In a Word:
Incredible!

Considering how popular superhero films have become over the past several years, it was only a matter of time before someone brought the genre to animation where, if you think about it, is pretty much where comic book heroes began. Pixar, which has had a string of successes going back to Toy Story in 1995, has hit their sixth pot of gold with The Incredibles. This animated superhero story is smart, funny, and a tribute to all those heroes who have worn spandex tights over the years.

Craig T. Nelson provides the voice of Mr. Incredible, a powerhouse hero who can punch, jump, and fight with the best. Yet he soon discovers that in this day and age being a superhero is a liability lawsuit waiting to happen. Despite his ability to save the world a thousand times over, he finds himself losing to a bureaucracy that holds him responsible for the damage he causes in the fight against crime. As a result, the heroes -- including his wife Elasti-Girl (Holly Hunter) and his best friend Frozone (Samuel L. Jackson) -- go to suburbia and try the "normal" life.

Flash forward several years and Mr. Incredible, now just mild-mannered Bob Parr, is fighting for truth and justice in an insurance firm. His marriage with Helen (Elasti-Girl) has produced three children, Dash (who has super speed), Violet (who can turn invisible and project force fields), and Jack-Jack (a toddler who seems perfectly normal). While Bob and his friend Lucious (better known as Frozone) dream of the glory days, it seems that the best years may be behind them.

But the dynamic duo have been sneaking out on "bowling night" to do a little undercover heroics. Their identities are discovered and soon a mysterious organization is asking Bob for some help that only Mr. Incredible can provide. He takes the assignment and soon realizes what his life has been missing. The only question is how long he can keep his new job a secret from Helen.

As a comic book fan, I have a special place in my heart for any superhero story. The action in The Incredibles is straight out of comics and even takes things a step farther by turning the powers into an extension of the characters. Mr. Incredible, for example, is the all-powerful father who can make everything okay. Elasti-Girl is the mother being pulled in several directions at once, and stretching to meet every need. Dash is the hyperactive son (who undoubtedly also suffers from attention deficit disorder). And Violet is the shy, awkward teen who takes the term "wallflower" to a new meaning by literally becoming invisible.

The story has a number of great moments, and listing them all would take too much space. Let me just say that for my money Mr. Incredible is one of the funniest father figures around. While Helen tries to explain why she had to visit Dash's school and why Dash was sent to the principal's office, Bob makes the mistake of focusing on Dash's neat escape from school justice because the camera didn't catch him on tape. Likewise, while he can't fight crime anymore, he helps little old ladies battle the insurance company he works for by telling them about loopholes in the system.

While The Incredibles is a light-hearted look at super heroes, it does address some interesting issues that are relevant today. The story questions frivolous lawsuits, unscrupulous insurance companies, government bureaucracy, and even progressive education. As Dash complains that his parents won't let him run track, his folks try to explain that it's important not to make people feel inferior. They tell him that everyone is special, and he replies, "Which is another way of saying that no one is."

Although writer/director Brad Bird claims there was no political agenda in writing the film, The Incredibles is still a film that can make people think. No moment is more frightening (to me) than when Helen has to explain to her kids that the bad guys out in the real world aren't the Saturday morning cartoon variety. "These people will try to kill you," she tells them, "So don't give them that chance." In a post-9/11 world, the fear of terrorism coming to our children is perhaps the most real terror of all.

The subtext of the film (intentional or otherwise) does not get in the way of the film's action-oriented premise. There are battles galore, including a climactic showdown with a remote-controlled robot and the evil villain Syndrome. It is these battles and a number of intense scenes throughout the film that has earned Pixar its first PG rating.

For those parents who may be concerned, I recommend that the violence in The Incredibles is no worse than most Saturday morning cartoons or Disney films. While some kids may be sensitive to the dangers posed to the heroes, there is little in the way of real violence. Bad guys get knocked down. Good guys get knocked down. But in the end, no one bleeds, breaks, or dies.

MY RATING: 9 out of 10.

RATED:
RUN TIME: 115 min.