Incredibles thoughts

I so want to see this movie again. Barring that, I’m just listening to the soundtrack a lot …

SPOILERS BELOW (just in case you haven’t seen it, in which case, what the hell are you waiting for? Yes, I mean you, Mom & Dad …)

Two questions I’d not thought of until the past viewing:

1. So what’s been going on in the world since the heroes went away? How is law enforcement handling super-villains like Bomb Voyage or the Underminer? Or did they go away, too, at the same time, validating the “super-villains are really spawned by super-heroes” meme per Alan Moore? Which makes Syndrome a left-over from the old days. Perhaps some supers were still employed by the Feds in covert roles to deal with metahuman menaces. Or perhaps the Feds are the ones who were buying hardware from Syndrome …
2. So what about the other heroes? The Feds obviously kept tabs on them after they went underground (just like Bob). Didn’t they, um … notice that a bunch of them were, well, gone missing?

Listening to the music, I am struck (in reminiscence) by the amazing amount of raw emotion that spills out in this film. It’s amazing. Three scenes in the middle strike me this way in particular:

1. The “Kronos Unveiled” scene (CD track 9) — Bob gets onto the computer and discovers what Syndrome has been up to, and what’s happened to all his past friends and colleagues (many of whom were at his wedding fergoshsakes). His growing horror at that, his brief relief at discovering his wife’s identity is safe, his realization that the plot is imminent — and then his marvelously crafted, and stunningly non-violent overpowering and capture.

   And all of that is interspersed with Helen’s realization (with Edna’s prodding) that Bob’s been leading a secret life … and what that means to her and her family.

2. The “Missile Lock” scene (CD track 11) — Helen shows professionalism, confidence, resourcefulness, and heroism, Syndrome shows his psychopathy more clearly than ever before, Bob is stunningly anguished, Violet is panicked, Dash is … well, panicked, too. An incredibly moving (and scary) scene.

3. The “I could break her like a toothpick” scene (no CD track) — Bob’s anguish coming to the fore with an heroic effort, driven by grief to the edge of murderous rage; Syndrome accurately guessing Bob’s “goodness” would trump even that; the groundwork laid for (via Mirage) the ultimate triumph of good.

That these three scenes, interlocked, are at the very middle of the film — the twist pulling us away from the initial “mid-life crisis” story, and leading to the action-packed “a family of heroes” extended climax — is part of what makes this move so very special.

Damn. Want to see it again. When’s the DVD coming out?