Movie Review: the Incredibles

Why would a senior citizen rent The Incredibles and sit and watch it alone? In my case, I was curious after reading good reviews about it (would I be in agreement with their opinions?) and animated films make a good change of pace when they are done well as this one was by Disney's Pixar.

What surprised me is that I found the story line of The Incredibles (2004, PG rating) to be very much aimed at adults although the movie was packaged and marketed more for children. It had a James Bond feel to it and also seemed reminiscent of the superhero movies with which I was familiar such as Batman and Superman.

I enjoyed the dynamics of the members of the family and the fact that when the parents needed help, the whole family worked together to keep everyone safe. "Mr. Incredible" is strong and protective of his family; his wife "Elastigirl" stretches herself in many directions as she helps care for her family; hyperactive son "Dash" is typical of boys of his age, only with huge super powers; shy daughter "Violet" can become invisible, and baby "Jack-Jack" is still developing his super-powers which is typical of how parents wait to learn how their little ones will develop.

The plot

Things have changed for the superheroes. People have sued them (one person when Mr. Incredible saved him when he was trying to commit suicide!) and the settlement of lawsuits was costing the government too much money. All superheroes were told they had to live normal lives, and the Incredibles went into a government protection program. Because Mr. Incredible would still come to the rescue of others occasionally, he and his family needed relocation a number of times, and were finally told that they were on their own as they had caused too much trouble and expense due to repeated relocations.

Mrs. Incredible (Elastigirl) sets aside her super powers and carries out her homemaker role, but Mr. Incredible just can't resist following up on a mysterious assignment and goes behind his wife's back to do so. There is non-stop action from that point on, with several "stars" making appearances such as Edna Mode, a designer of super-suits; Frozone who defeats his adversaries by creating ice and freezing them by using moisture in the air; Syndrome who serves as the main antagonist of the film, and Mirage, the assistant to Syndrome who defects and later aids the Incredibles.

I enjoyed the humor displayed when Mr. Incredible has gotten out-of-shape and has trouble fitting into his super-suit. His exercise routine does the trick and he regains his strong and fit physique in time to go to battle against Syndrome.

There is a quick wit about the characters and I thought it interesting that the film featured an entirely human cast of characters. The music score was also entertaining.

Voice overs were by Craig T. Nelson for Bob Parr/Mr. Incredible; Holly Hunter for Helen Parr/Elastigirl/Mrs. Incredible, and Samuel L. Jackson for Lucius Best/Frozone/best friend of Mr. Incredible.

In conclusion

I actually had fun watching this movie and could see why it won Academy Awards in 2005 for Best Animated Feature and Best Sound Effects Editing.

It is rated PG for action violence, and Netflix gives it a common sense rating of OK for kids 7+. I would recommend it for family viewing and may rent it again sometime and watch it with my grandsons.

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Other movie reviews by R.C. Johnson: The Notebook; Slumdog Millionaire; Dr. Horrible's Sing-along Blog; WALL-E; Gran Torino; The Man Who Would Be King, The Princess Bride; The Mission; Top Gun; Crocodile Dundee; Maid to Order; Beaches; The Indian in the Cupboard; O Brother, Where Art Thou?; Witness; The Gods Must Be Crazy;Flywheel, Facing the Giants and Fireproof.

Source: Netflix for rating and personal opinion of writer