Something I got out of the film...

Rating: Null/10 (23 November 2004)

It mirrors real life events. No, really. I'm not kidding.
I scanned the user comments to see if anyone else noticed this, but stopped after the first two pages of comments (Boy! This created a response.)
I should introduce myself as an avid comic book reader. And comic historian. So I paid attention to the timeline.
As I recall, the opening sequence occurs in the last years of the 1940s. At this point, superheroes are incredibly popular, at an all-time high, swinging from rooftops, saving the day... and then they get sued. Public opinion turns against them. A book, "Seduction of the Innocent", is published. The supers are limited in what they are allowed to do. (And yes, in every word after "1940s" I'm referring to our world.) They were considered too sexual, or violent, or frightening for children. Those who survived the purge became more "silly" (Not saying the stories weren't good, just that they weren't serious.) Only five super-hero characters enjoy continuous publication: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman and Green Arrow (these last two due to "Piggy-backing" on the other heroes' titles) While every other superhero character disappears into the background... until 1960, when the "Silver Age" of superhero comics began. One of these breakthrough series was the Fantastic Four, featuring two characters from the Golden Age (Human Torch and the Thing), and consisting of a real "family" of superheroes. (Mr. Fantastic married Invisible Girl, Human Torch was her brother. The Thing was Mr. F's longtime best friend and basically brother-figure.)
As far as I can see, it was out of these basic concepts that "The Incredibles" was born. A family of Supers emerging at the dawn of the 1960's. "What would it be like if this had happened to real Superheroes? What if the world, in effect, told the Super-people to "Go away?" Well, this film fills in that period, devoid of believable heroes, and how they returned.
And it tells a dang good mid-life crisis story in the midst of all this.
And takes potshots at James Bond, to boot. (Also a 60's staple.)
As for the commenter who mentioned that there weren't "in-jokes", (and liked that fact, so I'm not intentionally trying to burst your bubble, but...) well, there's a lot of them. It's just that they're fairly behind-the-scenes for the most part, but one of the most direct references was the appearance of (a version of) the MOLE MAN! at the end. (For those not familiar with Mole Man, he was the very first villain that the FF faced, in Fantastic Four #1.) Yep. Okay, I'm done now.
All in all, an amazing movie, with a completely different view if you know your comics history.
10/10.