I don't know. I thought it was a ripoff. The title theme of OHMSS, although instrumental, is one of my favorite Bond themes. I'm assuming it's a homage, although it still won't get me into the theater to see The Incredibles come November (unless my son wants to see it.)

Adam: Is that a nit, or an homage though?

In the preview of The Incredibles I saw today, much of its theme music was lifted from the opening title theme of the James Bond pic On Her Majesty's Secret Service.

Great great great, great great great.

The folks at Pixar just keep doing better. Visually stunning, good story, pretty much the best superhero movie I've ever seen, giving life to the standards, cliches, and thrills of the genre better than any other film.

Saw it last night at the Regal in Union Square right after we conducted a research screening John Turturro's writer/director debut, Romance and Cigarettes (produced by the Coen brothers). When my duties were over, I just walked into the theater next door.

Wow.

Edna was HILARIOUS (Brad Bird really did a great job doing her voice), as was her musing on capes. The action was just GREAT. I loved it. And who wants to bet that this movie will be better than the actual live-action Fantastic Four movie?

I know Bird has stated they have no plans for sequels (Pixar split with Disney, but Disney owns primary rights to those characters, and woudl therefore have to be dealt with for sequels, with Pixar gettting 8% royalties), but man, it would be SO worth it.

Okay, so the superheroes were forced to go into retirement. So how did society deal with the supervillains?

Rather than an insurance company, why didn't Bob go into something more physical, perhaps something that would allow him to work outdoors, like construction? For that matter, while he couldn't be a superhero, why not go into some type of law-enforcement occupation, which allow still allow him to fight crime as he used to?

So how did society deal with the supervillains?

A version of the Metropolis P.D. Special Crimes Unit in the Superman books, perhaps?

Regarding why Bob didn't go into law enforcement, perhaps superheroes were prohibited from taking on that line of work. I haven't seen the movie yet (though I plan to), but the reviewer of our local rag stated that the major reason for the end of the superhero was the lawsuits (presumably due to the destructive nature of their antics). It was probably thought that letting any superheroes in law enforcement would increase the probability of something like that happening again.

I've been thinking about Luigi's supervillain nit, and I think that maybe after the superheroes were forced out of the spotlight, the supervillains simply went away. Think of it this way. Why do supervillains even come into existence? Isn't it usually as a reaction to superheroes? Superheroes often seem to unwittingly create their own nemeses, or at least through their actions give them a reason to hold a grudge. A major motivational factor in anything the supervillain does is to show up the superhero, and to do so in the most public manner possible. Thus comes the tendency of supervillains to "monologue", as The Incredibles puts it. Few supervillains are content to simply destroy the superhero. They have to gloat, because they have some need to prove themselves better than the hero, and show everyone else that that's the case. Without a superhero to be set against, what's the point of being a supervillain? Better just to just keep a low profile, and stay out of the spotlight yourself. So with all the superheroes gone, I don't expect any new supervillains would rise up, and those that were already around would probably drop the flamboyant costumes and performances and go back to more conventional criminal activity.

Disclaimer: No, I am not a reader of comic books, nor do I actually know anything at all about superhero/supervillain dynamics.

Not a bad thought there, actually, although the ending of the movie seems to indicate otherwise, as none of The Incredibles seemed to have conjured up the latest villian. So I don't know. But I definitely had the same thought.

Possible nit- when the plane explodes, Elastigirl saves Violet and Dash by becoming a parachute (I'm possibly conflating this with stuff that happened later, so feel free to correct me, here). They land and soon have to get out of the way of falling debris. Since they were going slower than everything else that was falling, shouldn't they have landed after everything else?

Man, to anyone out there who hasn't seen this... Go. Now. Seriously.

Duke: Think of it this way. Why do supervillains even come into existence? Isn't it usually as a reaction to superheroes?
Luigi Novi: No, not at all. Most decide to use their special abilties and devices simply to commit crimes, thinking that those advantages will allow them to get away with it and evade law enforcement in a way that normal crooks can't. Do some villains come into being primarily out of a reaction to heroes? Well, yes, some do. Syndrome is precisely a good example. So is Venom from the Spider-Man books, Hush from Batman, Lady Deathstrike from Wolverine's rogues gallery, possibly Doctor Doom and Lex Luthors (though I think aspects of their personalities and ambitions would've led them to those lifestyles regardless of their animosity towards Reed Richards and Superman), etc. But most do for the same reason conventional criminals do: They want money, power, world domination, revenge against society in general, etc.

I think Duke does have a point, though. There are a lot of villains who would really have no reason for existence without heroes. Most of Batman's villains would really not be the same if Batman was not around.

On the other hand, almost all of Spider-Man's villains would be the same.

Best. Pixar. Film. Ever.


And if you've ever heard me wax philisophical about the wonders of Toy Story 2, you know that statement REALLY means something, coming from me.
(Though Syndrome's death seemed a bit gratuitous and unnecessary to me... but it capped off the running gag well.)


Nit:

How did Syndrome find out that Mr. Incredible hid behind Geisha-Beam's (sp.) body? For that matter, how did Geisha-Beam learn the password and get down there? (Before he found that, I was sure the password would be 'buddy.')

I believe his name was "Gazerbeam", Zarm, a play on the word laser beam, because he fired them from his eyes (i.e.: with his gaze).

MikeC: There are a lot of villains who would really have no reason for existence without heroes.
Luigi Novi: There are some, yes, but how many others are there aside from the ones I mentioned? If the origin of the Joker in The Killing Joke is true, then the Joker is another. Possily Ra's Al Ghul too. But who else? Do Poison Ivy, Clayface, the Riddler, Killer Croc, and the Scarecrow exist solely out of revenge on Batman? Or most of Superman's rogues gallery?

MikeC: Most of Batman's villains would really not be the same if Batman was not around.
Luigi Novi: In what way? The question is whether they exist solely because of Batman. We know this isn't the case, because many of them are simply theives or for-profit entrepreneurs.

Luigi, regarding why Bob didn't get a more physical job. I just saw it last night. From what I saw, supers seem to be trying to blend in with ordinary folk. He probably avoids getting a physical job for the same reason they prohibit Dash from participating in competitive sports. He might end up using his superpowers without even thinking about it and there goes the anonymity.

And what happened to the supervillians? Maybe they got hit with lawsuits too.

And just to note, I thought the movie was absolutely hilarious.

Many villains are not "created" as a result of the hero, but stick with it (at least the garish supervillainy of it) as a result of being able to match wits with a nemesis.

A key example is the Riddler. Could you imagine the Riddler without Batman? He'd win everytime and that would obviously honk him off.

An even more blatant example is the original Flash, who enjoyed a large Rogues Gallery that also was not insane--Captain Cold, Captain Boomerang, and many others. The original Flash died in the Crisis on Infinite Earths; almost all of his Rogues Gallery immediately retired because it wasn't fun anymore to just fight cops.

Anyone else find Syndrome a bit reminiscent of Jim Carrey's performance as the Riddler?

No. Do not mention those Joel Schumacher travesties on the same board as a Pixar film EVER!

On another note, there are some jokes in this film that aren't too obvious on first viewing. One noted by the movie critic of our local rag (who gave it three and a half out of four stars) is that Syndrome's island base is called Nomanisan Island. I also find it curious that the family's surname is Parr (i.e., average). Any others?

"No. Do not mention those Joel Schumacher travesties on the same board as a Pixar film EVER!" -LUIGI NOVI

Seconded! Heartily Agreed! Hear-Hear! (Um... only one thing. I think "Batman Forever" was the best of the Batman Movies... I didn't even know Schmacher did that one...)

(Not to break the ruile already, but I gotta say that when we went to go see "Incredibles" the theater gave me a good scare... guess who's slated to direct the movie version of Andrew Loyd webber's 'Phantom of the Opera?' *Shudder.*)


BTW- No idea where 'Geisha-Beam' came from- everyone else seems to have heard it correctly. But yeah, makes sense.

Zarm Rkeeg: I think "Batman Forever" was the best of the Batman Movies...
Luigi Novi: You're a sick man, Zarm.

Anyone else find Syndrome a bit reminiscent of Jim Carrey's performance as the Riddler?

Don't know about the performance, but his appearance reminded me of John Lithgow in "Buckaroo Banzai".

Great sight gag -- Frozone using his Hai-Karate after shave.

In the self-destructing message, Mirage implies that she's a super too. Yet she never displays any superpowers.

I don't recall Mirage mentioning anything about having super powers (although I could be mistaken). I just remember her saying that according to the government, neither she nor Mr. Incredible exist.

Maybe that was a storyline that was dropped?

I just remember her saying that according to the government, neither she nor Mr. Incredible exist.

This is what I meant by implying she was a super. There's also the fact that she has similar coloring to A Certain Other Superhero.

Here's a weird thought. Do you think Helen's superpowers came in handy during her three pregnancies, as they would probably eliminate the need for a Cesarian.

Most people don't need a caesarian, Gordon. However, I suspect she didn't need to worry about stretch marks!

One wonders how Edna got the measurements of the kids. Even the ones she had for Helen from when she designed the original Elastigirl costume would be out of date.

She's just that good.

Hey, if the woman can make costumes as adaptable and indestructable as she does, finding measurements would be a cinch.

More of an observation than a nit. When Edna is demonstrating the costume she designed for Jack-Jack, she comments that it's machine washable and notes that it's a new feature. Makes you wonder how superheroes got their costumes clean, since it seems unlikely that they'd drop them off at the dry cleaners. Maybe Edna runs a cleaning service on the side.

That could explain how she got so much money.

Perhaps they went to Wong's 1 Hour Dry Cleaning and Blackmail Service.

A question for anyone who speaks French. Did what Bomb Voyage say always match what appeared in the subtitles, or were there occasional deliberate mistranslations?

Someone statted the main characters from The Incredibles using the Savage Worlds RPG system and probably with the Necessary Evil setting for assistance (though I don't have it myself, Necessary Evil is a Savage Worlds setting where you specifically play supervillains).

The Incredibles: http://savageworlds.blogspot.com/2004/11/incredibles.html

Frozone: http://savageworlds.blogspot.com/2004/11/frozone.html

Syndrome: http://savageworlds.blogspot.com/2004/11/syndrome.html

I have heard of people having statted them for Palladium's Hero's Unlimited as well. I don't have the URLs as Palladium doesnt like conversions for copyright enforcement especially since Marvel sued City of Hero's.

Anyone tried the same with the ubercomplicated Hero system?

I don't suppose there's been any word of when this will be out on DVD. I live in a rural area and the two theaters within reasonable driving distance aren't showing it anymore.

Here's a question that demonstrates my noticeable lack of eagle eyes… anyone spot the Pizza Planet truck yet? It’s supposed to be in the film, and despite 3 viewings, I have yet to spot it. (Though I have some excuse… the first time I wasn’t looking, the second I was distracted by a near-football stadium length from the screen and the Sound System from Hell, and the third time I was trying to maintain my sanity with a highly talkative, over caffeinated little daredevil child who was just a small component of the entire Audience from Hell. But I digress…)

Secondly, when Dash and Violet wake up in the jungle and are asked for their voiceprint IDs, there are some colored flowers behind them. A friend claims (as bizarre as it may sound) that these are actually Fruit Loops, put is as an homage to the typical jungle-setting Fruit Loops commercial. They look like plain old flowers to me, but he claims to see that they’ve been textured to look like cereal.
Am I the one that’s crazy here? Any opinions? (About the cereal suggestion, of course… I’m not sure I want to know the answer to the first one… :-)

Pizza Planet was that pizza parlor from Toy Story, right? I wouldn't be surprised if it was there. You'll probably just have to wait for it to come out on DVD (and it can't come soon enough) so you can watch it with ideal viewing conditions. They'd probably point it out in the commentary track.

As for the Fruit Loops, I think your friend may be one.

How is Elastigirl able to support the weight of van while clutching the rocket? This implies super strength worthy of Mr. Incredible. If her elasticity is like tensing a muscle, the weight of the van and clutching the rocket should have made her muscles extremely sore one would think.

When Mr. Incredible battled the first omnidroid, it calculated the trajectory of Mr. I's leap and spoiled his attack. The newer and supposedly improved omnidroid put on a poorer showing in the climactic battle in Metroville. Sure it was being attacked from all sides, but it should've blocked the manhole cover Elastigirl slingshot at it. If the omnidroid's line of sight is only through the illuminated lens on its turret eye, it should've seen the danger of Elastigirl taking out its laser gun.

The island of Nomanisan. Very clever.

Don't other supers keep in touch with one another? As Syndrome was bumping off supers one by one, would any surviving family members in on their super identities start circulating inqueries on their respective spouse or parent when they go missing? Frozone and Mr. I, best friends, only discover Gazerbeam to be missing but didn't think much of it. Plausible if they all disappeared the same way Mr. I does, secretly striking out on their own, it's conceivable news of their whereabouts would leak slowly. I guess I just antinitted myself.

GREAT MOMENT: Elastigirl seeing her reflection in the mirror noticing her middle-age spread and sighed. What made it a great moment was that words weren't said. There was no need. It was apparent enough. Any words that could have been said would be something along the lines of that chick from Star Trek "The Deadly Years" when she saw her decrepit condition in the mirror: "What a stupid place to put a mirror!"

Speaking of Trek, doesn't the soundtrack "Kronos Unveiled", where Mr. Incredible discovered Syndrome's plan and got pelted by tar balls, sound like it would be very much at home in a Star Trek episode? To me it was remenicent of "The Corbomite Maneuver". I bought the soundtrack to bide my time until the DVD comes out. It's rocks!

Is Syndrome's prison cell expandable? First, it appeared just big enough to hold Mr. Incredible. Later, it holds the whole family (sans Jack Jack).

Aside from the fact I really enjoy Pixar films, I realised I probably also enjoyed it because Brad Bird has also written and directed several Simpsons episodes.

There is a noticable Simpsons influence. The line, "Kids, listen to your mother," sounds like something Homer Simpson would say (and he probably has).

Interesting factoid I came across at IMDB. You may or may not recall the phone number Bob calls is 866-787-7476. On a phone keypad, the last seven digits spell out SUPRHRO.

I was surprised at the back that as many references in the film seemed to be Bondesque as superhero-y.

Just learned that The Incredibles is scheduled to be released on DVD on March 15.

My boyfriend is French and said that what the evil mime said was translated correctly.
How did Elastigirl carry the large van near the end of the movie? Does she have super strength as well?

One of the lovely things about watching movies on DVD is that you can rewind a scene to make sure you didn't miss anything. At the theater, in the scene at the the church, when they have the shot showing the people in the pews, the only ones I noticed were Rick and Edna. On the DVD, I also saw some superheroes (though the only ones I recognized were Dyna-Guy and Thunderhead). But why are they attending the wedding in their superhero personas when Bob and Helen are clearly being married in their secret identities? It's doubly weird since Frozone is attending as Lucius Best.

In the Jack-Jack Attack short, the first piece played was Turkish March while I believe the choral piece was Requiem.

One thing I noticed is that E said her costume for the baby was bulletproof. I couldn't help but think that's fine as far as it goes, but what about Jack-Jack's bare head?

About the argument that without superheroes, there'd be no supervillains, I tend to agree with it. Historically, you seldom have the supervillains appear first. The hero arises then later comes the superfoe. Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, the Atom, etc. did not arrive as a result of a threat from a supervillain. They gained their powers or chose to devote their lives to fighting crimes (depending on the scenario) first. Then after awhile, Lex Luthor, Braniac, Killer Croc, the Joker, Doc Ock, et al appeared. So, yeah, I believe the argument that without superheroes, there'd be no supervillains is a very legitimate one.

"No capes!"

But most of those villians didn't appear in response to the appearance of the heroes. They simply appeared to try and live a life of crime, and therefore would logically have done so without the heroes. Many villains are simply theives, murderers, terrorists, and megalomaniacs would who no doubt still be doing what they do once they superheroes were forcibly retired.

But most of those villians didn't appear in response to the appearance of the heroes. - Luigi Novi

Um, not necessarily. The early opponents of many heroes (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Spider-Man, etc.) were non-powered thieves and murderers. Having no superpowers meant they couldn't really compete against the superpowered crime fighters. In order to compete successfully (read: "successfully commit crimes"), the criminal element had to develop superpowers of their own.

Look at Spider-Man. From all indications in #1, he'd been fighting crime - but non-powered criminals; you know, common thugs and thieves - for quite awhile. It was only later that Adrian Toomes, the Vulture, developed his anti-gravity harness in order to go on a crime spree. (And, yes, I know that was in Amazing Spider-Man #1.)

I'm not necessarily saying this is a conscious decision. It's almost like it's evolution in action. In order to challenge the Supermans and Spider-Mans of the world, the crooks had to gain powers themselves.
And yes, there were characters like Doctor Octopus who were not initially criminals, but were involved in accidents that warped their personalities. And other characters like Flint Marko, the Sandman, who gained superpowers by accident. But such characters do not change my basic thesis. The criminals, those who were leading a life of crime did not have superpowers until after heroes had powers. As I've said, it's an almost evolutionary thing.

(If you've got a better explanation for why it's almost invariably Superhero first, Supervillain second*, I'd love to hear it.)

(Now, brace for it folks, this post will be dissected line-by-line in order to prove me wrong. Which, I probably am.)

*I'm talking about all of the very early heroes. Modern heroes do not count as there's a readily available repertoire of not only villains, but heroes already in existence in both the Marvel and DC Universes. Any time a company starts a line of superheroes, it is usually the good guys who debut first. Their adversaries come along later.

"No capes!"

I really don't care if it's superhero first or second. The point is, you retire Spider-Man, Electro, the Shocker, etc, are still going to rob banks.

Benn, I don't see why your argument can't work with the roles reversed: Suppose a villain gains superpowers and now is able to commit crimes more easily. Others criminals will follow suit and try to gain powers so that they can be effective criminals as well. Hence, the police and crime fighters will need to try to do so also. Whichever one comes first seems just like an accident

I would agree in a way, Benn, but only to an extent. Let's look at, I dunno, the first ten or fifteen of Spidey's villains.

CHAMELEON: Doesn't really have powers, but was obviously working long before Spidey.
VULTURE: Would have certainly have been working without Spidey.
DR. OCTOPUS: Didn't become powerful by choice.
SANDMAN: Didn't become powerful by choice.
LIZARD: Didn't become powerful by choice.
ELECTRO: Didn't become powerful by choice.
MYSTERIO: Here we go! Mysterio deliberately copies Spider-Man in his first appearance. He's clearly inspired by Spider-Man and recognizes the potential of such a gimmick.
GREEN GOBLIN: Hard to say. Norman's been retconned so much I really don't remember, but I think he was at least up to no good before Spidey.
KRAVEN: Kraven only become a villain per se to challenge Spidey.
SCORPION: Specifically created to beat Spidey.
SPENCER SMYTHE: Specifically hired to beat Spidey.
CRIME-MASTER: Would have probably been a crook on his own (like the Big Man), but has no powers, so no biggie.
MOLTEN MAN: Got his powers by accident.

Okay, that's a good stopping off point. From what I can see, using Spidey as an example, there would be a handful of villains that would be around anyway without superheroes. There is a second wave that is only created really in response to or as a means of fighting superheroes. Now, I'm sure Mac Gargan, Quentin Beck, etc. would be big stinkers on their own, but they wouldn't be super-powered or super-gimmicky stinkers.

Now, what about that first wave? Well, let's assume that a handful of baddies (your Electros, Shockers) successfully obtain a buttload of money and live luxuriously. There's no need to keep risking your life if you've got a lot of cash. Let's assume that some of the baddies kill each other. The trick would be in the "big dream" baddies like Doc Ock, who want to rule the world or something. What happened to them?

I really don't care if it's superhero first or second. The point is, you retire Spider-Man, Electro, the Shocker, etc, are still going to rob banks. - Luigi Novi

Yup. You're right. No argument there. But this leaves open the question of just how widespread were the threats of supervillains. Most of the threats Mr. Incredible dealt with on his way to his wedding did not involve supervillains. As a matter of fact, I think only one was involved - Bomb Voyage.

Benn, I don't see why your argument can't work with the roles reversed: Suppose a villain gains superpowers and now is able to commit crimes more easily. Others criminals will follow suit and try to gain powers so that they can be effective criminals as well. Hence, the police and crime fighters will need to try to do so also. Whichever one comes first seems just like an accident. - NSetzer

Oh yeah. It could. It's just that historically, it hasn't. But yeah, you're right. If the situation had been reversed, I'm sure that the heroes would have "evolved" superpowers, too.

I think what I'm struggling with is the fact that heroes get their powers, then the villains do. I freely admit (at the risk of sounding like I'm backpeddling) that my theory is not perfect. Every villain had their own motivation for why they do what they do. The Chameleon was a Russian spy. The Vulture a petty thief, so was the Sandman. Electro was a self-centered creep. Doc Ock's initial motivations are awfully vague. (He held some hospital employees hostage and was mixing some chemicals for some reason when he and Spidey first fight. Then, later takes over a nuclear power plant with some vague plan to show the world how powerful he is.)

I dunno, I guess I'm just looking at this fantasy world and seeing a pattern in how certain things happen and I'm just trying to explain it. I don't necessarily think (and really, I doubt) that it's anything conscious on the part of the villains. But to me, there appears to be some phenomenon at work that causes the heroic superbeings to appear on the scene. Then, the villainous superbeings appear.

I suppose when it all comes down to it, it's all coincidence and I'm full of ca ca.

"No capes!"

Not to interupt the hero/villian debate, but if I may pick a nit from the movie...

Why does Frozone have that snazzy, hi-tech "wall of technology" in his apartment at the end of the film? Shouldn't the government have asked for that equipment back by then? After all, Mr. Incredible doesn't have his car anymore, and I sure can't picture him just giving it away.

Did we ever find out what Frozone did in civilian life? Maybe he earned enough money to fund himself.

He certainly did seem to have a really nice place. High in a tower near downtown municiburg. I think it was on the west side wasn't it? Perhaps he owns a chain of dry cleaners?

Just because Bob doesn't have his car anymore (what in the film established that he doesn't have it?), doesn't mean that the government is the one who took it. He could've dismantled it himself.

Hell, maybe Kevin Eastman bought it.

Why does Frozone have that snazzy, hi-tech "wall of technology" in his apartment at the end of the film? Shouldn't the government have asked for that equipment back by then? After all, Mr. Incredible doesn't have his car anymore, and I sure can't picture him just giving it away.

I believe we've seen the Incredi-car in the montage scenes of Bob off on his "conferences" and he tossed the Incredimobile at Syndrome and his jet. What I want to know is where Bob goes every day in the montage scene. He drives to work but it's not to his old job at Insura-Care. Is he doing minor assignments for Mirage in Metroville or is he flying to Nomanisan Island every day for odd jobs/random tasks?

As for Lucias, why should the gov't necessarily need to confiscate the supers' gadgetry?

As for Syndrome, if he really wants to be the best super hero of them all, he should watch where he discards fuel tankers that granted, was an incident played for laughs, but it's consistent with his character... like when he inadvertently tossed Mr. Incredible out of the scene. So demented and yet reverts to geeky immaturity.

Since Syndrome saw the oncoming Incredimobile being hurled at him, he should've used his immobile-ray (magic finger) to repel the attack unless Jack Jack ripped them off Syndrome's hands in addition to one of his rocket boots.

That car was NOT the Incredibile. It was a regular sports car he bought as part of his mid-life crisis (rewatch the bit where Helen has gone to pieces and you'll hear her mention "the sports car" as one of the things that should have clued her in). Also consider if he always had access to the Incredibile, why had he been commuting in that econobox? I also thought it was pretty obvious in the montage that Bob was spending his time at the rail yard working out.

As far as I recall, the zero point energy gauntlets were not ripped off. However, they could have been damaged when Jack-Jack assumed his flame form.

And speaking of which, check this out: http://www.calphysics.org/zpe.html

Why should the gov't necessarily need to confiscate the supers' gadgetry? -BrianB

Well, it makes sense that they wouldn't want to encourage any ilegal superhero goings on by letting them keep the stuff, but the main reason I would think that they would is the fact that the stuff looks EXPENSIVE. After all the money the government lost on the lawsuits, they'd want to recover whatever they could...

...but that's risky to say, since the film itself is kind of vague about whether or not the Supers were actually working for the government, or where they got their gadgets. The Top Secret Files on the bonus disk actually talk about the government redistributing the equipment of deceased Supers (namely Dynaguy) to others, which strongly implies that it is theirs to begin with. Anyway, it's hard more than one or two of them being rich enough to construct all this stuff on their own (and Edna's works seems to be limited to the clothing). But, as I said before, they never clearly say in the film where it comes from from, so it's hard to speak with authority about anyone taking it back.

But yeah, I REALLY can't imagine trading the Incredibile for the econobox without being forced to. I mean, if were ONLY a matter of discouraging super hero activity, then they could just pull out the transforming apparatus, not toss the whole car. SELLING it would be a little tough to do while staying underground: "Great mileage, though it turns a little funny, and whatever you do, DON'T look under the hood!"

Anyway, why doesn't the destruction of the Parr residence damage the surounding houses?

When Dash and Violet set off the alarms and run away, why is Dash running at the same speed Violet is? Why not grab her and, well, DASH?

I'm not an architect, so I wouldn't really know, but part of me wonders if the big Insuricare office should have more support pillars than the one that happens to be in Bob's office.

For those of you not aware of it, here's how you access the Easter eggs on the second disk. When a menu appears, watch the upper right hand corner. It may take as much as thirty seconds to happen, but an omnidroid icon will appear. Click on it and you get an Easter egg. All the menus have it except for the Boundin' menu and the Top Secret menu. Here's what you get:

Main menu: A montage of buttons being pushed and doors opening and closing with a few explosions thrown in, all to the music of Mozart for your cognative development.

Deleted Scenes menu: Deleted scene which covers Dash sticking a tack on Bernie's chair more extensively. Anyone who might have felt sorry for Bernie probably won't after seeing this.

Behind the Scenes menu: A brief tribute to Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston and how they worked with Brad Bird.

More Making Of menu: Multiple takes of the when Dash gets knocked off the flying disc. When you click the omnidroid icon a second time, it will show multiple takes of the scene where Bob beans one of the guards with a rock.

Publicity menu: Weird short pieces involving control of the remote. Like the one in the More Making Of menu, clicking the icon a second time gets you a different one.

Set Up menu: (my personal favorite of the Easter eggs) The Incredibles compressed to under three minutes performed with sock puppets.

Index menu page 1: The inspiration of the bit where Bob engulfs that piece of cake.

Index menu page 2: A guy riding on a scooter through the Pixar offices gets knocked down when he gets hit with a medicine ball.

Acording to DK's "The Essential Guide to the Incredibles," The Incredibile (A Multiple Environment Vehicle) was... hmmm. well, I could have sworn it said something one way or another...
Okay, so no official word on whether the incredibile was given up or taken away.
However, I could have sworn that I read something in the book or on the DVD that indicated the Incredibile had been confiscated. (maybe the Hero profiles on the DVD? I don't remember right now...)


After his Salary increase from his actions on Nomanisan, Bob went and bought a Mezza Vita sports car... not the old Incredibile.


Finally, the book raises a new question on a page cataloguing some of the wall of memorobillia in Bob's study. Items included are: The key to the city (near desk level,) a bronze statue proclaiming Mr. incredible 'The World's Greatest Super,' Mr. I's first appearance in Life magazine, Mr. I's 200th newspaper appearance, the plaque-mounted gun that Mr. incredible squashed on his very first mission, and the record album 'Mr. Incredible Sings,' which went quintuple platinum!

It occurred to me that the latter is a spectacularly bad idea... there's one way to preserve your secret identity; become one of the most famous voices on the planet!

Bob went and bought a Mezza Vita sports car

"Mezza Vita" as in "Mid-Life". Nice gag!

The DVD does say that the Incredible was taken back by the government in the hero profiles.

Watched this on DVD last night. Marvelous!

After that lecture Edna gave about capes, when I saw Syndrome strutting around with one, I was sure that that cape was going to trip him up by the end of the movie.

I noticed what might be a deliberate or accidental homage to the television series Jonny Quest (the original, of course). There is an episode called "Robot Spy" in which the spy is a seemingly indestructible spider robot. The robot traveled in a little ship which, except for its size, looked remarkably like the ship that flew the Omnidroid to the city.

I really enjoyed the family interaction--even including the kids' squabbles.

One thing that I had been told about but did not see--a scene where Dash is doing his homework, which includes getting pictures of the Great Wall of China. Impatient with how long the computer is taking, he zips off to China and takes his pictures, then zips home and finds the computer still downloading. Was this maybe just in a T.V. trailer? (I watch very little commercial television). It wasn't in the deleted scenes, at least not the ones I saw. Was it in an Easter egg?

Well, I found out the answer to the above question--it was simply a television commercial. Wish I could have seen it.

Couple notes that I forgot from earlier--in the plane, when Elastigirl tells Violet to form a shield around the plane, Violet protests that they've been told not to use their powers. Under the circumstances, this protest is silly enough as it is, but afterwards, when the plane has been blown out of the sky, when they've managed to get to shore, when they know something bizarre is going on, Elastigirl tells them to use their powers if necessary, and Violet protests again! Violet seems a bit slow on the uptake.

During the attack on the plane, Elastigirl cries out that there are children on board, and Mirage reacts visibly. This seems to mark the first stage in her change of loyalties. However--this is the same woman who presumably watched, unmoved, as a whole plethora of Supers were slaughtered, one by one.

One scene I particularly liked was after the trio had made it to shore. Mom asks the kids if they remember the bad guys that they've seen on television, and Dash's face brightens. ("Hey, cool, this is just like T.V!") The change in his expression, as his mother tells him this is for real and they could die, was very well done.

Another nice little touch was Dad noticing his daughter's new hair style.

According to IMDB, the robot was a homage to the B-movie Kronos (hence the password).

Presumably Mirage isn't quite as ruthless as Syndrome and has qualms about killing children.

E did well to make Jack Jack's suit withstand up to 1000°. It'll serve him well when he ignites himself.

Syndrome's volcanic lair: That's a real lava flow, right? Can we assume force fields are what parts the lava flow to permit people to cross the catwalk to the computer room and protect anyone in the vicinity from the searing heat? How does the catwalk keep from melting even when the parted flow ceases?

Something that I forgot to mention--concerning Robert's obnoxious little boss. He has the voice of the Grand Nagus from DS9! Perfect!

I can see (sort of) the would-be suicide trying to sue Mr. Incredible, but all the people in that monorail car? Would they rather be dead than have whiplash?

There is a scene where Robert is looking at a newspaper and notes that a prominent politico (can't remember the name), who had been known as a champion of Supers' rights, had disappeared. Did I miss something? Did they ever get back to this? That scene where Mr. Incredible is accessing Syndrome's computer went by so fast it was hard to spot everything. Was that politico "terminated"? Or was he that man who quietly "mopped up" after Supers who accidently used their powers publicly? And if so, why did he vanish?

(Regarding the homage to Jonny Quest or Kronos--maybe Kronos got the idea from Jonny Quest!)

I can see (sort of) the would-be suicide trying to sue Mr. Incredible, but all the people in that monorail car? Would they rather be dead than have whiplash?

That was part of the gag about the supers being sued for dumb reasons. Also I have heard of people trying to sue someone who gave them CPR and broke ribs.

The politico who vanished was the secret identity of gazer beam.

According to the Supers files among the extras, he was a pro bono lawyer (whatever that is).

To "R"--thanks!

For Gordon, and anyone else curious:

From Amo, Amas, Amat and More; How to Use Latin to Your Own Advantage and to the Astonishment of Others by Eugene Ehrlich

"pro bono publico
proh BAW-noh POO-blih-koh
for the public good

The full phrase for the expression pro bono (pronounced in English proh BOH-noh), often heard these days. Some attorneys devote a portion of their working time to cases pro bono publico, usually called pro bono cases, in which they represent the indigent or seek redress for public grievances, and a necessary condition of true pro bono work requires foregoing one's customary professional fees. Attorneys who take positions in firms that concentrate exclusively on such cases are said to be pro bono attorneys, and they can expect fewer of the legal life's customary rewards for their efforts. Undoubtedly there are countervailing rewards."

Very appropriate work for a Super, wouldn't you say?

No problem. I heard Jack say gazer beam when he looked in the paper and put 2 and 2 together. And yeah a pro bono lawyer would be kinda appropriate for the champion of the underdogs, protector of the weak that a true super is.

According to IMDB, Kronos came out in 1957 while Johnny Quest debuted in 1964.

O.K, then--just had it in reverse! Good ideas just keep coming back!

I have just recently seen it today too. My hubby and kids brought the DVD home.
Didn't anyone think the chase of the bad guys on the flying disks, and Dash running away through the jungle, remind them of Star Wars: The Return of the Jedi? Some shots reminded me of the same shots in TROFJ. Including the eye lock of bad guy and Dash, like Luke and the stormtrooper speeder. And the rips arounds, wasn't that in the Star Wars movie?

That was on purpose. That sequence was meant as an homage to The Return of the Jedi.

"No capes!"

I feel like a moron for not noticing this earlier. First, let's list a few facts. The day Bob got fired was probably only a day or two after the building fire incident. When Helen calls Insuricare, the person on the other end informs her that Bob got the pink slip nearly two months ago. A couple of days later, when Lucius is demanding to know where his Frozone costume is, Honey states that they've been planning their outing for two months. Coincidence? I think not!

It seems that several critics have complained to some degree about the film's length. Among the ones I personally know are the movie critic of our local rag (though he was somewhat apologetic about bringing it up), the person who reviewed the DVD in same rag, and also Roeper. I wouldn't be surprised if other critics have had a similar problem (chances are it was one of the gripes of the loser at the Atlanta Urinal-Constipation who inexplicably gave this film a mere two stars). While there are a few parts which kind of drag when you watch it again, there isn't really anything which could be cut in good conscience.

I thought the movie was kinda long too, Gordon, but I agree, I'm not sure what exactly to cut.

I don't see any parts that dragged. Certainly there were non-action scenes, but they were all necessary for purposes of exposition or advancing the story.

I personally felt some of the stuff on the island seemed to weigh down the movie... Helen's monorail ride, for instance, seemed long and repetitive. At least that's my recollection.

I didnt really think it was all that long or dragged all that much. but then again I have been watching the extended directers special edition 6 hour version of the lord of the rings recently. (At least that is how long they feel)

Frankly, if they HAD cut out the slower scenes, critics would have complained that the movie was too cookie-cutter action movie without any emotional weight. (It's funny that Braid Bird bashes movie that DON'T slow down between action sequences on the commentary)

Wanna hear a really nitpicky nit? look at the scene where the old lady runs out in the street to stop Mr. Incredible. It happens quickly, but the Incredibiles jumps back about half a block with every cut (when he first sees her, he's almost on top of her, then the car jumps back so there's time for him to react, then it jumps back again so there's room come to a stop right in front of her) The expressway scene at the end has some similar moments.

This nit involves some speculation, so bear with me. When Bob and Helen are having their argument after the building fire incident, Dash's "graduation" is brought up. The way it's brought up suggests it's coming up soon, pinning that particular point of the film in about May. The whole omnidroid affair occurs about two months later (i.e. July). The reason I bring this up is that when Helen is giving Violet instructions before she leaves for Nomanisan, one of the things she brings up is to make sure Dash does his homework. In July? Of course, I suppose one could reasonably argue that Dash has to attend summer school.

Do any other countries besides the United States participate in Daylight Savings Time? I ask this because I'm working on some speculation involving the time differences between Nomanisan and Metroville.

The World Clock has a star next to each city that is observing DST. You can sort by country and the country will be listed.

When Mr. Incredible tells Buddy to fly home, he works alone, he is clutching Bomb Voyage. In the flashback replay of this moment, Bomb Voyage is absent.

Also, from the same website, there is a list of when DST begins and ends for the first half of 2005 and the second half of 2005

Hmm, it appears as if Oceana doesn't observe Daylight Savings. So since it appears that it takes place during the summer, we'd add an hour to the time difference.

When we see the computer files on the earlier incarnations of the omnidroid, the first version is whelled, the second with legs, the third with wheels again, with everything afterwards having legs. Why the brief return to wheels?

When Edna offers the locator wossit to Helen after she learns that Bob is not at a conference, the globe on it is spinning the wrong way. When Helen uses it, the globe is spinning the correct way.

You think there's anything to make of the fact that Bob's and Dash's boots are calf high while Helen's and Violet's are thigh high?

Okay, so here's a question that's bugged me since I first saw the movie:
What are the nature of Jack-Jack's powers (other than whatever the writers want them to be?)

While there seemed to be at least some coherency in the movie, the Jack-Jack attack short throws logic to the wind. Here's what I've been able to compile...

Ability to transform molecular structure (heavy metal, fire)
Ability to shapeshift (demon/monster thing)
Ability to alter molecules of other objects (I think... his diaper makes several transformations with him, right? Unless they're some kind of 'Super-diapers.' Hmmm... maybe one of those projects that Edna Mode would never admit to today, but seemed like a good idea at the time? :-) )
Ability to levitate/defy gravity (floating, sitting on ceiling)
Ability to phase molecules. (Floating through walls- A firend suggested this was just shape-shifting into light, but I don't buy that)
Ability to fire eye lasers
Possible superspeed or teleporting (appearing behind the flowerpiot, appearing by the fridge)
Possible cutting/drilling abilities/really sharp teeth (the perfect circular hole in the crib bars... this could be a side effect of one of the other previously mentioned powers...)
(any I'm forgetting)

This begs the question... just what are Jack-Jack's powers? Perhaps they are hero genes in a constant state of flux, and won't stabilize until maturity? OR perhaps he is a 'human slot-machine' that randomly manifests powers? OR could he simply have any desired power, limited only by his abillity to imagine that power? OR something else entirely? What do you think?

Yeah, I didn't like that either. Unless you're the Beyonder, or Rogue or the Mimic or something, a character's powers should be essentially based on one principle, even if the person can manifest it in multiple ways. (Though I admit I'm not sure how that works with Sue Storm or Violet.)

Yeah I wasn't exactly thrilled with the multitude of jack jack's powers either. It did seem like they where goign for what was the coolest thing they could have and dumped all of the suggestions into the kid at once.

If they had stayed with the ones in the movie it would have been stretching things a bit but would have still been cool. But they had to do the short and that kinda threw things a bit off.

Anyone else wonder why Helen brought along three masks rather than one? For that matter, why did she bring along a hair band?

Since Violet's hairband became invisible with her, I can only suppose Edna made it to go along with the suit (otherwise: NIT! ), but that still leaves your question as to why Helen brought these thing along if she wasn't expecting Violet and Dash to be there, so I haven't resolved anything at all with this post.

(Though when you said Helen had brought along a "hair band", I did initially have a funny image of Bon Jovi, or some such, coming along on the plane setting up amps and drums and then rocking out. )

*singing* I've got the heart of a lion...and the wings of a bat because it's midnite!

When the mugger draws his gun just before Elastigirl whacks him, it looks as if he had stuck it in his waistband. However, the first shot we see of him is from the rear and there doesn't appear to be a gun there.

After the one where Honey refuses to tell Lucius where she's hidden his Frozone costume, my favorite bit is where Helen comes across Bob and Mirage at an awkward moment. "Hello, you must be Mrs. Incr-" WHACK

Limozeen, I think there's a comma between 'bat' and because. See, our songs are generally better because we you only elipses...

Moving... very... slowly... very... slowly... moving... very... very... slowly...

It's like / it was meant to be
I'm not kidding / It's like it was meant to beeee...

I'm surprised no one has brought this up before (as far as I can recall anyway), but how did Violet and Dash manage to stow away on the jet? I have some ideas on how they might have done so, but they're not fully formed yet.

Well...all kids seem to possess a certain amount of inherent sneakiness, but throw invisibility and super speed into the mix and I'm sure it could be done.

What gets me is- why did Helen go to get changed in a teeny tiny bathroom when she thought she was the only one on the plane?

Force of habit or sense of propriety that is part of her? I dunno its a cartoon with disney fingerprints on it.

I'm very sensitive... to birds...
I'm very sensitive... to tress...

R, I would agree... probably force of habit. I imagine it would feel strange changing in the cockpit, (And yes, a sense of propriety on the part of Disney as well...)

For that matter, (I'm not too familliar with plane designs) are we certain it was a bathroom and not a small pilot's lounge/bunk area like some of the bigger aircraft (at least in the movies) have?


As for Jack-Jack powers- here's a rather unusual theory. What if he has Advanced Precognitive Shape-shifting? I.E. he is able to not only assume other elements, but he can shift his glands/neural pathways/whatever systems superheroes use to create levitation, eye lasers, etc. instinctively?
It seems a bit far out, but it would be an amazing superpower (or, dare I say it, an Incredible superpower) to be able to simply imagine a power and instantly re-align your body to produce it.

(Or, could he be a power-xerox- copying the powers of other supers, with an extreme range? After all, who knows how many disguised supers were living nearby?)

You left out half of the duet.

I'm very sensitive...to birds.
What!?
I'm very sensitive...to trees.
Them falling on you?

Have you ever gone outside?
And-
Got run over by a big truck!

Snick, I didn't know you had any rythm. :-)

Oh sure, I've got tons of rhythm.

I got rhythm,
I got music,
I got my girl,
Who could ask for anything more?

Zarm a lear jet (of which it seemed helen's plane was similar to, just slightly modified) does not have a lounge or anythign for the pilots special. I used to guard an airport and talked to many pilots.

The Heros Unlimited RPG has a power mimic power with a certain range so maybe that was it. It would work if there are any supers around. Or maybe the kid is the chosen one to bring chaos to the supers.

I know people who, even if they are the only person in the house, will still go into the closet or bathroom to get changed. Some people just don't like geting undressed in any kind open environment.

The biggest problem involves the fact that they'd have to wait for Kari to arrive and that would have to happen after Helen leaves. The way it could work out is that Violet turns invisible and hides in the back of the car while Dash stays behind until Kari gets there. He of course can catch up later. This assumes they know who Snug is.

Unless they snuck Kari in the back and bluffed around Helen leaving, or weren't quite as responsible as they claimed and left Jack-Jack alone for a few minutes as Kari was on her way over. For all we know, they asked Frozone to come over and babysit for a few minutes... :-)

As for Jack-Jack, perhaps the Incredibles 2 could feature sinister agents out to kidnap Jack-Jack to use him as a human 'Supers Detector' to reveal/destroy Supers' secret identities?


Keep it rollin for me guys. Keep it Rollin.

Maybe Kari lives on their block or close by and when they saw mom begin packing they knew something was up?

Zarm, why would they get Frozone to come over? Kari appears to be a kid who lives in the same neighborhood. Frozone lives downtown. In addition, he's nowhere near as clueless as Kari comes across. As for your suggestion of the plot for an Incredibles sequel, sounds like there could be potential inspiration from Ransom of Red Chief.

Did anyone else notice a disturbing lack of seat belt wearing? I'm not just talking about on the plane. Anytime someone is in a car, they're not wearing seat belts.

Why Frozone? I dunno, I was just brain-storming.

As for seat-belts... what, you think this was a kid's movie? :-)

Zarm, this is a Pixar fim, after all.

This can probably be pinned down to the general screwiness of supers' genetics. Still, one wonders how, if one parent is blonde and the other is a redhead, how they can have a kid with jet black hair.

Curiously, from what can be seen in the Deleted Scenes regarding Snug, it looks as if in that version Helen brought Violet and Dash along. Though this would do away with the headaches involved in the logistics of Violet and Dash stowing away, it begs the question of why Helen would bring them along.

It could also be pinned down to the possibility that either Bob or Helen have dyed their hair, or for that matter, Violet.

Isn't it possible for hair color to be inherited from grandparents?

Wasnt brainstorm one of the other supers mentioned?

Of course hair color can also be pinned down to the way genetics and physics work in cartoons.

IIRC, the genes for blonde and red hair are recessive while black hair genes would be dominant. The only time a recessive trait displays itself is if both genes are recessive.

When Violet and Dash get cornered, we hear one of the goons say, "You think they're supers?" As opposed to just a couple of kids in goofy costumes.

Part of the job description of a hired goon / stooge / henchman / stormtrooper is "Must be stupid."

Luigi Novi: And who wants to bet that this movie will be better than the actual live-action Fantastic Four movie?

From what I saw in the preview shown before Revenge of the Sith, more than certain.

When the superheroes went underground, how did they do it for the more inhuman appearing supers (like Thing) and those who have a transformation power which isn't entirely controlable (like the Incredible Hulk)?

As a thought, Bob's cover story for why he's so huge could be that he was a linebacker who suffered a career-ending injury. He would probably say he was in the CFL (which doesn't have as big a following in the States as the NFL), to avoid anyone thinking, "I don't remember him."

These nits involved the alternate opening from the second disc.

First there's the issue of temperature change. Since we open up at a barbeque, it's pretty safe to assume it's summer. Especially since a lot of people are wearing shorts. Yet later that night, it's apparently cold enough to have a fire going. I suppose there might be some regions in this country where such extreme temperature drops occur. I just don't live in one of them.

And speaking of that fire, is anyone else skeptical that a gas leak could have caused such a big explosion?

When Bob accidentally chops his fingers, they're the ones on his left hand (as he's wielding the cleaver in his right hand). To add to the realism, he squirts some ketchep on his left hand. Yet when they're in the car, he wipes it off from his right hand.

When Syndrome uses his zero point energy gauntlets here (as opposed to the actual movie), it's clearing shown that he's pressing a button on the gauntlet to activate it. So how can he fire off two beams at once as he does when Helen attacks?

"First there's the issue of temperature change. Since we open up at a barbeque, it's pretty safe to assume it's summer. Especially since a lot of people are wearing shorts. Yet later that night, it's apparently cold enough to have a fire going. I suppose there might be some regions in this country where such extreme temperature drops occur. I just don't live in one of them."-Gordon Lawyer


You should visit Washington state right now... :-)

On a whim, I decided to watch the French dubbing (DVDs are so fun, I can't recall the last time I bought a commercial VHS tape). This despite the fact I've forgotten most of the French I've learned in high school. Here are some of the things I've noticed.

In the scene where Mr. Incredible is trying to get the cat out of the tree, it sounds like the old woman is saying something. Since she did no such thing in the original English version, could any French speakers here enlighten us as to what she said?

Curiously, Bomb Voyage gets dubbed, even though in the original he was speaking genuine French.

I may have misheard, but it sounded like Dash was being called Rush.

Regarding the actual voice work, while not quite as lively as the original cast, they still did a fairly decent job. In particular, Voilet's voice was far less annoying (though that doesn't exactly take much effort).

When the cops burst into the jewelry store, we don't hear anyone shout whatever is French for police officers.

There were a couple of alterations to the actual film. When Bob is going through Syndrome's Supers Files, a plain red diagonal slash appears over each picture (Bob also speaks while this happens). And when Helen flips on the Fasten Seat Belts sign, it now has what I assume is an international symbol.

Sparrow47: Since they were going slower than everything else that was falling, shouldn't they have landed after everything else?

It's quite possible the chunk of debris that landed after them was blown upward by the blast.

Blitz" I mean, if were ONLY a matter of discouraging super hero activity, then they could just pull out the transforming apparatus, not toss the whole car.

The entire car was one sweet ride. They'd have to take out the transforming apparatus, the afterburner, the tracking systems, the super-quick brakes, the costume-changing machine, the autopilot...a lot to turn it to a regular street-legal vehicle.

Unless they just pulled the computer chip that controlled all the changing systems? Maybe. One chip goes out they all go out.

To expand on Snick's point on the debris, you may recall Galileo's experiment on this matter (though I'm not sure whether or not it's apocryphal). He dropped two different sized balls from the top of the Leaning Tower of Pisa and, though they had different weights, they struck the ground at the same time. This is because objects accellerate at the same rate (I believe 32 feet per second per second). However, objects which have a high surface area in comparison to their weight don't fall as fast (this is the principle on how parachutes work). Once the debris had finished going up, it would then have to regain accelleration. Since the Parrs have been going downward the whole time and Helen appeared to have deployed as a parachute at a fairly low altitude, it can't catch up before they reach the surface.

A couple of corrections regarding the comments I made on the French dubbing. In the original, the old woman is saying something. But it's harder to make out than in the French dubbing (which is probably why I missed it previously). And according to a friend of mine who lived in France for some time, Bomb Voyage's accent wasn't very good. Which would explain why he got redubbed.

You probably couldn't figure it out because you probably had water in your ears from using that shower head

I think we'd all like to forget about the shower head.

In the French dubbed version, the headline over Gazerbeam's photo is in French. Yet the headlines on the other page are still in English.

While they're listening to the police scanner, they hear about a 23-56 which Bob identifies as a robbery. Anyone more familiar with police terminology know if that actually does mean robbery?

Back when i worked security we used a 10 code and it does not have one specific for robbery the closet we had was 10-31 crime in progress. As far as I know there is no code 23-56 used by real law enforcement.

Well, I'm sure in a world of Super-heroes, Super-villains, and world-wide calamities, you have to come up with a few new codes. Maybe this is a specific kind of robbery, as in "Code 23-56- burglar or burglars armed with conventional weapons/lower level lasers, possesing no demonstrable super-powers" or some such.

That is entirely possible. I dug out my old 10 code sheet and looked at them. Most of the codes would be able to be used as is for even folks with super powers. One of the reasons we used code on the radio was to keep the channels free so that other officers and dispatch can communicate freely on the shared channels.

Also with 100 codes already trying to memorize or keep stright the ten codes would be quite a handful already.

To see the entire code list type in radio codes in google.

Just saw this on DVD this weekend after having had it sit around for a while.

Anyone else find Syndrome a bit reminiscent of Jim Carrey's performance as the Riddler? Don't know about the performance, but his appearance reminded me of John Lithgow in "Buckaroo Banzai".

Yes, he also reminded me of a short-lived animated character called Freakazoid (who himself was a ripoff of The Mask).

How is Elastigirl able to support the weight of van while clutching the rocket? This implies super strength worthy of Mr. Incredible. If her elasticity is like tensing a muscle, the weight of the van and clutching the rocket should have made her muscles extremely sore one would think.

It also seems that it would have been better for her to support it from the bottom. As it is, she's only holding up the entire van by the luggage rack -- is it really that strong?

Anyone notice the cameos by Ollie Johnston and Frank Thomas? Voiced by themselves, no less. They were the two old guys near the end talking about how they did it "old school". These were two of Disney's "Nine old men" of its animation heyday. They also appeared in animated form in The Iron Giant.

I noticed what might be a deliberate or accidental homage to the television series Jonny Quest (the original, of course). There is an episode called "Robot Spy" in which the spy is a seemingly indestructible spider robot. The robot traveled in a little ship which, except for its size, looked remarkably like the ship that flew the Omnidroid to the city.

I thought of Jonny Quest as well. The only thing missing was the sphere rearing back and blinking its "eye" in reaction to a tank blast (as shown in the opening credits of JQ).

I thought the movie was kinda long too, Gordon, but I agree, I'm not sure what exactly to cut.

I guess I didn't realize it was so long. I usually check the running times before watching a movie. Due to various circumstances I had to split my viewing of this one, and I was surprised that there was so much more left.

One of my Taekwondo students is the spitting image of Dash.

I was glad not to know who the voices were before watching the movie. I knew some of them sounded familiar. It's one reason why I prefer non-celebrity voices (yet good voice actors!) for an animated feature. If I know who it is it's hard not to make that connection with the face I know. I thought Helen's and Violet's voices were kind of well, weird for the characters. Loved the (facial) character design and barely restrained madness of Syndrome. Again, glad I didn't know Jason Lee voiced him until seeing the credits.

Influx: Yes, he also reminded me of a short-lived animated character called Freakazoid (who himself was a ripoff of The Mask).
Good grief, I thought I'd hallucinated the memory of that...

About Elastigirl and the van: my classical physics is a little rusty, but I'm fairly certain you don't need 'strength' per se to do this, merely a high degree of torsion (un-snappability). Now if she had tried to actually lift the van above its suspended position, THAT would be a nit.

Thande: Good grief, I thought I'd hallucinated the memory of that...

Hey, Freakazoid was brilliant! I'll never forget the absolutely hilarious episode guest-starring Norm Abram.

I remember the couple episodes of Freakazoid that I saw being unexpectedly good.

My question about her lifting the van was not that she could hold it, but how she was holding it. The van itself was being held by the luggage rack. (I could be wrong, I may have to check the scene again).

Influx: One of my Taekwondo students is the spitting image of Dash.
Luigi Novi: Wow, imagine a kid who could move as fast as Dash and knew Tae Kwon Do?

I felt like a moron for not noticing this earlier and you probably will too. When Helen is on the phone with Bob, she states that she has to go pick up the kids from school. Since she implies that she'll be doing it in a few minutes, it's presumably afternoon. Yet after Bob hangs up and suffers through Mr. Huph's rant, the P.A. announces, "Morning break is over."

Maybe they had a half day? ;)

When the robot performs the accidental chiropractory on Bob, he rips off the claw gripping his hands. My question is how did he free his feet? For that matter, how did he get his hands out of the claw, seeing how much trouble he had getting free of the detached claw in the final battle.

Well, remember that this was only the beta version...

Has anyone wondered why there's a van in Syndrome's Secret Underground Lair^TM? It's not like there's anywhere on the island to drive it.

It was a deux exmachina brand van.

Is that really the case (i.e., did you get it from some reference material), or did you just make it up?

On his trip to Nomanisan, Bob is offered some mimosa, presumably a beverage of some kind. According to my dictionary, mimosa is a genus of plants found in tropical areas. Nothing about it being a beverage. Is it just that my dictionary isn't complete enough?

It's really a drink.

A mimosa is OJ and Champagne. It's quite common at restaurant Sunday Brunches.

I think he was making a joke. Without the van there they wouldn't get off the island so it was a deux ex machina plot device. I didn't notic anything about the van on the dvd info secttion.

Admittedly, the populace was panic-stricken at the time. But you'd still think someone would have noticed that while Syndrome was doing his Thrilling Heroics^TM, the robot was standing absolutely still. I guess it shows that at heart, Syndrome is a coward.

Producer John Walker once proclaimed The Incredibles left no sequence unexploded. So, being a nitpicker, I decided to find out how many explosions there actually were. Turns out it's twenty-one, not as many as I originally thought. When I count an explosion, I mean an explosion. The omnidroid blowing out chunks of highway don't count. They are:

1. Bomb Voyage busts out of the vault.
2. The destruction of the L-train track.
3. The self-destructing message (though admittedly this was off-screen).
4. The depth charge Syndrome drops.
5. The testing of the Elastigirl costume's durability.
6. The plane is hit by missiles.
7. The disk Dash gets knocked off of runs into a cliff.
8. A disk crashes into a tree.
9. The disk which cut through a tree goes out of control and crashes.
10. A disk crashes into some of that lovely natural stonework.
11. The disks coming from opposite ends of the tunnel crash into each other.
12. When Dash and Violet are moving along in her force field, a disk get knocked over.
13. A disk gets hit by another disk flung by Mr. Incredible.
14. A tank is shot by the Omnidroid.
15. A helicopter goes down in front of Frozone's apartment.
16. A tanker truck is carelessly tossed by Syndrome.
17-18. Two cars are shot by the Omnidroid after Dash catches the remote.
19. The omnidroid self-destructs.
20. The sports car Mr. Incredible throws at Syndrome.
21. Syndrome's jet after he gets sucked into the intake.

I think that's all, though I might have missed one or two.

You have too much time on your hands*.


*Clever cover for the jealousy that I didn't think to do that first...

Yes. Yes, I do.

Maybe we could extend this to a full Damage Tote Board.

A damage tote board for a superhero movie is pretty much the synopsis of the movie... ;-)

I like that one, Zarm!

Yep pretty much. Especially a hulk or punisher one.

A while back, I was at the IMDB entry for The Incredibles and glanced down at the threads for the discussion board. Imagine how startled I was when one of them proclaimed The Incredibles was fascist propaganda. Apparently, you need to have an account to view message boards at IMDB. Since I'm not interested in getting one, I have no idea what it said. Anyone know if this was a joke or was this from a genuine screwball?

Registering with IMDb is free, Gordon. I've done it to read some of the threads that crop up there. (I have not posted there.)

That said, they're dead serious about the fascism thing. Apparently, it's a widespread notion on the 'Net. Among the links given as an example are:

Brutally Honest
Plugged In Online
Right Wing News
Toledo Talk
pfm.org

and

White Rose

I haven't read any of those links, so I don't know what to expect from them. Click on them at your own risk.

"No capes!"

What?!? I read Plugged In Online all the time, it's a great site that evaluates objectional content in films for family friendliness.

Anyway, I checked several of the links. Apparently, because Conservatives like the film and it has (gasp, the horror!) pro-family, pro-marriage messages, it is now "facist propaganda!"

I thought I had seen the limit of how disgusted I could get with people, but taking one of the cleanest, most family friendly and intellegent animated films of the decade and slandering it as 'facist propaganda?'

Excuse me while I go vomit. (P.S. If you were to question these people about just what aspects of the film bothered them so much, I'm sure it would be evident just what sick minds they really are... I mean, what would they answer? "It showed both parents alive and happy?" "It suggested that family is the most important things in life?" "It had a happy ending?" I mean, come on! Where's the propaganda here?)

I accidentally wound up on that site (Plugged In Online) and found it to be a bit too biased. But what else to expect from one of that quack Dobson's associate sites. I am not a fan of his.

But as for the Incredibles I liked it and most of my freinds certainly liked it. So it isnt every liberal who is put off by the family/marriage affirming themes in it.

"I accidentally wound up on that site (Plugged In Online) and found it to be a bit too biased."-R

A bit too biased in what way? The website is designed to provide movie reviews from a christian perspective... that's it's function. (Though I will admit that sometimes the judgements on content overshadow the judgements on artistic or story quality.)


"So it isnt every liberal who is put off by the family/marriage affirming themes in it."-R

Ummm... I'd like to hope that there aren't ANY Liberals (or Americans... or Humans) that would be put off by family/marriage affirming themes. :-)

Still, it's good to be reminded every now and again that some values on this board are bi-partisan.

The judgemental attitude of tying every little piece of content into a christian theme is what i meant by bias. sorry for not being clear enough.

And just because I'm aethiest and liberal doesnt mean i dont have some ethics and morals or strong family values.

Right. I understood what you said... but how does that represent bias when it's the site's function in the first place: To evaluate the movie on a Christian moral basis?

And no, I wasn't trying to imply that you don't have ethics or family values... I just find it said to suggest that there are any Liberals- or people for that matter- that don't.

Well aside from the usual bias "christian morals" induce/include they have a tendency from the handful of movie i looked up to find things that arnt there or otherwise try and hook everyhign into the christian bible.

Sorry just a bit sensitive about things given the recent past. Not trying to start anything. Lets just let this go as a difference of opinioin on the site and not worry about it.

Agreed.

This may be a bit OT, but I just finished the Incredibles PC game a while back, and I noticed something interesting... most of the control units in Syndrome's base use the sound for the targeting computer in Star Wars! Probably a pointless notation, but it just seemed unusual, because unlike some video game sound effects that pop up every other game, I don't think I've heard that one since it was in SW.

I watched this one again last night. Still great!

Someone up above commented on Helen's and Violet's voices. I'm not sure how you would describe the oddity in Helen's voice. It's almost as if she's chewing her cheeks while she's speaking. I'd have to watch again and listen specifically, but it sounded as though that "oddity" was more pronounced when she was "Elastigirl". When she was speaking to Edna, she introduced herself as Helen Parr, which Edna didn't comprehend. She went on, "...you know...." took a deep breath, and said "Elastigirl...." At that point, the cheek-chewing effect was very distinct. Perhaps she thickened her "accent" to distinguish one identity from the other.

As for Violet's voice, it seemed to fit with her shy, introverted persona. However, once she became more confident, I think it would have been appropriate to strengthen her voice, rather than leaving it sounding as if she was drugged up on something.

You get the impression that the Parrs have had to relocate several times in the past 15 years--presumably because Bob did something to give himself away. However...was Frozone such a great friend of Mr. Incredible that he insisted on relocating right along with him? Or were the Parrs relocated in the same city? How was it that Frozone still lived so close by?

When Helen returned from Edna's (Hey, lucky that Edna lived right close by to where the Parrs are living now--or did she insist on relocating with them, too?) she brought the children's outfits with her, although she apparently didn't intend on giving them to the kids. Perhaps she was going to pack them in her plane bag to keep them out of sight. However...where was Jack-Jack's suit? We only saw three outfits, each neatly folded beside each other on the bed. Where was the other one?

Perhaps precognition is one of Helen's latent superpowers. Everyone believed that Jack-Jack was a "normal" baby, yet Helen had the presence of mind to fit him with asbestos diapers that would not burn up when he became a living flame.

BTW, I loved the scene when Helen rescued Jack-Jack. The terrified baby, seeing that Mommy was there--and therefore everything would be all right--instantly stopped crying.

Dash must have gotten some of his speed genes from both of his parents. Both of them move very quickly when the situation calls for it.

Perhaps precognition is one of Helen's latent superpowers. Everyone believed that Jack-Jack was a "normal" baby, yet Helen had the presence of mind to fit him with asbestos diapers that would not burn up when he became a living flame.

Maybe Jack-Jack projects a shell or field of flame surrounding himself, and doesn't actually become a flame-being.

Someone up above commented on Helen's and Violet's voices. I'm not sure how you would describe the oddity in Helen's voice. It's almost as if she's chewing her cheeks while she's speaking. I'd have to watch again and listen specifically, but it sounded as though that "oddity" was more pronounced when she was "Elastigirl". When she was speaking to Edna, she introduced herself as Helen Parr, which Edna didn't comprehend. She went on, "...you know...." took a deep breath, and said "Elastigirl...." At that point, the cheek-chewing effect was very distinct. Perhaps she thickened her "accent" to distinguish one identity from the other.

Maybe it's just me, but I'm pretty sure that Holly Hunter sounds like she has that 'cheek-chewing' effect in her voice pretty often. I could be wrong, though, it's been a while since I've seen another of her movies.


When Helen returned from Edna's (Hey, lucky that Edna lived right close by to where the Parrs are living now--or did she insist on relocating with them, too?) she brought the children's outfits with her, although she apparently didn't intend on giving them to the kids. Perhaps she was going to pack them in her plane bag to keep them out of sight.

It's possible that Helen was considering going ahead and giving the kids the costumes.

However, given how pushy we've seen Edna to be, it's a safe bet that Helen would much prefer to have just left the costumes there and wasn't given a choice.


One thing I wonder, though... First, let's ignore the fact that Syndrome seems to be completely oblivious to the fact that 'real' heroes like he sees himself as generally don't go around killing other heroes. He seems delusional enough that we have to compensate for that. But even doing so, how does he expect to get around the Superhero Relocation Act and possibly getting sued by the public?

Let's assume for the moment that the SRA was voluntary and he could opt to ignore it while having to pay for his own lawsuits. Sure, he seems to be pretty rich, apparently being a big-time weapons designer, but would he go around being a 'real' hero with lawsuits launched at him left and right like so many gas trucks? Mr. Incredible was pretty careful, and he got sued by people he wasn't genuinely responsible for putting in danger.

How would Syndrome expect to deal with getting in all manner of legal trouble when he obviously has no sense of keeping collateral damage to a minimum?

Well since syndrome doesnt exactly have the whole hero attitude he might just arrange for an "accident" to take out anyone who sues him or otherwise make sure that the lawmakers understood he was not to be touched. An accident being some "villan" of his mannufacture takign out his enemy and he coming just too late to rescue them but just in time to avenge them.

At the end of the film, we see Dash's elementary school track meet. Violet is heard wondering why the cheerleaders have to be there. Now, this might be open to interpretation, but it seemed to me like she was refrencing cheerleaders from her school. If so, why were they there? Violet and Dash go to two separate schools!

Good question Sparrow but I think she was questioning why cheerleaders were at a track meet at all. That's like having them at a swim-meet or a baseball game.

The reds have cheerleaders now why not high/grade school? Besides everybody likes cheerleaders don't they?

(Seriously though) To give the cheerleaders somethign to do besides at basketball or football games?

The Reds have cheerleaders? Really? Huh, I find that odd.

Yep they have them. They are called the MDX Red Crew as they are sponsored by Mountain Dew as a showcase for their new energy drink. From the Enquirer report about this:

"Clutching red pompoms and sporting form-fitting outfits that offer a new take on the traditional baseball uniform, the Reds Crew is an offshoot of the more conservatively attired Pepsi Reds Rally Pack that launches T-shirts into the stands and dances atop the dugouts.

Three or four Reds Crew members work weekday games and four or five work weekend games. Each works under an independent-contractor agreement with the team and is paid based on the number of games worked.

"We're not here to 'flaunt,' for the lack of a better term," said Reds Crew supervisor Allison Leonard, a former Ben-Gals cheerleader. "We want the girls to be collegiate and classy and sporty."

AFAIK they are getting a mixed reaction. Generally down the gender lines if you can believe that. ;-)

Are they actually "cheerleaders" or just some chics who toss out free stuff and advertise soda? Either way, cheerleaders at track and swim meets are more distracting than helpful; baseball games are actually understandable though.

Well they actually have both. One's called the cheer crew and are dressed in Tshirts and shorts (the ones with the air cannons to launch tshirts and junk between innings and when they get a run or homer) while the others are called the MDX crew and are more like regular cheerleaders in tight tops and short shorts (and do dance routines and other cheerleader type stuff including public appearances to promote the reds games).

Finally, it took almost an hour to get through this thread of nits.

Some Comments:

I wasn't too pleased with the bad guy in the end. He wasn't human... it made the movie seem less James Bond like and too cartoon-comicbook like.

This wasn't any indication of this, so it might not be a nit, but doesn't the omnidroid have 2 guns? One on each Eye-Piece?
-----------------------

Some Comments in Response to other Comments

Someone commented that it was too long a movie...

well if you cut out the slower parts..

- we'd lose the gag about her butt
- the sprinkler gag
- Elastigirl showing off her powers
- plot developments that would otherwise require spoken exposition (seeing the rockets and so forth while hitching a ride)
- the walk through Edna's place (Milan Darling...)

Basically we'd lose a lot of the humor.

During the attack on the plane, Elastigirl cries out that there are children on board, and Mirage reacts visibly. This seems to mark the first stage in her change of loyalties. However--this is the same woman who presumably watched, unmoved, as a whole plethora of Supers were slaughtered, one by one.

Note the terrorist attack at a school in Chechnia (SP?) that killed over a hundred people, mostly kids... well killing kids was too much for some people that had no issue killing adults and so forth as some of the criticism over the attack indicated . Even some criminals are like that, some will think its wrong to rape a woman, but have no problem killing other men.


You think there's anything to make of the fact that Bob's and Dash's boots are calf high while Helen's and Violet's are thigh high? -Gordon Lawyer

If you didn't catch the ending credits, this film had gags meant to highlight a certain period or style of bond movies... 70's etc.

What gets me is- why did Helen go to get changed in a teeny tiny bathroom when she thought she was the only one on the plane? -MrPorter

Do you close the door when you use the bathroom? Even when no one is around?

----------------------

Some Nits:

> When Mr. I throws the rail pod at two guards and smashes them (and the gate). you can hear one of the guards groan in pain... I'd think being smashed by a car (especially at that speed)would be fatal, or at leat, knock you out completely.

> The jumper should still be dead. A vertical free fall instantaniously changing to pure horizontal motion would still be deadly.

> When the plane explodes, she's not holding the bag with the supplies (masks), yet in the cave, they have it. Actually its in the life raft well, you know what I mean...

> If the supersuits Edna was showing Helen were the actual suits, does each suit have a hole where that pole was used to hold up the suit during the demo?

> That Was Incredibly Wicked boy should have been killed when the house exploded.

> and of course... Mr. I replants a full grown tree after ripping it out of the ground... (not to mention that tree's root system was kind of pathetic... and Mr. I holding that tree should have tipped over due to Center of Gravity not being where Mr. I was standing.

> During the fire rescue, Frozone is also carrying 3 or 4 people, is he that strong?

Nits 1, 2, and 5: It's a Disney movie, for heaven's sake! (Of course, as nitpickers, we don't deal in reality...) :-)

Torque, If you're referring to my previous comments on the subject, what I said was that a lot of critics thought it was too long. While I mused that a few parts dragged after multiple viewings, I also stated that I coundn't think of anything which could be cut in good conscience.

I'd think being smashed by a car (especially at that speed)would be fatal, or at leat, knock you out completely.

I know, I guess they figured they had killed enough people in the course of the movie and two guards' death by crushing might be too much.

The jumper should still be dead. A vertical free fall instantaniously changing to pure horizontal motion would still be deadly.

Sansweet should be dead, but people have survived traumas like that in miraculous ways. He did break bones and lived in (if we can believe his lawyer) daily pain.

During the fire rescue, Frozone is also carrying 3 or 4 people, is he that strong?

Obviously he is, otherwise we wouldn't have seen it. :-)

Thanks for the info R, I didn't know that. IMO though, if they really want people to cheer at a baseball game they'll lower the price of beer a couple bucks, to a sane price, and get rid of the cheer crew to make up the money.

yeah, I know that it was critics who thought the movie was too long. sorry, I should have clarified that bit.

and seeing how we're talking about nits...

Edna won't touch other tissues, she has something to incinerate things like that...

YET SHE'S WALKING ON THE COUNTER TOP!!

oh, and when that drill thing came up through the ground...

Aren't its tank treads sticking out too far? I'd think the drill bit wouldn't move the dirt that far out... Not to mention the drill bit wouldn't allow the machine to pass through the ground as there's no place for the dirt to be relocated to.

Inblackestnight. No problem. Yeah they could lower the prices a bit. The same price for a single beer at the ballpark equalling a sixpack outside is rather insane.

As for Edna walking on the counters but not touching tissues maybe she is really grossed by snot but not have a problem with her shoes as she has dirt repelling soles or something super.

I got this on ebay around Thanksgiving, and jotted down some other nits. I hope/think these haven't been stated already:

He should’ve gone to Captain Career, the employment agency for former superheroes
I think I asked before why Bob didn’t go into a more fulfilling occupation instead of being a heartless insurance assessor. But what occupation did he work in prior to the Relocation Program in his civilian identity? Why not go back into that? And if he worked for the government or some private enterprise, why not continue to work for them in a more low-key but still more fulfilling assignment? Even if he doesn’t like pushing pencils, wouldn’t it still be more fulfilling for him to do so at say, the FBI, or a police precinct, than at a heartless insurance company where he has to feel lousy about denying coverage to poor old policy holders?
At least it’s better than the original cut, in which Samuel Jackson screamed, “YES, he deserved to be frozen, and I HOPES HE FREEZES IN HELL!!!!!!”
Lucius freezing that cop in the jewelry store should’ve suffocated that cop. He should’ve frozen everything but his face, or cracked the ice on his face, or waited to see if the other cops did before taking off. Not doing so was somewhat less heroic.
Wow, selfless heroes who not only risk their lives for others, but they’re neat, too!
The people that Bob and Lucius rescue from the burning building should be covered in soot and ash, but are perfectly clean when the cops find them after the duo escape.
No, but it does sound like their friends. The island is on loan from Jack Abramoff, and that Omnidroid looks like something Ken Lay designed.
Mirage tells Bob in her first message to him that she represents a government agency who constructed the Omnidroid. But after he defeats it, they meet for dinner, and they talk about his “host”, who she says built his headquarters on the island because he’s attracted to power, etc., which doesn’t sound like the government.
All part of the drone’s “Ah, screw it” subroutine.
After Mr. Incredible’s first battle with the now-adult Syndrome, he flees over a waterfall, and escapes a bomb that Syndrome drops into the water by swimming to an underground cave, where he finds Gazerbeam’s corpse. Syndrome sends a flying remote scanner drone (Syndrone?) to scan the area for Incredible, who evades its scan by hiding behind Gazerbeam’s corpse. The drone then reports back to Syndrome, “Life readings negative. Mr. Incredible terminated.” Syndrome happily accepts this report. Why did he program the drone to form this conclusion simply at not finding the target? Shouldn’t it just say that the target wasn’t found? If a corpse can mask the lifesigns of someone hiding behind it, shouldn’t Syndrome know that?
Wow, next to her, Ralph Lauren and Donatella Versace really blow
When Helen meets with Edna for the first time in years, Edna shows her costumes are custom made and adapted for Violet’s invisibility and Dash’s speed. She says that since she didn’t know Jack-Jack’s powers, she just covered the basics for him. Helen then informs her that Jack-Jack doesn’t have any powers. This makes sense, since Edna has been out of the loop for years with regard to Bob and Helen, and probably didn’t even know that they were a couple, particularly given her surprised reaction when Helen calls Edna. So how did Edna know that Dash was a speedster and that Violet had invisibility powers?
And you thought Batman was irresponsible with the kids he was responsible for…
Rather than leaving Violet and Dash home alone by themselves when she runs off to find Bob, shouldn’t Helen inform Rick Dicker, their contact at the Relocation Program? He could not only alert other agencies in the government that Bob’s gone missing (and should already be investigating the death and disappearance of all the other former superheroes, for that matter), but they could mount a more substantial rescue, since Helen has the homing device and knows exactly where Bob is. They could also provide a more informed and well-trained babysitter for the kids. Instead, she runs off and flies a plane herself to that island, which only creates the possibility that she herself might get captured or killed, and leave the kids orphans.
“Uh, Houston, we have a plot problem……Houston, we have a seriously plot problem here…”
Why does Syndrome go through the trouble and expense of launching that giant Omnidroid 9000 at the city with a rocket that launches into orbit and then drops its front payload back into Earth’s atmosphere? Why not just launch it with a plane?
He mistook FEMA for NORAD and hoped that Michael Brown guy wouldn’t notice…
And didn’t it occur to him that the government could track the Omnidroid from the rocket, and the rocket from Syndrome’s island? Since Syndrome may have stealth technology (which Mirage mentioned the Omnidroid had when giving Mr. Incredible his first assignment), I could buy that he could camouflage a plane from detection, but an entire rocket launch?

Luigi: Rather than leaving Violet and Dash home alone by themselves when she runs off to find Bob, shouldn’t Helen inform Rick Dicker, their contact at the Relocation Program?

Keep in mind that Helen believed at the time that Bob was having an affair. She probably preferred that the government not be directly involved in what she would regard as a personal matter.

She charted a plane to a mysterious island because she thought he was having an affair? I don't think that's it. An affair might've been one possibility she pondered before seeing that he was on a remote island, but I think that she realized at that point that he was up to his old superhero habits, since she knows that he and Lucius had a habit of doing that, as when they saved those people from that burning building.

Luigi, next time you post 10+ nits for something, why not bring back that red letter gag we all miss...

Done.

After Mr. Incredible’s first battle with the now-adult Syndrome, he flees over a waterfall, and escapes a bomb that Syndrome drops into the water by swimming to an underground cave, where he finds Gazerbeam’s corpse. Syndrome sends a flying remote scanner drone (Syndrone?) to scan the area for Incredible, who evades its scan by hiding behind Gazerbeam’s corpse. The drone then reports back to Syndrome, “Life readings negative. Mr. Incredible terminated.” Syndrome happily accepts this report. Why did he program the drone to form this conclusion simply at not finding the target? Shouldn’t it just say that the target wasn’t found? If a corpse can mask the lifesigns of someone hiding behind it, shouldn’t Syndrome know that?

No, the drone was looking for either a live super, or the body of a dead super. It couldn't distinguish between supers. It found a super's corpse and thus concluded Mr. Incredible was dead.

This makes sense, since Edna has been out of the loop for years with regard to Bob and Helen, and probably didn’t even know that they were a couple, particularly given her surprised reaction when Helen calls Edna. So how did Edna know that Dash was a speedster and that Violet had invisibility powers?

Nope. Edna was at Bob and Helen's wedding. And it seems probable that she'd have heard from them a sufficent number of years before so that she'd know what Dash's and Violet's powers are. She just hadn't talked to them much (or at all) since Jack-Jack was born.

Rather than leaving Violet and Dash home alone by themselves when she runs off to find Bob, shouldn’t Helen inform Rick Dicker, their contact at the Relocation Program?

Helen, this entire time, has been willing to wash her hands of the past. I doubt she'd go to Dicker with something she feels capable of handling herself.

Snick: It found a super's corpse and thus concluded Mr. Incredible was dead.
Luigi Novi: I hadn't thought of that. But still, knowing that his drone would do that, why would he not have removed Gazerbeam's corpse after he was killed?

Snick: Nope. Edna was at Bob and Helen's wedding.
Luigi Novi: I missed/forgot that. Thanks.

Snick: Helen, this entire time, has been willing to wash her hands of the past. I doubt she'd go to Dicker with something she feels capable of handling herself.
Luigi Novi: I don't see what washing her hands of the past has to do with that. Whhotp should merely mean that she's accepted her current role as a wife and mother, and that unlike Bob, she's responsible enough not to jaunting off do so undercover super work while listening to police scanners. It doesn't mean that if an emergency comes up, that she's not going to do the proper thing in responding to it. She's smart enough to know that there is a risk she'd be killed. Doing what she did was not the best course of action. As a compromise, I could've at least understoof if she was so unable to sit back that she'd go to the island and alert Dicker. But to not leave word with him in doing so was just plain unwise, IMO.

Luigi Novi: I hadn't thought of that. But still, knowing that his drone would do that, why would he not have removed Gazerbeam's corpse after he was killed?

He may not have realized his drone would fall into that particular loophole. He did make the much more massive and dangerous logical fallacy that his Omnidroid would not see him as a threat. :-)

But to not leave word with him in doing so was just plain unwise, IMO.

Yes, she was unwise. Then again, the entire time she wasn't thinking clearly, her husband was (she believed) having an affair. And, she only set out on the trip because Edna prodded her to. Edna, in their little discussion, emphasized Helen's need to be self-confident and take the problem in hand. It was just a rash move, on both of their parts.

LN: Rather than an insurance company, why didn't Bob go into something more physical, perhaps something that would allow him to work outdoors, like construction?
I haven't seen/read any extra stuff on this movie, aside from here, concerning Bob's backgound but maybe Bob has a degree in something related to insurance. Sure his job makes him miserable but many people get degrees they don't think they'll use, like professional atheletes.

Gordon: There is a noticable Simpsons influence. The line, "Kids, listen to your mother," sounds like something Homer Simpson would say (and he probably has).
I'm a pretty big Simpsons fan and I don't recall Homer saying this, but he has told Bart & Lisa to ask their mother something he didn't want to answer a number of times.

DKH: However--this is the same woman who presumably watched, unmoved, as a whole plethora of Supers were slaughtered, one by one.
Gordon: Presumably Mirage isn't quite as ruthless as Syndrome and has qualms about killing children.
Yes but surely she'd have to consider that Syndrome's ultimate plan could've hurt/killed children. It also appeared that she was the one who researched the supers and if even one had a family she would've hurt children in other ways. This may not be a nit but to me it seems a convenient/unlikely time for this realization.

Time for board 2?

By Blitz, March 19 2005

---

quote:

After all, Mr. Incredible doesn't have his car anymore, and I sure can't picture him just giving it away.

---

In the plane, Elastigirl goes into the restroom to change. Why? She has an ENTIRE plane to herself (or so she thinks...). The restroom on a plane is really small. Why not change in the main cabin where there's a lot of room?

That was actually brought up in posts from May 12, 2005. Some people are just uncomfortable getting undressed in such an open space. In a cramped restroom, you can be reasonably sure there aren't any invisible Peeping Toms sharing your space. Incorporeal Peeping Toms are another matter.

Darn. I looked for it here, but missed it. Thanks, Gordon.