If I can persuade one person not to see this film...

Rating: Null/10 (9 December 2004)

...my life will have been worthwhile.
If you have kids who have already seen 'The Incredibles' that want to see another movie this holiday season, take them to see 'The Incredibles' again.
I read the book this film was based on just before seeing it. The book is about fifteen pages long. Stretching it into a 100-minute movie was always going to involve a lot of padding.
What's not to like?
The CG work: all the things that are difficult to model are done badly; the hair, the fabric. The actual faces look creepy and unreal.
The train: when he was plugging the film on 'Letterman', Tom Hanks made a point of mentioning that America doesn't really have trains anymore. What it does have, is rollercoasters in theme parks. This train behaves like one of those, up impossible gradients and round tight corners.
And you can't steer trains: an error not seen since 'The Titfield Thunderbolt'
The plot: the climax in a town square filled with red-suited elves is bearable only because the scene is nostalgically reminiscent of Mayday in Red Square in the days of the Soviet Union, an impression reinforced by the old Communist anthem played on the soundtrack (also known as 'Oh Tannenbaum').
And I think I noticed about nine notes out of Cliff Richard's evergreen hit 'Summer Holiday' sneaked inappropriately in there.
Oh, and yes I did see the 3D version. It didn't lift the film out of the ordinary but the special glasses did give me an awful headache.
Please, if you want to give your family a special treat, take them to something else. Or buy them books.