I love The Incredibles movie. This Pixar-produced effort, released under the guise of Disney, is their most elaborate and jam-packed film yet, focusing on the life of a family of superheroes as they try to adjust to normalcy. Credit Brad Bird, the man behind the movie The Iron Giant, for crafting such a piece of work. Now, the question is, would THQ be able to make a game of the same caliber with the license? Fortunately, The Incredibles is better than past THQ efforts, but it's a very average platform game.

In the game, you take control of Bob Parr and all the individual family members: Violet (the daughter, who can use invisibility), Elastigirl (the wife, who can stretch her limbs with ease), and Dash (the speedy little son). The game begins just like the movie, focusing on Bob as Mr. Incredible, the top-notch superhero. You learn that superheroes find themselves facing lawsuits from some of their rescued victims, which prompts them to go into hiding, but something soon calls the family into action, a vicious villain by the name of Syndrome who's about to release a robotic hellion upon the city.

The Incredibles features slick production values. The levels themselves are huge and wonderfully designed, from the cityscape that shows buildings as far as the eye can see to jungles with lush, tropical foliage. The animation for each character is top notch, especially Elastigirl, whose limbs seem to have a life of their own. The levels also blend in with the movie clips almost seamlessly to give the appearance that you're in the movie. There are moments when some slight slowdown comes into play, as well as some slight camera annoyances here and there, but the game generally looks good.

It also features a different variety of stages and techniques to master throughout the game. Mr. Incredible has your typical range of combat moves, while Elastigirl can use her limbs for slinging enemies toward objects and grabbing things grappling-hook style to swing to ledges. Violet's stages work with stealth-like capabilities, where you have to sneak past enemies and get into particular areas without being noticed. The best stages, I think, belong to Dash, as you race the little tyke down city streets toward particular goals, like getting to school on time. The ability to ride around in vehicles in shooting stages and roll the family into one big ball of destruction are nice as well.

The problem is, the game could have ten times more technique and it still won't get anywhere without precise control. The gameplay feels alright throughout the adventure, but there are some precision problems here and there that get in the way. For instance, you'll find Bob trapped in a burning building, having to throw objects at flame-thrower-carrying enemies to proceed. If he misses a throw and runs out of objects, he'll have to fight hand-to-hand, which is very frustrating. Also, I noticed grappling objects isn't as easy as it should be, as you have to wait for a light-up meter to come into play, indicating that an item can be grabbed. This can be frustrating when you're being pounded by enemies. Violet's stage is also anger-inducing, as you run out of your Incredible power rather quickly and have to resort to getting caught a few times before you can proceed, and even Dash's free run to school can get tiring, as you find yourself starting over in the same spot if you hit a car or truck.

Another thing I noticed was the sound. The music is very good, for the most part, and the sound effects seem to fit the superhero mold, but the voice work is a problem. It's not like the fill-in actors don't get the job done, because they do. The problem lies in the repetition of particular voice samples, like Elastigirl's comments on beating down bad guys repeating over and over again, or Dash continuing to compliment himself as he gets faster and faster. This should've been remedied in the development stages, but, alas, it wasn't.

The game does feature a huge handful of extras, including movie clips, artwork that can be unlocked, and downloadable goodies via Xbox Live, including a brand new level. But there's no multiplayer in sight, which is a bummer. After all, how are you supposed to prove who's the best in the family if you can't get them together for a face-off?

Like I said, The Incredibles isn't that bad of a game. It looks fantastic and has certain things to its credit that work better than in most movie-licensed games. But the nagging problems with the gameplay and sound may keep some of you turned off, and the challenge level may be a little too much to bear for the kids who loved the film. Give it a rental and see if it suits your super senses.