‘Invincible’ Is Back in Fighting Form—Its Animation, Not So Much

Invincible has quietly become a bona fide superhero phenomenon, and its season four premiere makes that accolade feel less like a hot take to harbor. What began as a scrappy, hyper-violent comic adaptation has grown into a sharper, grounded series, and its three-episode premiere leans further into that maturity with an introspective, hard-hitting setup to an all-out war that’s finally within arm’s reach. Unfortunately, Invincible’s near-annual pace has become its own monkey’s paw, dragging its animation quality down just as its story has hit its stride.

When we last left Mark Grayson, his life was a cascade of disasters practically tripping over each other to greet him. While his love life finally managed to crawl out of the trenches, the moral gray zone between heroes and villains has only dragged him deeper into doubt about the kind of superhero he wants to be.

And hanging over everything is the fear he’ll inevitably become what everyone expects of him: another Viltrumite warmonger like his father, Omni-Man. Unfortunately, the poison does seep through, leaving Mark at a crossroads where the nature and nurture of his alien/human existence are at a tipping point. So it tracks that season four opens with a heavier, feels-bad-man energy hanging over not just Mark but the entire superhero ensemble.

Of course, Mark and crew still suit up, shouldering the weight of the world while selflessly hurling themselves into danger—though in Mark’s case, with all the finesse of a flying truck. But the debaucherous energy hanging over everyone is impossible not to feel through the screen. Things might technically be on the upswing from last season, but everyone’s walking on eggshells, bracing themselves for things to inevitably get much, much worse.

As we’ve come to expect from Prime Video’s handling of Robert Kirkman‘s Image Comics series, the show continues to adapt Invincible with a deft hand. While the show’s self-aware pop-culture quips have started to feel a bit too cute and distracting—especially with the story on the cusp of deep waters as Lee Pace’s Thragg looms—Invincible still has the maturity to take its characters into those depths and let them discover themselves in ways that feel wholly earned.

Steven Yeun and J.K. Simmons continue to do phenomenal work realizing the polar opposite ends of Mark and Omni-Man/Nolan Grayson’s journeys as heroes; Sandra Oh and Gillian Jacobs continue to breathe palpable strength and vulnerability in their performances as Debbie and Atom Eve; and Walton Goggins is still a delight as Cecil. Which is why it’s becoming a bit of a shame to see the show’s continued dedication to a near-annual release take a toll, almost completely losing the luster of the animation that was once a series highlight.

Although the show’s action is far from being unwatchable, it’s becoming increasingly distracting to watch otherwise earth-shattering battles loaded with narrative momentum lose steam to obvious animation shortcuts. Some moments are slow-moed to suggest impact, but instead of looking stylish, they read like Skybound Animation has been pushed to the brink, with characters reduced to freeze-framed PNGs dragged across the screen to simulate motion. Even last season’s anime-esque impact frame flourishes that made Mark and Conquest’s explosive fight pop have lost a bit of their weight.

These would be otherwise minor nitpicks if the show hadn’t already drawn attention to its own medium shortcuts in earlier seasons in a smartly adapted joke from the comics. However, now the joke feels like it’s backfired as a crutch across Invincible’s premiere. Of course, you can’t judge an entire season’s production off the shaky impression of its premiere; there’s every chance, as with season three, that Invincible will rally with a showstopper of a finale. But the wear and tear feels endemic to the pressure of meeting a near-annual season demand. It’s hard not to notice the show taking a bit of a dip in animation quality, especially as its story is hitting its stride.

Invincible season four’s three-episode premiere hits Prime Video on March 18, with weekly episode rollouts every Wednesday.

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