Common Sense Media Review
By Brian Costello
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Excessive violence, language in terrible action movie.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 17+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Invincible (2022)
What's the Story?
In INVINCIBLE, Leor Teska (Paul Kennedy) is a billionaire inventor who uses nanotechnology in the stated hopes of healing those who have lost limbs. Colonel John Taylor sends a group of his men to fight in a black ops project in Thailand, as a way to test Teska's technology to see if it has wartime applications. When one of Taylor's men, Brock Cortez (Marko Zaror), is shot and near death, he's given an injection of Teska's invention. Upon returning to consciousness, Cortez escapes the hospital and goes on a killing spree. Hoping to keep Cortez's escape under wraps, Teska's world-weary head of security, Cam Devore (Johnny Strong), is sent to track down and stop Cortez before he takes more innocent lives. As Cam struggles with alcoholism and relationship woes, his troubles grow worse: Cortez breaks Cam's back in their first encounter. In order to live, Cam is also given Teska's serum, and now that he too is seemingly invincible to injury, he must figure out a way to stop Cortez once and for all.
Is It Any Good?
This is a hilariously awful action movie that skirts close to "so bad, it's good" categorization. Invincible is marred by, among other things, mumbled dialogue, absurdly dumb dialogue with an excessive reliance on the word "f--k," and scenes that make absolutely no sense. In one of many head-scratching scenes, for instance, in the middle of a showdown between the hero and villain, the hero gets a "just checking in" call from his significant other, with whom the hero has been having some relationship woes. (Spoiler: He takes the call in the middle of this "tense" standoff.)
Everything about this screams "amateur hour," and all the gratuitous cursing, violence, and brief nudity can't overcome that. Even the least awful part of this movie, the fight choreography, is marred by the ridiculous dialogue and subpar special effects. In terms of positives, this movie teaches the viewer an excruciating lesson on how not to reveal the backstory and personal lives of the main characters. It's the kind of bad movie that's almost impressive in how bad it is.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about movies like Invincible. Can a bad movie still be entertaining? Was this movie entertaining, despite the poor quality? Why, or why not?
After being injected with nanotechnology that heals any wounds, the villain goes on a murderous rampage, killing dozens of innocent people. Do the heroes show any real concern for these victims? Does the excessive violence come across as being mostly without any consequences? Why, or why not?
Was the strong language necessary to create a sense of realism for the characters, or did it seem excessive? Why?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : March 8, 2022
- Cast : Johnny Strong , Marko Zaror , Paul Kennedy
- Director : Daniel Zirilli
- Studio : Lionsgate Home Entertainment
- Genre : Action/Adventure
- Run time : 92 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : Violence, language throughout and brief nudity.
- Last updated : May 12, 2022
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate