A ball of pure bravado, indeed, everyone will enjoy this movie

Rating: Null/10 (20 November 2004)

For almost a decade Pixar has been making good movies; and 'The Incredibles' is the best one yet.
There are a lot of reasons why 'The Incredibles' is better than both Toy Story movies, 'A Bug's Life', 'Monsters Inc.' and 'Finding Nemo', but I think the most important one is that it takes itself seriously. It doesn't contain a single seeable in-joke, no reference that makes us remember it's just a silly movie. It's about the characters, their lives and their world, and it makes us believe one hundred percent in them.
The movie is about superheroes (or 'supers') Mr. Incredible, a dashing Superman type with fierce strength, and Elastigirl, a kind-hearted woman who can stretch her body to unbelievable lengths. They live in a kind of 50s New York where there are car chases and old lady's cats stuck in trees, problems which they solve with diligence and justice. But lately things have been looking down for the supers  property damage, obsessive fansand one night after saving a man from killing himself Mr. Incredible is sued because the man 'didn't want to be saved'.
And so the superhero relocation program is opened, which eliminates the superheroes and places the secret identities hidden around America, to lead normal lives. Mr. Incredible, now called Bob Parr, begins a regular existence with his wife Helen, who is, of course, Elastigirl. Living in the same neighborhood is Lucius, who used to be Frozone, an agile superhero who has the ability to turn the moisture in the air into ice and snow. Bob and Helen have kids, of course, lightning-fast Dash, disappearing Violet and Jack Jackwho is normal.
Then the movie takes a surprising turn: instead of just supplying us with one scene with the bored family and then rushing into the action, it shows us Bob's boredom with his life, Helen's determination to raise her family to be normal, and the kids coping to ordinary school life as secret superheroes. These middle scenes are the movies' funniest, and they are kind of touching, in away. This is Pixar's first movie solely about humans, and, surprisingly enough, the characters are actuallyhuman.
Of course, being an action movie, the film needs action (or else it could've just been a live action film). The plot supplies us with plenty of it. Bob and Lucius spend their 'bowling night' listening to police scanners so they can race around the city, saving people. They are being tracked by an agent from a mysterious company named Mirage, who discovers their alter egos and takes Bob to a remote tropical island. On that island she tells him that a secret government weapon robot has been set loose on the island, and he must find it and capture it. The first battle between the two is spectacular, and it really feels glorious for Bob.
So he goes home and, full of new enthusiasm, he starts working out and taking part in more missions, and even getting a new costume from designer Edna 'E' Mode. Helen is buzzed by his new grasp on his life, but the happiness doesn't last for so longbut I will say no more. The plot has a certain surprise to it, so I'll let you see for yourself. I'll just say it involves the entire family on the island, using their powers in one wondrous scene after another.
The animation is fabulous, probably the best I've seen. The voice actors  Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Jason Lee, Samuel L. Jackson, and others  all bring even more life to their characters (and Hunter's voice fits her part perfectly, I'll say). The writing is very funny and creates a very exciting feeling that never leaves, and the whole style of the movie, the 50s, Bond, superhero elements, just add to the bravado.
It's also smart, smarter than your typical kids' movie, as in a scene where Frozone can't use his ice powers in a burning building because all of the moisture is evaporated. And the insights into the characters lives are in a way touching. It never gets too complicated though, we don't have an explanation for everything (including how the characters got their powers) and it doesn't matter. It is a simple, smart movie.
My only small qualm is that it's a bit too longjust a few minutes, nothing big. If a minute was shaved here or there I think the movie may have improved a little, but it hardly matters.
The movie is excellent, when kids a few decades from now look back on the Pixar films, I hope that they'll remember 'The Incredibles'.
8/10.