Chris Sawin, Author at GeeksHaveGame

August 5, 2021August 8, 2021
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THE SUICIDE SQUAD [Review]: I’m A Motherf___ing Superhero!

You could probably get away with calling writer/director James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad an R-rated version of Guardians of the Galaxy, but it isn’t entirely fair or correct. It’s a complicated comparison, much like Gunn’s status with Marvel Studios that allowed him to make the film in the first place and whether or not The Suicide Squad is a sequel or a reboot to David Ayer’s 2016 film…

Gunn has always had a knack for getting gory or gross or raunchy if the opportunity presented itself. The Suicide Squad almost feels like a clean — wait, strike that — blood-splattered slate for the filmmaker. Gunn had complete creative control while making The Suicide Squad and it shows; not only in its graphic content and excessive vulgarity, but also in the characters Gunn chose to be in the film.

Nearly everyone has been replaced from the previous Suicide Squad film except for Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney), Colonel Rick Flagg (Joel Kinnaman), Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), and Amanda Waller (Viola Davis). The new characters are mostly unknown, or barely known Z-list villains, which makes the fact that nearly all of them are expendable all the more intriguing.

While Guardians of the Galaxy and The Suicide Squad are two different films, there are some undeniable similarities. The cast of The Suicide Squad is insanely stacked, but you have to know by now that three quarters of these characters die in horribly gruesome, sometimes hilarious, ways.

Witnessing who lives and who dies is half the fun of the film, so that won’t be spoiled here. But The Suicide Squad has a team of five characters that are grouped together and featured more than anyone else. It’s a lot like how Guardians began with Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Rocket, and Groot. These five characters also end up being the ones you love the most.

Gunn also has a thing for taking a group of assholes and giving them meaning and heart. In the tenth season of South Park, Eric Cartman meets Bart Simpson face-to-face. Bart has always been a troublemaker and a prankster, but Cartman ground up Scott Tenorman’s parents, slapped that ground-parent-meat in some chili, and made Scott eat his own parents.

The comparison between Guardians and The Suicide Squad is a lot like the difference between Bart Simpson and Eric Cartman. The Suicide Squad features straight up murderers, demented psychopaths, and whatever the hell Weasel is…

Not unlike his other comic book film work though, Gunn typically takes what would be unlikable characters on their own, and finds a purpose for them once they’re with other outcasts to which they can relate. There is a ton of heart in The Suicide Squad, almost unexpectedly so.

You fall in love with King Shark (Sylvester Stallone) because he’s trying to read books upside down and use one of his fingers as mustache as a brilliant disguise, but you don’t feel for him until he reveals that he’s never had a friend. Sebastian, Ratcatcher II’s (Daniela Melchoir) go-to rat, is adorable because he waves at, offers leaves to, and flocks toward Bloodsport even though he’s afraid of rats. There’s still this camaraderie in The Suicide Squad. It may be broken and gory, but it’s still camaraderie.

There are some unusual choices that Gunn made with The Suicide Squad though. They originally wanted Will Smith to come back as Deadshot, but supposedly cast Idris Elba to replace Smith in the role. Then they backtracked and made Elba “Bloodsport”.

The odd thing is that both Bloodsport and Peacemaker (John Cena) are exactly the same as Deadshot: Peacemaker seems to be a bit crazier, but both characters have a thing for making anything a weapon in their hands and having precise aim. Bloodsport is even doing everything in the film for the sake of his daughter. It gives Warner Bros a chance to bring Smith back as Deadshot down the line, but having all three characters in the same film would be serious overkill.

Harley Quinn’s action sequences in The Suicide Squad are better and more satisfying than anything Margot Robbie has done with the role to date. Polka Dot Man (David Dasmaltchian) is low-key the coolest character of the film, despite seeing his mom in every person that he meets. Many will likely point to the blood, the gore, and all of the F-bombs shouted mostly among teammates as Gunn cleansing his Marvel/Disney palette so to speak.

However, the major difference is Starro. Starro is a giant blue and purple space starfish with an eyeball in the middle of his body. He is essentially a kaiju, but he shoots miniature versions of himself out of his armpits which latch onto people’s faces, kills them, and turns their corpses into zombie-like slaves that do his bidding; all while Starro gets bigger and bigger in the process. The abridged version of this starfish heavy explanation is that Starro is fucking terrifying; this film made Starro, of all characters, terrifying. The entire world is basically on the verge of bowing down to a Godzilla sized starfish that has the ability to shoot armies of himself out of his Goddamn armpits! The MCU featuring a monster or creature of any kind that is that scary is slim to none.

The Suicide Squad is an uproarious extravaganza filled with grotesque nom-noms, full-on naked dick shots, and John Cena in tighty-whities and it’s is the most fun you’ll have with an R-rated comic book film in a theater (or at home with HBO Max) since Deadpool. It’s the first comic book film to come along in a good long while that’s charming because of how weird it is. As a final note, stay/watch after the credits. James Gunn and John Cena are doing an 8-episode Peacemaker TV series for HBO Max due sometime in 2022, so that may or may not be teased in some capacity… 4/5 “Starfish is slang for butthole” whiskey shots.

-Chris Sawin

July 9, 2021
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BLACK WIDOW [Review]: Espionage Exhaustion.

Black Widow is a film explaining what Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) was up to in-between Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War. The film was originally set to be released in May of 2020, but was pushed back and had three different release dates thanks to COVID-19. Unfortunately, most completed films that sit on the shelf and are in limbo for over a year rarely live up to the anticipation. Black Widow is worthwhile for a few key action sequences and notable characters that steal the spotlight, but is otherwise a mostly forgettable superhero film.

Marketed as a superhero film, Black Widow is also a spy thriller. Johansson has stated that films such as Logan, The Fugitive, and Terminator 2: Judgment Day were influences. After Civil War, Thaddeus Ross (William Hurt) is on the hunt for Natasha. Women like Nat who have had similar training in a torturous training facility — known as The Red Room — are victims to brainwashing by a man named Dreykov (Ray Winstone), but a serum ends up in Natasha’s hands that can break his brainwashing. Natasha begins searching for The Red Room and Dreykov, which also has her crossing paths with other spies that posed as her family members; her “sister” Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), her “father” Alexai Shostakov (David Harbour), and her “mother” Melina Vostokoff (Rachel Weisz).

The biggest selling point for Black Widow is that it’s a mostly female cast in front of and behind the camera. The film is directed by Cate Shortland and Black Widow is her first big budget feature. It’s also co-written by female screenwriter Jac Schaeffer (uncredited co-screenwriter of Captain Marvel) and Ned Benson (director of The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby).

Taskmaster is cool in the film until you realize the character has been altered from his comic book origins. This isn’t uncommon in the MCU or even other live-action superhero adaptations, but what the character has become in the film will be received with mixed results. In the comics, Taskmaster’s real identity is Anthony Masters and he’s a mercenary not unlike Deadpool (the two have fought together and against each other). Copying fighting styles and weapon techniques is similar to the film, but it’s all thanks to his incredible memory and photographic reflexes.

Taskmaster in Marvel Studios’ BLACK WIDOW, in theaters and on Disney+ with Premier Access. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. ©Marvel Studios 2021. All Rights Reserved.

The character is altered to fit the story in the Black Widow film. It’s not necessarily a bad thing as it gives a bigger purpose for the character since it suddenly becomes a major part of Natasha’s storyline, but how the character evolves over the course of the film seems to almost relieve Natasha of her past sins rather than continue to serve as a catalyst. Taskmaster is generally involved in some of the best hand-to-hand combat sequences, but seems to be left hanging by the end of the film. We could see the character again, but whether or not the desire is there to see Taskmaster return is debatable.

The free-fall sequence that has been teased in the trailers is Black Widow’s most unique source of action. There’s exploding elements and falling debris, Natasha trying to save someone’s life, and Taskmaster thrown in attempting to mess up whatever she has planned; plus a bunch of goons bringing up the rear that will obviously be taken out in peak fashion. The sequence is like a duel to the death taking place on the edge of a volcano that’s about to erupt. It’s on the verge of being overkill, but is just awesome enough to trigger all of the adrenaline in your body.

Melina (Rachel Weisz) in Marvel Studios’ BLACK WIDOW, in theaters and on Disney+ with Premier Access. Photo by Jay Maidment. ©Marvel Studios 2021. All Rights Reserved.

Kevin Feige apparently wanted an equal amount of screen time for both Natasha and Yelena. With the after-credits sequence, Natasha being very dead after the events of Infinity War, and the reports that Yelena may be the new Black Widow, she’s essentially the star of the film and for good reason. The character begins as an individual with a chip on her shoulder from someone from her past, but Pugh is able to add humor and empathy with her performance. Yelena has the best one-liners in the film (“That would be a cool way to die,”) and is essentially the best source of comedic relief (i.e. her hysterectomy rant), as well. She is the one character in the film you’d want to see more of after Black Widow ends.

The storyline of Black Widow doesn’t feel like anything you haven’t experienced cinematically before, especially within the confines of the MCU. An evil man is responsible for pulling the strings of a bunch of women that would kick his ass otherwise. Unfortunately, Winstone doesn’t feel all that intimidating as Dreykov since he doesn’t do much besides talk.The point is made in the film that is all there’s really needed of the character, but the baddie’s biggest weapon is his mouth. However, his verbal skills don’t seem advantageous enough to make him such a threat let alone keep him alive for over 20 years.

Yelena (Florence Pugh) and Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff ©Marvel Studios 2020

It also feels like every MCU film has its on-screen characters competing over who can get the most laughs; this is something that only got worse after Thor: Ragnarok proved to be a success. Marvel films are already so formulaic with most villains being introduced and killed within the confines of a single film. Natasha’s spy family all feel like minor extensions of herself. Weisz, despite not aging a day in nearly 30 years, is forgettable as Melina. Harbour is essentially his character from Stranger things cosplaying as Mr. Incredible (that Red Guardian costume sequence is ripped directly from The Incredibles) with a Russian accent. Even Pugh’s Yelena is basically a younger blonde version of Natasha even though they’re not related by blood.

Black Widow clocks in at over two hours and it feels like a film that could have been edited way down. Witnessing the events of a dysfunctional spy family who then spend good chunks of the film reminiscing about those moments the audience has already seen is redundant storytelling that feels like nothing more than filler.

Taskmaster in Marvel Studios’ BLACK WIDOW, in theaters and on Disney+ with Premier Access. Photo by Jay Maidment. ©Marvel Studios 2021. All Rights Reserved.

Black Widow is worth seeing for Florence Pugh, the free-fall fight, and anything involving Taskmaster before it’s revealed who is under the mask. Everything else about Black Widow feels like it was done better by the films it was supposedly influenced by and mostly feels like a diluted imitation of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. It’s fantastic that women are getting more opportunities in big summer blockbusters like this one, but it’s also disheartening since their filmmaking skills are shackled to formulaic superfluity that obviously stands in the way of creating extraordinary cinema. 3/5 Shots of Brainwashed Pantomime Whiskey.

-Chris Sawin

May 14, 2021May 19, 2021
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ARMY OF THE DEAD [Review]: Zack Snyder’s Return to Zombie, Flesh-Eating Form.

Army of the Dead is Zack Snyder’s first film in a decade not based on a DC Comics property (his last was Sucker Punch back in 2011). With a screenplay co-written by Snyder, Shay Hatten (the John Wick franchise), and Joby Harold (Guy Ritchie’s King Arthur: The Legend of the Sword), Army of the Dead is set in Las Vegas where the zombies have been walled off in the city and surviving humans attempt to live normally.

Zombie horde fighting veteran Scott Ward (Dave Bautista) has gone into hiding and now works at a diner as a burger flipper as his daughter Kate (Ella Purnell) works as a volunteer at a camp just outside the wall providing for children and other survivors. Bly Tanaka (Hiroyuki Sanada) hires Scott to retrieve $200 million located underneath the Las Vegas strip in a seemingly unbreakable vault.

Scott puts together a team to pull off the impossible for a $50 million cut for him and his team. However, they have a limited time to pull this off since in less than 48 hours an atom bomb will be dropped on the infected part of Las Vegas wiping out the undead masses once and for all as well as anyone who may be within the walls.

This is also Snyder’s return to the zombie genre after his 2004 Dawn of the Dead remake. Richard Cheese returning to sing “Viva Las Vegas” during the opening credits is also an entertaining callback to Snyder’s Dawn of the Dead.

Dave Bautista as Scott Ward in Army of the Dead.

What makes Army of the Dead work so well is that it is an ensemble film that absolutely makes the most of its entire cast. The female characters are strong and resourceful and what Snyder does with zombies isn’t just a rehash of everything you’ve seen in similar films.

Similar to George Romero’s Land of the Dead where zombies learned to communicate with one another, AotD features the undead evolving into something new. The shamblers you’re familiar with are around, but there’s also a new threat; zombies who are stronger, faster, and smarter than the average walking corpse.

Rich Cetrone as Zeus and Omari Hardwick as Venderohe In Army of the Dead.

These new zombies have the ability to reproduce, wear armor that blocks headshots, and ride zombified horses while wearing capes. There’s also a zombie white tiger named Valentine with a memorably gnarly scene that is on par with the bear sequence from The Revenant.

Known for typically being a big brawler or being the go-to big guy for comedic relief, Bautista seems eager to prove that he has more to offer as an actor these days. He still uses the signature moves you recognize him for like body slamming zombies through poker tables at the casino or even wrestling a zombie in a helicopter as it spins out of control to pulse pounding results. But Bautista is surprisingly emotional here and is convincingly torn between the women he loves in the film and doing what’s right for the daughter that currently hates him.

Tig Notaro as Marianne Peters in Army of the Dead.

Specific highlights of the cast include Matthias Schweighöfer as Dieter, the German locksmith. He has this Hans Landa kind of charisma about him. He’s very smart, but he’s also unfamiliar with American tradition and weapon use. His shriek as well as his celebratory dancing of successfully using a gun on a zombie for the first time are two great examples of why the character is amazing.

Tig Notaro is also fantastic as the helicopter pilot Marianne Peters. Peters is mouthy, kind of weird, and unusually loyal. Her inability to shut up is what makes her so memorable.

While Army of the Dead has some unbelievable action sequences loaded with exceptional explosions and massive gore that is this brilliant concoction of practical effects and CGI, the film still has some flaws. The screenplay is lacking at times and has some pretty cringeworthy moments that mostly lie within the opening sequence (road head essentially leading to the vault opening) and Theo Rossi’s Burt Cummings character in particular.

Matthias Schweighöfer as Dieter in Army of the Dead.

All of the predatory and sexually demeaning material towards women in the film feels dated and in bad taste in our current times. It’s dealt with in a way that is essentially satisfying to zombie and horror fans, but the fact that it is included at all is a little disappointing.

The fact that we’re getting two spin-offs from Army seems rewarding since it seems like a waste to see some of these characters in a one and done kind of scenario. Matthias Schweighöfer directed and will star as Dieter in Army of Thieves, a prequel film that wrapped filming in December of 2020.

Omari Hardwick as Vanderohe in Army of the Dead.

We’re also getting a 6-episode anime-inspired animated series called Army of the Dead: Lost Vegas. The animated series will highlight Scott Ward’s origins as well as his team’s rescue efforts shown only briefly during the opening montage in Army of the Dead.

Army injects some much needed vitality into both zombie films as a whole and Zack Snyder’s career as a filmmaker. Dave Bautista is also the best he’s ever been as far as his acting ability goes. Gory as hell and entertaining through and through, AotD is a must-watch for action and horror film fans alike. We really did need more scenes with Vanderohe (Omari Hardwick) using that giant circular saw to tear through zombie flesh though. 4/5 Bottles of Sterilizing-Zombie-Wound Whiskey.

-Chris Sawin

April 29, 2021
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DEMON SLAYER – MUGEN TRAIN [Review] Drawn to a Tasty Flame.

Demon Slayer: Mugen Train is mostly an incredible anime film that not only lives up to the first season of the anime, but also successfully bridges the gap between the first season and the upcoming second season.

When it comes to anime films they are generally connected to the anime television series they’re based on by featuring the same characters or taking place in the same universe. However, the movies almost always are their own stories that don’t cross paths with the stories being told in the series. Mugen Train picks up right after the first season of Demon Slayer ends…

Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke board the train Rengoku, the Flame Hashira, is already on. They’ve been summoned to the train because people keep disappearing and there’s said to be demons aboard including a demon who has supposedly killed several demon slayers. He has pawns, who are usually children, who infiltrate the dreams of Enmu’s victims that bypass their subconscious and destroy their spiritual core.

There is usually a drastic difference in animation quality between an anime series and its films, but Demon Slayer already features such impressive animation that it’s difficult to top it. Mugen Train contains all of the glorious breathing and sword techniques animated to blissful perfection, but what it does differently with its animation lies within its backgrounds. Trees and water are either 3D elements or are somehow lifted from realistic backgrounds because they’re amazingly detailed and look genuine.

The main demon on the train, Enmu, utilizes 3D animation in unique ways. Going into too much detail will spoil the film and where the Enmu character is taken, but keep in mind a certain form of Enmu is animated in 3D. It’s pink, slimy, wet sounding, and gross. And Enmu’s English voice actor sounds like he’s doing a Michael Jackson on South Park impersonation, so there’s that.

Enmu has the ability to put people to sleep, but he feeds them pleasant dreams at first and then injects them full of the worst nightmares imaginable during their gruesome death. He has the ability to detach his left hand, which has one eye near its thumb and a talking mouth on the back of its palm.

The main issues you may have with the Demon Slayer series are still relevant here. Tanjiro still cries and whines about stuff way too much and the film suffers a bit too much from over explaining things; a trait most anime titles fall victim to. Zenitsu’s unbearable yelling about how much of a weakling he is gets tiresome, as well. But you knew all of this going into it.

The film makes up for its few shortcomings by having jaw-dropping action sequences and laugh out loud humor at every turn. Inosuke’s dream about being the real leader of the group and being the voice of reason when Tanjiro is too emotional to move on is both hilarious and justifiable. And Zenitsu fantasizing about being with Nezuko is too good. He also has bucked teeth in more than one person’s “good” dream, which only gets funnier in the long run. Also, why does everyone seem to purposely call Tanjiro the wrong name?

The highlight of Mugen Train is Rengoku. His fight sequences are the highlight of the film, but he’s also hysterical. Rengoku will forever be associated with the term, “TASTY!” (or “DELICIOUS!” if you watched the sub). Rengoku has a fight at the end of the film that is lengthy, memorable, and just downright amazing. The character is forever immortalized in awesomeness because of his presence in Mugen Train. He talks in a bold and boisterous voice and is slightly ridiculous in nature; think All Might from My Hero Academia engulfed in fire.

Demon Slayer: Mugen Train won’t make you a fan of the franchise if you aren’t already, but it will absolutely strengthen your love for it if you’re already an established fan. It’s also an anime film that covers just about everything; it tries to tear at your heartstrings, it has two fantastically sinister villains, it has significantly kick-ass action sequences, and it further develops a supporting character you were only briefly introduced to previously. Demon Slayer: Mugen Train is outrageously funny and enormously action packed. It should be considered an impressive feat of animation even if you aren’t an anime fan. 4/5 Tasty Flame Breathing Whiskeys.

-Chris Sawin

April 1, 2021
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GODZILLA VS. KONG [Review]: Monkey Good, Humans Bad.

After defeating King Ghidorah in Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Godzilla vs. Kong picks up five years later. Godzilla is now king of the monsters and attacks facilities and unsuspecting cities at his leisure making him practically sinister in nature. With Kong as the only giant creature Godzilla hasn’t done battle with, he’s all that stands in his way of reigning supreme. Saving mankind fits in there on Kong’s agenda somewhere, as well…

As a rabid Godzilla fan, there’s no shame in saying that Kong should have stood triumphant in Godzilla vs. Kong. He is given so much screen time and so much backstory that it’s impossible not so sympathize with him. He even makes these humble purring-like groans that signify how gentle he is as a giant ape; you know, in between ripping off heads, chopping off limbs, and raising severed spinal cords into the air as if he leaped straight out of Mortal Kombat or Primal Rage.

You end up adoring Kong over the course of Godzilla vs. Kong. The film opens with him waking up on Skull Island as you witness his morning routine. He takes a shower in a waterfall, he admires the sunrise, and he scratches his butt to satisfaction. You could say he’s just like people. Kong is kept calm by a little Iwi deaf girl named Jia (Kaylee Hottle). Maybe it’s because Jia is literally unable to speak, but she’s easily the most enjoyable human character in the film. She serves a purpose and she doesn’t hurt your brain when you try to think about why she’s even in the picture.

The human characters were imbecilic in Godzilla: King of the Monsters to the point where you rooted for their extinction. If you’re going to be that dumb, you shouldn’t exist. Godzilla vs. Kong swaps dumb for boring. Half of the human characters, the returning Madison Russell (Millie Bobby Brown) along with her friend Josh (Julian Dennison) and conspiracy podcaster Bernie Hayes (Brian Tyree Henry), spend the film discussing conspiracies involving Godzilla and it kills brain cells due to how dull it is. Bernie at least has knowledge of the scientific facility they end up at, but Josh is literally only around because he has a van and to pour a flask of alcohol on a computer to portray how good of a hacker he is.

The other humans, the other returning character Ilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall), her adopted daughter Jia, and a geologist named Nathan Lind (Alexander Skarsgard), monitor Kong’s behavior. Nathan has been researching Hollow Earth. Researchers now believe a resource or some sort of creature resides in the core of Hollow Earth that could rival Godzilla and save mankind. They rely on Kong to lead them there with the promise that some of his kind may also be there.

At the same time, as if that wasn’t enough, the CEO of Apex Cybernetics Walter Simmons (Demian Bichir) is secretly creating Mechagodzilla to destroy everyone and everything for fun. Mechagodzilla is piloted by Ren Serizawa (Shun Oguri), the son of Ishiro Serizawa. You know, that guy who died resurrecting Godzilla at the end of King of the Monsters. Now his son wants to kill Godzilla with a giant robot.

Godzilla is really only featured in each of his films for five to twenty seven minutes apiece. There’s a really interesting chart that breaks down Godzilla’s screen time over the course of the franchise (it currently seems to be missing King of the Monsters and Godzilla vs. Kong). But if it wasn’t for the last battle, Godzilla would have around five minutes of screen time in Godzilla vs. Kong. It’s something to keep in mind after the result of the one on one brawl in Hong Kong between Godzilla and Kong as well as their final battle against Mechagodzilla.

The highlight of these films is typically the monster battles and all of them are pretty outstanding in Godzilla vs. Kong. The underwater battle is a little disappointing since the CGI is a little clunky when it comes to Godzilla, especially when he’s shown underwater. The Hong Kong battle is incredible with the night time setting set against the fluorescent lighting of the city.

Everything in Hollow Earth is great, too. Weird physics and gravitational rules combined with crazy monsters you only see for a few minutes like the Warbats and the Hellhawks (or Gobblehawks since they have noticeable turkey wattles).

Many have claimed Godzilla vs. Kong is the best of the Legendary trilogy, but it’s fairly weak outside of the monster battles. Kong is the star of the picture. He looks amazing and is generally awesome every time he’s on screen. He literally has an axe made of one of Godzilla’s dorsal plates and it’s crazy sick.

After going out of his way to save mankind in two films, Godzilla is just suddenly a bad guy here because he’s a giant prehistoric monster, because he’s got sand in his giant nuclear dinosaur metaphorical vagina because he can sense a robot version of himself lurking around, and because a giant ape is trying to take his crown. And the humans are monstrously boring.

Nobody cares if you shower in bleach and have created some tiny circuitry thing out of a toaster. Can we please just see more of the giant lizard fighting the giant monkey, please? Also, the Mechagodzilla design is lackluster at best that Ready Player One executed better.

Godzilla vs. Kong suffers from what other versus films such as Freddy vs. Jason or the Alien vs. Predator films also suffered from. These films put too much value in humans when the audience just wants to see more of the on-screen monsters they either paid hard money or chose to stream to see.

That’s why if Legendary chooses to keep this franchise going they should do All Monsters Attack or something involving Monster Island next where humans can be spectators at best and monsters wreak havoc for up to two straight hours. Stop feeding fans unbearable human excretion and trying to pass it off as Godzilla gold. 3/5 Massive Monkey Mayhem Bibles.

-Chris Sawin

March 20, 2021
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INVINCIBLE [Episodes 1-3 Review]: Gore-Heavy Superhero Perfection.

Without ever reading the Invincible comic, it’s impossible to compare Amazon Studios’ new adult animated series to its source material. It should be at least somewhat comforting to know that Robert Kirkman, co-creator of the comic book, is an executive producer on the show. Also Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, the guys responsible for bringing Preacher and The Boys to our TV and computer screens are also involved as executive producers. The franchise is in more than capable hands. This review covers the first three episodes of the Invincible TV series.

Looking at screenshots for Invincible, the series looks to be similar in style to the animated DC films and TV shows. However, Invincible seems to have a much higher budget. This first season of Invincible is eight one-hour episodes (they’re technically around 45 minutes) and it’s much more mature than most animated superhero programming.

Invincible could probably be compared to the new Harley Quinn animated series, but the humor and action is much more balanced. Invincible also utilizes CGI when portraying an army of sinister aliens or to illustrate massive destruction. At times, it’s slightly noticeable but it blends fairly well with the more traditional style of animation the rest of the show uses. Invincible’s flying sequence in the second episode when he first encounters the Flaxans as he’s dodging lasers mid-flight is so crazy impressive animation-wise.

The story of Invincible isn’t all that groundbreaking for a superhero concept. Mark Grayson (Walking Dead‘s Steven Yeun) is a 17-year-old high school student whose dad Is Omni Man; a powerful superhero who can do just about anything. Mark has been waiting his entire life for his superpowers to kick in and they still haven’t. He’s bullied at school and the girls his age don’t notice him. The possibility of him eventually being something extraordinary is all he has.

Steven Yuen voices Mark Grayson/Invincible.

But what makes Invincible special is everything in between its life threatening battles. Its adult content is worth addressing, but Invincible is all around just fantastically written and expertly acted. Invincible is about Mark coming to terms with his newfound powers and what he has to go through to become more refined as a hero. Omni Man (J.K. Simmons) is like the Superman or All Might of the series with Mark idolizing him and wanting to be like him.

You find yourself invested in every conversation in Invincible. Omni-Man, or Nolan, has a ton of wisdom to pass down to Mark. Mark is such a late bloomer when it comes to developing his powers that Nolan never expects him to get them at all. His demeanor completely changes once Mark becomes a superhero.

J.K. Simmons voices Nolan Grayson/Omni Man.

There’s a lot of humor in the series, as well. Omni-Man’s peeing your pants on purpose speech is a classic as is Mark threatening to get the spray bottle to dowse his parents who are on the verge of intimacy. The action in Invincible is jaw dropping and superb, but the series also covers self-doubt, a fear of change, meaningful heart, and parental advice that really hits home.

Invincible doesn’t really jump into gory territory until the very end of the first episode and then it just totally lets loose. There’s a crazy bloody head squish, guts and teeth that splatter onto the walls and floor, necks being snapped around the wrong way, graphic decapitations, and severed eyeballs staring back at you. It feels like the show makes you earn that gore and it’s all the sweeter because of it. All of the Invincible episodes have something after or during the end credits, but they never make you wait long to see what they have in store.

Mark Grayson (Steven Yuen) has a heart to heart with his mother Debbie (Sandra Oh).

The voice cast is so ridiculously stacked for Invincible that it’s almost unbelievable this much quality talent is involved. The series includes the voices of Yeun, Simmons, Sandra Oh, Mark Hamill, Seth Rogen, Gillian Jacobs, Zazie Beetz, Walton Goggins, Jason Mantzoukas, Khary Payton, Zachary Quinto, Kevin Michael Richardson, Mahershala Ali, Michael Dorn, Ezra Miller, Clancy Brown, Jon Hamm, and Djimon Hounsou.

Invincible is so freaking good that it’s going to be difficult anticipating new episodes on a week-to-week basis. Its brutal action is mesmerizing, but Invincible has so much heart and meaning behind those punches that the show leaves an impact even when it isn’t throwing blood and severed limbs in your face. The voice acting is top notch and the story leaves you on the edge of your seat. Invincible has the potential to be one of the greatest animated superhero TV series of all time; adult or otherwise. 5/5 Late-Blooming-to-Excellence Bibles

The first three episodes of Invincible debut on Amazon Prime on Friday, March 26. New episodes will debut every Friday after that up until the season finale on April 30.