Based upon Robert Kirkman's (The Walking Dead) acclaimed comic book, Amazon Prime's gruesome superhero series Invincible has been the subject of much praise for its unapologetically gory approach to Western animation.
Invincible follows high schooler Mark (Recent Oscar-nominee Steven Yeun) as we struggles to meet his superhero father's (J.K. Simmons) expectations of greatness, while juggling and social life and typical pubescent romantic dilemmas. On paper it sounds like your typical hero origin narrative, and initially this is what Invincible has you believe throughout its leisurely first episode. Without the camp and Mouse-house intervention, Invincible almost feels like Disney's early-2000s family action-comedy, Sky High (the greatest of compliments I assure you). But oh, how misleading those first 40-minutes are...
Invincible's soon-revealed shocking level of animated violence is bound to feel very much like a ballsy shōnen series to anyone familiar with anime, and no doubt this is were the franchise takes much of its inspiration. However, it is hard to talk about Invincible without mentioning just how disappointingly average some of its animation actually is, especially for a series produced in associated with such a financial powerhouse like Amazon. Invincible excels in its gruesome violence, and it is clear that this is where the majority of the animation budget and time was placed (though ultimately, with good reason). Regrettably however, as a result many of Invincible's set-pieces feel empty, and action shots such as those when Mark and fellow heroes and villains are flying appear rushed and without the care and attention to detail they could have been given. It would have been welcome to see the animation department offered the time and resources needed to make Invincible as consistently good as its most violent and action-packed scenes are.
Another of Invincible's setbacks derives from the series' most prominent secondary narrative, which is that of Mark's relationship with is girlfriend Amber (Zazie Beetz). While Amber's frustrations regarding Mark's frequent jilting of their dates is initially understandable, and not at all unlike many a comic book romance, this sympathy is lost quickly during the series' 7th episode. It is revealed that Amber was aware of Mark's secret identity for a great extent of time, and thus her anger at Mark seems not only unwarranted but also largely unfair. In fact, only one episode prior, Amber chastises and breaks off her relationship with Mark after he supposedly "runs away" during a villain encounter on a collage campus they had visited with friends. Yet, all the while Amber knew full-well Mark was fighting the foe as Invincible. The glaring plot-hole of Amber's frustrations greatly damages the likability of her character, who rapidly transforms from sympathetic to arrogant and selfish.
Amber's character has subsequently become a large target for online insult. And as such, a dialogue should be opened regarding the changes made to Amber in the series compared to that of Kirkman's original comic, in which she is depicted as a white woman. While Amber's on-screen depiction as a black woman was a welcome one- especially considering the lack of POC women in roles as a heroes' primary romantic partner- this was sadly distorted when Amber's narrative became saturated by her frustrations with Mark. Resultantly, Invincible fell into some troubling negative stereotypes surrounding black women as "angry" and "domineering", a problematic narrative thread which has left somewhat of a sour taste. It is truly disappointing, given the series' efforts to shape its leading cast of characters in such a way that reflects our modern world. And while it is a delight to see an Asian-American superhero received with such wide praise, is difficult to ignore that the same positive reception has not been offered to Amber, the series' only notable black female character.
Further on the topic of Invincible's characters, perhaps the main draw to the series for many was its impressively A-List voice cast. Yet, given the inconstancies in the strength of Invincible's animation, it is not difficult to lament on over what could have been achieved were the the series granted a larger animation budget over what seems to have been offered to the casting department. There are some obvious exceptions to this, with the voices of the core Grayson family- also including the fantastic Sandra Oh- all perfectly cast. The likes of Yeun, Simmons, and Oh are all well-established voice-actors in their own right, and each offer superbly emotional performances that excel in lifting scenes which are at times otherwise visually uninteresting. Of similar praise is voice-acting legend Mark Hamill, who plays superhero tailor Art Rosenbaum, and Clancy Brown, a demon detective hot on Omni-Man's trail. Sadly both of these characters only play a supporting role in the series thus far, though will hopefully make a larger appearance in the future in order to truly make use of their voice-acting talents.
Yet while these notable names are obviously strong, and the vocal performances of Invincible's supporting cast also (for the most part) solid; it is hard to ignore that even for the briefest of cameos, Invincible often relies heavily on its name-power. That is not to disregard these casting decisions per-sae, nor assume that the pay-checks of the voice-cast had any baring on the series' animation budget. However, given the sheer level of acclaimed and decorated names within Invincible's cast, its animation feels lacklustre in comparison to the scale and scope it seems Invincible aimed to achieve.
Overall, despite a somewhat sluggish pace mid-season- in part due to Mark and Amber's ill-realised romance- Invincible is a highly entertaining super-hero series well-worth the watch. Despite its innate cartoon nature, it is not of those squeamish at heart. Invincible pulls viewers with its shocking action-violence, and keeps them their with its suspense and family drama. The Greyson family are the heart of Invincible, and the believable energy of their dynamic is the series' biggest strength. The exceptional performances of its core cast carry the series in its most high-stakes moments, and offer a great level of connect between character and audiences. Invincible glimmers with potential to become not only a beacon for Western animation, but an innovative boundary-breaker of the superhero genre.
Season 1 of Invincible is available to stream now on Amazon Prime.
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