"You know I'm retired from hero work."

Rating: 8/10 (12 August 2005)

Oh how far we've come. Remember back in the 1980s when a computer generated cartoon character of a guy in sunglasses looked so ridiculous that some thought computers had no future. After the success of the Shrek movies and Finding Nemo in the early 2000s, the computer revolution reached a crescendo with Disney/Pixar Studio's movie The Incredibles. The richness and scope of the scenes in The Incredibles is what makes the movie so watchable. The story is pretty good too, a solid superhero story that appeals to both kids and adults, with a sly sense of humor that will entertain. The use of a newsreel montage takes older viewers back to the a day when all of the news came in grainy newsreel stories that had their distinctive narrators. But the punchline comes with the real modern concern presented in the newsreel: citizens suing anyone and everyone. The Incredibles tells the story of Mr. Incredible (Craig T. Nelson) and his wife Elastigirl (Holly Hunter) and how they cope with life after superheroes were "retired" by the government over growing legal concerns. The couple have three children, two of which have special powers of their own. Mr. Incredible takes on the name Bob Parr, with wife Helen, and kids Dash (Spencer Fox), Violet (Sarah Vowell) and baby Jack Jack, as they live a normal, boring life where they can't exhibit their powers. When Bob is given a chance to return to his suit, he takes it, working for someone named "Mirage" (Elizabeth Peña) who ends up working for the dastardly Syndrome (Jason Lee), who was once a huge Mr. Incredible fan. Mr. Incredible gets into big time trouble, and it's up to his family to save the day. The family becomes liberated at the notion that they can partake in their magic powers, and the energy of the movie really picks up. This leads to some standard chase scenes, but they look great due to the wonderful computer animation techniques used by the film makers. The richness of the colors and details on the screen pack the punch needed to make the silly movie believable. Samuel L. Jackson also plays a superhero, Frozone, who is mainly a background character. At nearly 2 hours long, The Incredibles is lengthy, though never tedious, and is the longest completely computer generated movie to date.