced to
retire his mask and enter a sort of superhero protection program that is set up
by the government.
Fifteen years later, Mr. Incredible, who is now known only by his real name of
Bob Parr, is working at a soul-sucking job at an insurance company. Although he
is now a regular working stiff with a wife (Helen, known as the former superhero
Elastigirl--and voiced by Holly Hunter) and three kids (moody teen Violet,
rambunctious young Dash, and baby Jack-Jack), Bob still can't resist his super
heroic nature by helping his fellow citizens whenever possible, from giving
desperate people tips on how to beat his uncaring insurance company, to sneaking
out at night to rescue others from harm incognito with his buddy Frozone (voiced
by Samuel L. Jackson), a fellow superhero who was forced into retirement by the
litigation. Violet and Dash
both exhibit superpowers--Violet has the powers of invisibility and creating
force fields, while Dash can move at super-sonic speeds--and yet they, like their
parents, are forced to hide their abilities and try to conform with the rest of
their neighbors. But some excitement enters Bob's mundane life in the form of
Mirage, a mysterious woman who contacts him with a proposal: locate and subdue a
prototype robot that has gone berserk at a research facility on a secluded island.
Bob, hoping to relive his glory days, gladly dives into this new assignment, not
knowing that it will soon lead to an epic adventure that will encompass his
entire family, placing all of them in great peril.
The Incredibles is a loving tribute to the golden age of superheroes, recalling
the scientific optimism of the 1960s, mixed with the exotic excitement of Jonny
Quest, with a dash of the James Bond style. It's a vastly entertaining
action/adventure, while also offering sardonic commentary on these politically
correct times; such as the scene when Helen reminds her husband not to miss
Dash's graduation, and Bob astutely points out that this is not a real graduation,
since his son is merely advancing from the fourth to the fifth grade. The
superheroes' plight, where they are forced to denounce their powers and live
mundane lives, echoes the overwhelming zeal in our society not to offend anyone.
Some schools have actually considered banishing the Class Valedictorian honor at graduation and have
even stopped recognizing students with perfect attendance records, just so
the other students won't be offended. And in the end, we wind up celebrating the
mundane, which dictates that everybody is special. But The Incredibles
points out, in spectacular fashion, that if everybody is special, then nobody really is.
People with unique talents should be encouraged to utilize their gifts for the benefit for everyone.
And this message is very subtly put forward in a rollicking, funny and gripping
story that will have you on the edge of your seat. Written and
directed by Brad Bird, who also did The Iron Giant, The Incredibles is
ultimately just plain fun. It's the sort of movie that you want to watch it
again immediately after you've just seen it. The two disc DVD will also insure
that you will want to see this over and over again, for not only does the movie
look and sound gorgeous, but also it has plenty of extra features to boot. In
addition to the filmmaker's commentaries and the "making of" documentary,
there's also a short called "Jack-Jack Attack", which shows the horrors that
babysitter Kari goes through while minding baby Jack-Jack, whose superpowers
finally emerge with hilarious results. There are deleted scenes, an alternate
opening, as well as "Mr. Incredible And His Pals", which is a take-off on the
cheaply made cartoons of the 1960s, with actor's mouths superimposed over the
characters. After watching this, re-watch it again with the very funny audio
commentary by Nelson and Jackson in character as Mr. Incredible and Frozone. And
there's still far more special features. The
boys at Pixar have done it again: without even having a comic book to draw from,
they've created an instant new superhero classic. --SF
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