Simple Superheroes

The Incredibles is a children's movie about superheroes, so don't expect any Christopher Nolan style narrative insanity. This ain't Memento. It's Pixar.

It goes a little like this: Superhero meets bad guy. Superhero gets captured by bad guy. Superhero is freed and kicks bad guy butt. 

If you've seen a superhero movie, then you've seen some variation of this story before—and that's not even a diss. Superhero fiction is its own genre with its own set of narrative conventions and techniques, so we shouldn't be surprised that The Incredibles so snugly fits the mold.

The one bit of narrative fun being played is giving the family different sets of information leading up to their encounter with Syndrome. Helen thinks Bob is cheating on her. Bob thinks the family is dead. And the kids don't even know what's to think. By keeping each of the characters in the dark, in some way, the film manages to build tension in an otherwise straightforward narrative.