Hey guys, while Halloween may be over but that doesn’t mean we can’t still get some good scares now and then am I right? Anyway welcome to a brand new 2020 review and today I will be looking at latest hit from Blumhouse Productions, a re imaging of the classic story of the Invisible Man. It’s also Universal’s latest attempt to do something with one of their classic monsters on the big screen something that they’ve been doing for a very long time with the results being less than successful. Let’s just say the likes of Van Helsing, Dracula Untold, and the Mummy (2017) weren’t exactly beloved by audiences critics and they certainly didn’t make anyone excited about the prospect of a Universal Monsters shared universe (RIP Dark Universe for you will always be a big punchline). Yet this one seemed to have a lot of potential due to the talent in front of, and behind the screen and the fact that it promised to be much more stand alone affair that was to be a full blown horror picture with the titular monster being the bad guy (instead of an action adventure film where the title monster plays some sort of anti hero). Luckily I can safely say that the film does live up to that potential and is the property’s best feature film result yet! Let’s see where this one succeeded where the others have faltered and why I feel it is one of the finest modern horror movies I’ve seen yet.
Our main character here is a young woman named Cecilia who is trapped in an abusive, and controlling relationship with a brilliant optics engineer, and businessman, Adrian. Wanting to get out of this toxic relationship she drugs him one night and attempts to escape the house with the help of her sister, Emily. She does manages to narrowly escape and hides out with Detective James Lanier, and his daughter, Sidney, for a while though she still has trouble letting go of Adrian’s abuse. Then two weeks after leaving him, Adrian seemingly commits suicide leaving $5 million to Cecilia. While Cecilia questions why Adrien would kill herself she is more relieved now that she won’t have to worry about him. However strange things begin to occur as she feels as if there is a mysterious presence following her around and messing around with her and it doesn’t take long for her to suspect that Adrien didn’t really commit suicide, and that he is the one behind all of this. However with everyone having trouble believing these claims she must try and figure out what is going on and stop Adrien before he hurts anyone close to her. That is if Adrien is even doing it at all?
What this film does so well (among many things) is how it successfully updates the classic story of the Invisible Man into a modern day setting as the screenplay takes great advantage of that element in a thematic sense. It works as a very effective metaphor on gaslighting, and how abusers would manipulate their victims to start questioning their own sanity, and how they would use that to frame them and it fits into the story naturally never coming off forced or heavy handed. That aspect I felt really added a lot of layers to the proceedings as the movie does a great job of conveying the trauma Cecilia has been through despite the fact we don’t see ever see the abuse in question (no flashbacks or noting of that sort). But important subject matter, and messages aside it works phenomenally as a horror movie as it’s very well paced, never a scene that feels like a waste of time and using a lot of visual storytelling to set the mood, and convey what is going on as well as exposition that is naturally told and gives the necessary information. There’s always a sense of tension throughout the entire runtime as thanks to being mostly grounded in reality (with a couple of sci fi elements thrown in for good measure) and how the Invisible Man’s actions are plausible in how they make those closest to Cecilia suspicious of her despite them doing their best to maintain sympathy and it all leads to a very satisfying finale that worked for me in how it was executed, and how it makes our investment in the characters feel earned. Also there’s two refreshing things of note concerning the feature that I wanted to add. The first being that unlike some previous ill fated attempts to turn the Universal Monsters brand into a franchise the movie is just it’s own thing, a stand alone feature with no loose threads left for further installments and no intention of setting up more and it works all the more for it. The other one being related to how the movie was marketed. Now I thought the trailers were really well done (the first one played great on the big screen) and did a good job selling the movie, yet I was worried that they may have showed a little too much in regards to how the movie played out. I was so glad however that that wasn’t the case because the trailers actually didn’t reveal everything there was and there were plenty of surprising developments that I didn’t expect. Just nice to see a marketing campaign not give a whole lot away from the actual movie (which has actually become more of a common thing recently for big movies which I applaud). Overall it’s just an excellently written feature which kept my investment from start to finish and was never once boring.
This is the third film from Leigh Whannell whose previous major productions behind the camera were Insidious Chapter 3, and the 2018 movie, Upgrade (he also wrote a lot of James Wan’s movies like Saw, Dead Silence, and the first two Insidious movies). While I can’t say anything regarding the former as I have yet to have seen it I can say that Upgrade is a pretty terrific little movie that really showed what he was capable of as a director and this movie solidifies him as one of my favorite up and coming directors working today. Just like in Upgrade he does a fantastic job directing the proceedings, crafting some genuinely intense sequences in the process. Like I mentioned before there are a lot of scenes, and situations that are told purely through visuals and Whannell does a fantastic job of handling these parts really conveying what’s going on like with the opening sequence of Cecilia escaping the house while Adrien is asleep for example. In that scene your just thrown right into the situation as you can tell everything that’s happening, how she’s feeling, and what she’s trying to do in a sequence that just put me on the edge of my seat. Same goes for any number of the scenes where Cecilia is pitted against the Invisible Man as their just a thrill to watch, and some are even shot in long takes (that beat in the trailers where the Invisible Man is pitted against some guards is a stand out). Also impressive is the use of sound in certain places which is used effectively that adds to the atmosphere, and tension as it does of good job of showing how the title character can be anywhere waiting to strike and it helped make for some effective jump scares (there was one scene in particular in a restaurant that really got me) that actually feel earned, so got to compliment the people behind that because it was very well done and made this being who has a nonexistent look feel like a terrifying presence. The cinematography is also great as Stefan Duscio does a nice job of making certain shots look, and feel ominous, and commanding in a way that is a sign that things are about to get intense, and Benjamin Wallfisch’s score similarly adds to the mood of the film as well. It just amazes me just how much the crew here was able to accomplish with just a $9 million budget (it looks like it cost more to be honest) and shows just how much that can be done with such limitations (I honestly regret missing it out in theaters because I can imagine it would’ve played great on the big screen).
Now the story, and technical craftsmanship on display are all great yet for me a horror movie is really going to work if I have a rooting interest in the characters and of course this one is able to accomplish that task. Every character here is fleshed out to some degree and those who we are meant to root for are for rooting for, while those we’re meant to hate we really hate and want to see their comeuppance. First there’s Cecilia herself who is played by Emmy award winning actress, Elizabeth Moss, who just like Whannell is becoming something of a big, and popular recent talent in Hollywood as of late and for good reason. She’s fantastic in this movie selling the trauma of the character has been through with her expressions, and actions while never overselling it too much, she captures the desperation she’s going through, and determination she has in order to stop Adrien, and she makes her just a great character to root for in general, one whom the audience can sympathize with immediately. She also has some nice chemistry with Detective James Lanier who is played very well by Aldis Hodge and is another sympathetic character who clearly cares about Cecilia and wants to help her move on yet understandably worries about her sanity. Also really enjoyed his relationship with his daughter, Sydney, as Storm Reid brings some amusing sass to the character and their interactions, and overall chemistry feels warm, and genuine. Then there’s Adrien himself and despite not being in the movie all that much (well visible anyway) is still an effective threat thanks to how he’s described as this brilliant, and smart man who uses Cecilia’s fears, and thoughts to manipulate her, and knows what she’s planning, and thinking just by looking at her. He makes for a pretty terrifying presence (even if we don’t see him) and I really liked how (spoilers for the end) him at the end talking to Cecilia he trying to appear as if he’s changed and not the monster he once was (something Cecilia knows isn’t true) and I thought Oliver Jackson-Cohen did a good job playing into that. The only other characters of note are Cecilia’s caring sister, Emily, (a very solid performance from Harriet Dyer) yet whose relationship with her is more than a little emotionally complicated, and Adrien’s brother, Tom (Michael Dorman who also does fine work here), who also has some sympathy as he too resented Adrien, yet Cecilia still has her suspicions regarding his intents. Really though the whole cast in general feels well realized, and help in shaping this into a truly great horror thriller.
It may have taken a couple of tries but I think that Universal has finally figured out the direction they want to take these classic monsters in and if this movie is any indication it is something to look forward to. That’s just one way of saying that The Invisible Man is a terrific horror picture that has what I’d want from a movie like it. It’s tightly, and excellently written with plenty of surprises, it’s filled with tension, and effective scares, updates the story brilliantly into the modern day, is superbly crafted by those involved, and has characters that are worth caring about and earn the audience’s investment. Its yet another fantastic horror movie in recent years and I would even consider it my favorite movie of the year thus far (for what that’s worth in these strange of times) as it really is a knock out that exceeded my expectations! If your a horror fan or just want to see a great movie and haven’t seen this yet I do highly recommend it and not only am I excited to see what Leigh Whannell does next, but I am also feeling much more confident in the future of the classic Universal monsters after seeing just how awesome this movie is!
Rating: A+
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Review Time 