The Incredibles

This latest massive-budget computer-animated flick from Pixar Studios is a lot of fun, although “Triplets of Belleville” is still more my cup o’ tea.   The story: superheroes have been driven by the government into a sort of witness relocation program whereby they assume the identities of everyday suburbanites.   This is thanks to lawsuits resulting in massive awards to plaintiffs that have sued the “supers” for the twisted necks, etc. that are the inadvertent fallout of their efforts to save society.   The Incredibles are a super-family forced to live lives of quiet desperation.   When the kids complain that they’re not allowed to let their superpowers shine, the reply is that everyone is super.   This brings us to one of the film’s central and reiterated themes: if everyone is special, then no one is.   The politics of this theme are worth contemplating. Circumstances bring the Incredibles to an island inhabited by an evil genius who’s developing a doomsday robot.   Once the film gets to the island it turns into pretty much an eye-popping thrill ride, and the visuals are indeed stunning.   Pixar’s movies are solid entertainment with more heart and respect for the audience than some of their rivals.   The director is Brad Bird, who gives voice to perhaps the funniest character, Edna, a dwarfishly petite secret-weapons designer based on “Q” from the James Bond movies.   - Nov 12, 2004