enturies ago, mystic beings known as the Shadowmen were exiled to Earth for "crimes against cosmic evolution." Since then, they've spent their time torturing the locals and creating hell on Earth. An ancient tablet has been discovered that Slate, the leader of the Shadowmen, seeks. If he can find
and translate the tablet, he will be able to open a vortex that would destroy the Earth and set him free.
The only thing that can stop Slate and the Shadowmen are humans who represent five elements of the universe. These saviors of the world were selected at birth, and once trained will become superevolved human warriors who are the last defense against the total destruction of the world. Unfortunately, Os (Zane), one of the most evil Shadowmen, has just killed one of the elements.
However, there are other forces at work. No sooner does Os kill the first element than a force of good comes after him. He faces off against the White Warrior, who defeats him in battle. She offers him the choice between a beginning and an ending if only he will open his heart to the light. When
he does find love, he switches teams.
In an attempt to stop Slate, Os does battle with him and manages to get half the tablet. Now it's a race against time with only six days to translate the tablet and stop Slate from joining the two pieces. But first, Os must unite the remaining elements and train them to work together. for only then can they defeat the Shadowmen and stop Slate. Now the challenge is to get Air (Oversier), Water (Mann), Fire (Kittles) and Metal (Purcell) to work as one to unleash the power that only they possess to save the Earth.
Impressive moves move thin story
TBS's two-hour original movie, Invincible, is a visual feast of impressive martial-arts choreography set against a backdrop that uses the elements themselves to create stunning images. While breathtaking to look at, the film is ultimately long on style and short on substance.
Based on an idea Mel Gibson and Jet Li came up with while working on the set of Lethal Weapon 4, Invincible utilizes wushu, a form of Chinese martial arts that means "military art," in the same fashion that Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon did. While the moves are undeniably spectacular to watch, too much use is made of slow motion, and it takes away from what could have been a very exciting movie.
The cast is led by Zane, who every time he gets a role reminds us why he should work more. His Os may have seen the light during his battle with the White Warrior, but he hasn't lost his sense of humor. When he appears from nowhere at just the right place and time to fight bad guy Slate for the final battle, he quips, "I've got a really good astral travel agent." The role of evil is taken on by David Field as Slate, and he brings a bit of wit and style to the part. There's plenty of chemistry between Zane and Field as very old friends who suddenly find themselves on different sides of the good-and-evil fence. As for the rest of the cast, the "elements" are physically up for their roles; however, there isn't enough time for them to really shine.
While the acting and the visuals make Invincible entertaining, there is ultimately little substance to the story. There's never any depth given to the tale of the Shadowmen and the White Warrior. After all, if they are exiled for "crimes against cosmic evolution," why the heck did Earth get stuck with them? Of course, the answer is because otherwise there wouldn't be a
story, but it would have been nice if there was a little more development after the initial explanation.
Beyond that, the big showdown with the Shadowmen is disappointing. Rather than showing how super these elemental humans really are, the final battle isn't as impressive as the opening.
