Blog 4: The Incredibles

One of my favorite movies while I was growing up was The Incredibles. It is the story about a family of super heroes who struggle to fit in because super powers have been banned by the government. The father, Mr. Incredible misses his life of adventure when he was fighting crime but because the government views them as a risk to public safety, he can no longer do what he wants. However, when he is chosen by a suspicious woman who needs his help on a remote island to fight robots, he jumps on the opportunity. While I loved the movie because of its humor, action, and story, I never really paid attention to the messages it implied. My top three are that it shows children to be themselves, teamwork is crucial to success, and to not dwell in the past.

Throughout the beginning of the movie the two kids, Violet and Dash have trouble fitting in at school because the other kids and faculty are aware of their powers. No guys really want to hangout with Violet because they think she is different. And Dash gets accused of things he didn't do simply because of his powers. For example, someone put a tac on the teacher's chair and because of Dash's super speed he is immediately the first suspect. Also, He can not go out for sports because it would not be fair to the other kids. The movie teaches us to stand out and be the best we can be. The second Violet accepts that her powers are gifts and not curses everyone begins to love her and the guys want to be with her. 

The Second lesson is that teamwork is crucial.The villian of the movie, Syndrome, is a hot headed guy who thinks he is the smartest man ever. He has no friends or other super villains on his side.On, the other hand, Mr. Incredible has his family along with his best friend Frozone. He has an entire team that makes it possible to achieve success. That is what the movie is ultimately trying to convey, that success is only possible when you have those who care for you and are willing to work together with you to succeed.

Lastly, the movie teaches us not to dwell in the past. Many of the problems to begin with come from Mr. Incredibles past. Because of those problems he forces himself to stick with a boring job and attempt to be a regular boring dad. While on the Island Violet constantly remembers that her powers were the reason no really liked her in the first place, so she is hesitant to use them when her family needs them the most. One of the characters, Edna Mode has a great quote in the film. She says, "I never look back darling, it distracts me from the now." The movie is trying to teach us that dwelling over your mistakes you've made only hinders you're ability to do better in the future. Of course, you can learn from them, but if you define yourself by them, you will run into trouble.

The Incredibles has many life lessons that now that I am older, I can understand and use in my life.