'The Incredibles' Lives Up to Its Title!

Rating: 9/10 (8 October 2015)

The Incredibles follows the adventures of reluctantly retired family of superheroes who rediscover the source of their powers – in one another. Bob Farr (Mr. Incredible, voiced by Craig T. Nelson) is one of the world's top superheroes, who makes a living by fighting evil and saving lives on a daily basis. But soon, he is toppled from superhero greatness, his life stolen and his soul crushed. When a man is saved by Mr. Incredible during a suicide attempt, he turns around and sues his masked rescuer for "Wrongful Un-Death" - and wins! This opens a floodgate of anti-superhero lawsuits, resulting in the government being forced to place them all in the "superhero relocation program".
Fifteen years later, Bob and his wife Helen (Elastigirl, voiced by Holly Hunter), a famous former superhero in her own right, have been forced to take on civilian identities, in a non-distinct suburban tract house, with their bundles of joy, precociousness, and teen angst. With the exception of a new baby Jack Jack with no discernible powers, the Incredibles are a family of superhero material. Son Dashiell, possesses lightning speed, while teen daughter Violet has the powers of invisibility and force-field generation.
The irony is that the Farrs go out of their way to appear normal to the outside world, but they don't enjoy it. Reduced to a soul-crushingly dull job as a clock-punching insurance agent, Bob is now fighting boredom and middle age. However, Mr. Incredible still has the superhero monkey on his back and the only way for him to shake it is for him and his buddy Frozone (Samuel L. Jackson) to sneak out on "bowling night" and look for some crime to fight. Itching for greater action, the sidelined superhero gets his chance when a mysterious communication summons him to a remote island for a top-secret assignment. It doesn't take too long, however, to figure out that there's something wrong. When a new super-villain named Syndrome (Jason Lee) emerges, backed by an army of thugs and a series of giant octopedal killer robots, a return to superherodom is inevitable - only this time, it's not just for Mom and Dad, but the kids can play too.
What is most incredible and engaging about The Incredibles is how, well, credible it is. The action sequences are superbly staged, inventive, and exciting, especially the fights with a many-tentacled robot. It's also a very funny movie, hilarious at every level, from school-age snickers to good-natured teen snarkiness to subtle grown-up laughter. The animation is top-notch, as we have come to expect from the wizards at Pixar. The voice cast is uniformly excellent.
Well, I could go on, but let's just say that everything in The Incredibles easily lives up to the title. But the highly impressive ocular feast aside, it's the well-crafted script, with genuine emotions conveyed through the characters that make such a lasting impression. Pixar blends funny visuals and amazing superhero action with strong characters and themes that a grown-up can sink their teeth into. Director Brad Bird puts his characters in real peril, keeping the stakes high and propelling The Incredibles far out of the world of "children's movie".
In a word: it is Incredible!