May 6, 20216 min read

Invincible: Your Blood doesn't define your Choices

Updated: Jan 30, 2023

Reviews by:

@the_owlseyes
@vreviews

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We thought that Amazon was done after The Boys. The company's first dip in the superhero craze has showed that an R rated series about smudgy icons could find a place in a world dominated by Marvel and DC. They wanted to offer us an alternative to the hopeful narrative we are used: heroes and villains are poles which have to be counterposed. An idea which could become old after a while. The producers Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg cracked the powerful image of the MCU, now they're doing the same with the superhero coming of age and the fatherly issue tropes which appears in characters like Spider-Man. After Superman they've decided to deconstruct another popular hero. This is super exciting for the genre's future.

PLOT

"An adult animated series based on the Skybound/Image comic about a teenager whose father is the most powerful superhero on the planet" or "A superpowered abusive father with narcissistic tendencies screws badly his family and the world".

SCRIPT

This story isn't just about superpowers and their price, it's also about the troubled relationship between a son and a father who isn't an earthling. The series underlines from the first episode what could happen between them and the crude reality of this universe. No one is safe and death hangs on everyone's head. It defies superhero tropes like the first day of a teenage hero on the battlefield, the foreign saviour and the love interests. The last point is badly executed, because the main love interest acts in an unbelievable way, disrupting, for a moment, the credibility of the plot. Apart from that, everything seems to have a purpose, even the moments which seem like fillers. The series plot twist is pretty effective, even though there're a lot of red herrings, because it tears down Superman's core ideology. There's a subplot which seems inconsequential, the Robot's one, and I think that it would've been better to cut it out, because the plot twist isn't satisfactory. There's been set the basis of a good universe with a lot of good ideas and I hope that most of the unrisolved questions will get an answer in second season, because the end left everyone hanging. Overall is a pretty good script and the main characters get a satisfying arch, especially Mark, which is able to mantain a good momentum and deliver something new and unexpected every episode.

Script: 8/10

ACTING

There're a lot of talented actors here. To mention some of them: J.K. Simmons, Steven Yeun, Sandra Oh, Ezra Miller, Walton Goggins, Mark Hamill, Jon Hamm and Mahershala Ali. If they don't get you hooked enough consider that every performance is top notch and every voice fits perfectly its character. Steven Yeun is very good at portraying this naive, optimistic and shy superhero who tries to take the best choice every time. And J.K. Simmons is the best thing which ever happened to the superhero's genre.

Acting: 8/10

PHOTOGRAPHY

It's a very bright show which has moment of over the top gore. It's very graphic, which makes it special but could be hard to watch if you don't have guts. Nothing really imaginative is done with color and the style remains consistent for all the series. Space's scenes are good but they stick to realism so don't expect something exceptional.

Photography: 6/10

EDITING

Nothing original to say about it. You can find transitions which are common in the animation's medium but they don't experiment with it. Freeze frame and slow motion are use gingerly to improve the drama of certain scenes or to expose the high levels of gore. It tries to stick to the comics style but it doesn't want to do its own thing.

Editing: 5/10

SPECIAL EFFECTS

It's an animated show which knows how to dose and where to use the cgi. Sometimes the animation is a bit clunky but overall it's an harmless ride(if you don't consider the blood). Maybe you'll notice that the animation style is similar to other Marvel animated series like Avengers Assemble and Ultimate Spider-Man, that's because the director has worked on them before Invincible.

Special Effects: 6/10

SOUNDTRACK

It's not remarkable but it isn't bad. It's clear that it tries to appeal to a young generation by using catchy songs which fit the series tone. In some ways it's similar to Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse but music isn't used in an organic way and it doesn't affect the plot. It's more like a background sound which, sometimes, has good ideas.

Soundtrack: 5/10

COSTUMES

They're ok but there's nothing interesting about them. As a superhero series this section is pretty stale and sufficent as it is. It's hard to say that the Invincible's suit is iconic, because for me it's the usual leotard. That's a letdown but it doesn't ruin the show.

Costumes: 6/10

CONCLUSION

Script: 8/10

Acting: 8/10

Photography: 6/10

Editing: 5/10

Special Effects: 6/10

Soundtrack: 5/10

Costumes: 6/10

AVERAGE: 6,28

It's entertaining series which addresses important isssues about family and power, while deconstructing familiar superhero tropes in an edgy and gory way. The main concept is pretty interesting and I hope that it'll build on it with care. Sometimes the series falls in the genre's cliches but it's able to redeem itself by presenting something unexpected in the next scene. This is a good show to get something different from the usual superhero's contents. It's not as shocking as The Boys but it amps up the gore and it could be satisfying if you like a bloodier approach to the genre. One thing is certain, we need more of this kind of shows.

By @the_owlseyes

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9/10 ★

Amazon Prime's new addition seems to be an interesting journey regarding animated shows.

Plot:

Mark Grayson is a teenager who struggles with an uncommon problem: he's the son of the Earth's greatest superhero. Suddenly, he develops superpowers but Nolan, his father, doesn't seem too pleased about it. Soon, Mark'll discover the true about his father and his intentions.

Overall Opinion:

I must admit that I'm not precisely a fan of animated TV Shows, but this is one of the few exceptions. And guys... it's an amazing show! It's highly different to what we're used to see and it's definitely not for children. It's no news that superhero stories are lacking originality, since they always follow the same story patterns. However, "Invincible" adds other elements which made the story far more interesting. Mark has to face some serious traumas and ask himself if all these risks are worthy in order to protect people. I think there are some ideological and philosophical issues hidden in the story, especially regarding what does it really mean to be a hero. There's a lot violence and pretty graphic scenes.

Overall, I think the future of superhero genre should follow a more "adult approach". Thus, it would be focused on telling more realistic stories, in terms of how human relationships work. We know that not everything is happiness and love. By the end of the day, there's always something bothering us. What if the hero can't save every person in the falling building? What if one of the team members betrays the others? What if you kill a bunch of people trying to save others? What if your own family betrays you? Those kind of questions make interesting and more relatable stories and I think it would be amazing to apply this concept to superheroes.

Characters and Performances:

The main characters here are developed amazingly. Firstly, as I've already mentioned, Mark/Invincible (voiced by Steven Yeun) is a young guy who has to deal with a bunch of issues: He gets superpowers at a relatively "late" age; then, he struggles with a romantic relationship; most importantly, he discovers that his father is a f*cking liar and a murderer who stands against everything he believes in.

Then, we have my personal favorite: Omni Man/Nolan Grayson, voiced by the genius J.K. Simmons. Nolan comes from a planet called Viltrum, in which every habitant has super-human powers, such as super-strength, speed, flight and super-hearing. He knows exactly what he has to do and he won't let anything or anyone get in his way, even if that someone is his own son.

Finally, Debbie Grayson is Nolan's human wife and Mark's mom. She's such a sweet woman, a devoted wife and very careful mother. She's the first one who starts to suspect on Nolan's bad intentions, since he behaves weirdly. When the truth finally sees the light, she breaks down in pain and tears, but she never forgets she has a son and no matter how powerful he can be, she will always be there to protect him.

Year: 2021

Director: Robert Kirkman

Genre: Action, Animation, Drama

Cast: Steven Yeun, J.K. Simmons, Sandra Oh, Zazie Beetz, Grey Griffin, Kevin Michael Richardson, Zachary Quinto, Clancy Brown, Walton Goggins, Gillian Jacobs, Jason Mantzoukas, Mark Hamill, Khary Payton, Mahershala Ali, Seth Rogen, Jon Hamm, Lauren Cohan, Michael Cudlitz, Djimon Hounsou, Ezra Miller, Andrew Rannells

Runtime: 2h 12 min

Qualification: 8/10

By @vreviews

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