Review: 'The Incredibles' Is, Well, Incredible

'The Incredibles' (PG) (out of four)

There's no sense in trying to find any other way to describe it: The superhero movie "The Incredibles" is incredible.

That's because this latest keystroke of genius from the wizards at Pixar Animation Studios delivers at every conceivable level. The computer animation is incredible. The voice talent -- which includes Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Jason Lee and Samuel L. Jackson -- is incredible. The story and direction, both by filmmaker Brad Bird, is incredibly clever and original. The movie also moves at an incredibly exhilarating pace, it's funny and it's smart.

Did I tell you this movie is incredible?

Nelson voices Bob Parr, who, in his concealed superhero mode, is Mr. Incredible. Blessed with the super power of strength, Incredible, along with the likes of wife, Elastigirl (Hunter) -- who has the power of stretching -- and closest friend, Frozone (Jackson) -- who can turn any bit of moisture into ice -- fight crime on a daily basis.

Thanks to their heroic deeds, Incredible has achieved an idol status in society and has a big following. One of them, Buddy (Lee), has an obsession with Incredible -- to the point where he's built himself his own superhero gadgets in hopes that he can become his idol's sidekick.

Annoyed by the youngster, Incredible rejects Buddy, but not before a bumbling move by the boy causes a ton of damage and lawsuits -- forcing the government to suspend all their activities and move Incredible, Elastigirl and Frozone into its superhero protection program.

Picking up 15 years later, we next find Parr drudging through an insurance claims job, and living a quiet existence in the suburbs with Elastigirl (whose real name is Helen), their new baby, and Violet (Sarah Vowell) and Dash (Spencer Fox), their two growing kids. But while Helen is trying to lead as normal a life as possible, Bob, whose enthusiasm has dipped and waistline has expanded, is yearning for the old days. To complicate matters, Violet and Dash discover they have superpowers, too, but are confused and frustrated because there's nothing they can do with them.

But all their lives are about to change when the mysterious Mirage (Elizabeth Pena) finds out about Bob's past and secretly hires him to moonlight his superhero powers for her enigmatic boss. Little does Bob know, though, that's he's part of a plan that could spell world disaster.

What's great about Pixar is that there is hardly anything formulaic about their movies. Not only does each new movie from them stretch the boundaries visually and artistically; from a narrative standpoint, they continually manage to come up with stories we haven't seen before.

In this case, it's the genius of Bird, who wrote and directed the heartfelt modern-day animated classic "The Iron Giant," who delivers the goods -- including the same retro-period sensibilities that gave that its unique feel. And, better yet, Bird proves his unique talent as a voice actor as the Incredible family's equivalent of James Bond's Q -- a little, old, eccentric woman named Edna.

The interesting thing about "The Incredibles" is that it no doubt contains hints of other movies -- "X-Men," "The Day the Earth Stood Still" and any number of James Bond movies, for example -- but in the end, it isn't like any one of them.

And, it's different from anything else we've seen in the computer-animated film genre in many ways. Sure, some bad guys bite the dust in blow 'em up, action-movie fashion (note to parents; we don't actually witness any deaths), but at the same time, the movie doesn't rely on sexual suggestion or pop culture references to draw its laughs from its adult members in the audience.

Instead, the film draws its greatest inspiration and laughs from the daily trials and tribulations of the American family household. The husbands and wives bicker. The kids fight over absolutely nothing more than the fact that they're brother and sister -- which, of course, gives them their inherent right to fight.

In the end, there's something that every audience member can relate to in the characters. And when those characters feel real, imagine how easy it is to get swept up, up and away into this incredible journey. It, like Pixar's previous films, is an instant classic.

While the voice work of the cast is impeccable (Pixar veterans Wallace Shawn and John Ratzenberger also put in cameo voice appearances) and enhances "The Incredibles" credibility, the biggest tip of the cap must go Pixar guru John Lasseter and the unsung heroes that put the painstaking hours into making Pixar the giant that it is in the movie industry -- the film's numerous computer animators.

And with it comes again the dilemma of ranking the best Pixar movie. After all, the "Toy Story" films, "A Bug's Life," "Monsters, Inc." and "Finding Nemo" are all brilliant in their own right.

But as incredible as those movies were, there's no question "The Incredibles" is Pixar's best film yet -- and more. Not only does "The Incredibles" measure up to the original "Superman" movie and the "Spider-Man" and "X-Men" movies, it's easily one of the best superhero movies ever made. And it's certainly the one of the best out of any movie released this year.

I think Pixar is going to have an incredibly fun time creating a sequel. If any film earns the right to another chapter, this is the one. Suit up, Lasseter and company.