One Incredible Family! (The Incredibles (Collector's Edition, 2 DVDs))

Member Name: emmbop82

Product:	The Incredibles (Collector's Edition, 2 DVDs)
Date:	18/04/08 (32 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great film for kids and adults alike

Disadvantages: None I can think of

The Incredibles is one of the many excellent offerings from Disney Pixar (creators of such great movies as Finding Nemo, Cars). I have to admit I've always been a fan of the wave of computer generated animations that have arisen in the last decade or so, but even more so because when I tire of endless Peppa Pig, Fifi and the Flowertots, Pocoyo, or other such pre-school animations that would drive even the most childish adult to the brink of insanity after a few hours, I know my little Mia will quite happily watch something that I can appreciate on a different level.

The Incredibles is really the only feature length film Mia will really watch yet (but I look forward to the family filmfests as she gets older!). Therefore it is my new favourite!

I've always enjoyed this movie, and with Cars being my prior favourite, I recently purchased the collector's edition box set containing both movies. This includes some amusing extras, some of which are actually worth a watch.


The Cast

Mr Incredible - Craig T Nelson
Elastigirl - Holly Hunter
Frozone - Samuel L Jackson
Violet - Sarah Vowell
Dash - Spencer Fox
Jack Jack - Eli Fucile/Mauve Andrews
Buddy - Jason Lee
Mirage - Elizabeth Pena

The Plot

We begin in a world which benefits from the help and support of a variety of "supers" on a daily basis.

Mr. Incredible is at the top of his game, one of the worlds top superheroes, he basks in the glory his superstrength provides. Elastigirl is a feisty young female superhero, with the power to stretch her body really quite far.

They make the perfect couple, and so of course get together and tie the knot. Around the same time, the litigation crazed world makes life very difficult for the "supers". Mr. Incredible being the first victim, he gets sued for preventing a mans suicide by catching him when he jumps off a building. The man also sustains a few injuries such as a broken arm etc. Also, while Mr. Incredible was trying to foil Bomb Voyage, things go "a bit pear-shaped" when his "biggest fan", a young boy called Buddy turns up and begins interfering. Long story short, an L-Train disaster occurs as a result. Mr. Incredible is furious with Buddy and tells him to go home and leave him alone, but soon after he is sued by the L-Train disaster victims.

The success of these lawsuits inevitably opens the floodgates for an influx of cases against other "supers". The court losses are huge and have to be covered by the American Government, who as a result introduces the "Super Relocation Programme". All the supers are forced into hiding.

Flash forward to about 15 years later. Mr. and Mrs. Incredible have had three children, Violet, the eldest is a shy teenager with ability to make herself invisible and create forcefields, Dash, the middle child, is a young boy with the ability to run at amazing speeds. There is also Jack-Jack, the baby, who as yet, has exhibited no powers.

Mr. Incredible is still struggling to come to terms with his mundane, non-super life. He works in a cubicle at his insurance company with a weasly boss who is constantly pressuring him to deny claims, legitimate or not. This goes against the grain, as Mr. Incredible obviously prefers to help people. He isn't really involved with his family, preferring to stay in his den, filled with souveneirs from the "glory days", or meet up with old pal Frozone, and listen to the police scanner for possible rescue attempts.

His wife Helen (Elastigirl) is therefore left to deal with family life herself. Dash is always in trouble, and she has to be the "bad guy" in not letting him compete in sports.

After one particularly bad day in work, when Mr. I loses it completely and puts his bosses through several (oops!) walls, things are still going downhill. However, Mr. Incredible has been spotted by someone looking for superheroes, and when he clears out his briefcase, there is a electronic message offering him big bucks for some hero work on an island facility. Excellent timing, Mr I tells Helen he is going on a conference and off he pops.

I won't ruin the whole plot here, but this gives Mr. I a whole new lease of life and makes his family life much better. However, there's a nasty suprise awaiting which means the whole family have to jump into action and become "super" again.

DVD Extras

On this two disc edition there are several extras:

Disc One:
*Original Theatrical Widescreen Viewing Presentation
*Filmmakers' Audio Commentaries

Disc Two:
*"Jack-Jack Attack" - Jack Jack challenges Kari the babysitter in an exclusive all new animated short (watch this one!)
*The academy award nominated Pixar animation studios short film Boundin'
*"Incredi-blunders" bloopers and outtakes
*Deleted scenes and alternate opening
*Top secret files on all the supers
*Behind the scenes "Making of the Incredibles"
and much more..

The other stuff..

Released in 2004 by Disney Pixar. Written and directed by Brad Bird. Won two Oscars.

Rated U - contains mild action violence and peril
Running time - 111 mins approx

Verdict

This is an excellent animated film, with great graphics, and something for the whole family to enjoy. It has some of those adult jokes (such as in Shrek) cleverly inlaid that the kids won't pick up on, but that makes it entertaining for adults too.

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Summary: Well worth watching, and adding to your collection