The Invisible Man

While 'The Invisible Man' isn't perfect, it is (like 'Upgrade') a thoughtful take on the genre, cleverly using on- and off-screen space and delivering each big scare like an effectively-timed punchline.

• Jake Watt

Read Jake's full article... https://www.maketheswitch.com.au/article/review-the-invisible-man-paranoia-gaslighting-and-spookiness

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As you should know by now, I avoid trailers at all costs, especially for highly anticipated movies. I'm careful enough already, but once I heard the massive complaints about the trailer for The Invisible Man, I made sure to not even listen to it, let alone see something from it. My expectations got higher as the release date approached, and the overwhelmingly positive reactions reached my attention, so obviously, I couldn't help but get excited. I love The Handmaid's Tale, and I always thought it was a matter of time until Elisabeth Moss brought her phenomenal acting skills to the big screen. She just needed a big film to do it...

And this is the one. Elisabeth's performance is yet another horror display for The Academy to ignore when the year comes to a close. In comparison to Hereditary's Toni Colette or Us' Lupita Nyong' o, I admit that I would give an Oscar to one of these two over Moss. However, this is one of the main issues I have when people compare things from different years: it's extremely unfair and a bit irrational. Something "great" in a specific year can be just "okay" in the next one. It depends on each year's quality regarding movies and their cast's performances.

If Moss truly ends up delivering the best interpretation of the year, she should receive recognition independently of other year's injustices. With that said, based on my experience, I firmly believe Elisabeth Moss should be one of the contenders for the respective category during the awards season. I'm not saying she should be nominated or not, I'm saying that she should be one to think of when it's time to fill the ballot with the nominees. She is relentlessly exceptional during the whole runtime. There isn't a single moment where she drops her level. Impressive!

Regarding the story, it's probably the best adaptation of The Invisible Man to the actual world that they could have d...

Starts brilliantly but ultimately undermines itself with plot contrivances and genre foolishness

I went over the heads of the things a man reckons desirable. No doubt invisibility made it possible to get them, but it made it impossible to enjoy them when they are got.

• H.G. Wells; The Invisible Man (1897)

H.G. Wells's original The Invisible Man (1897) suggests that rather than something as powerful as invisibility being used for the betterment of mankind, it would instead be used to fulfil private desires, ultimately leading to the moral corruption of otherwise good men. In probably the best cinematic adaptation, Paul Verhoeven's Hollow Man (2000), this is taken much further, with the suggestion that the results of invisibility would be nothing less than sexual violence, evil, and madness. However, despite the centrality of this theme in the core story, reframing the template as a modern tale of domestic abuse and PTSD, as happens in this latest adaptation, is a fascinating idea. Reorienting the narrative so it no longer focuses on the male scientist but on a female victim of his machinations creates the potential for some timely #MeToo social commentary, particularly as it relates to issues of not believing women who accuse powerful men of gaslighting. But potential only gets you so far, and what could have been a really insightful film eventually proves itself relatively incapable of using issues of domestic abuse as anything other than plot points to get from one predictable scare to the next. It tries to have its cake and eat it – it wants to be an allegory for the problems women face leaving abusive relationships but it also wants to be an effective monster movie. And, ultimately, it ends up as neither.

The film begins as Cecilia Kass (Elisabeth Moss) is putting into motion a plan to leave her domineering and abusive boyfriend, Adrian Griffin (Oliver Jackson-Cohen), a wealthy pioneer in optics. Having drugged him, she leaves their hi...

It seems that you can teach an old dog new tricks, at least when it comes to classic Universal monster movies. Writer / director Leigh Whannell‘s suspenseful reboot and reimagining of “The Invisible Man” is smart, well-acted, and full of thrills. It’s a surprisingly fresh take on dated source material.

Cecilia (Elisabeth Moss) is trapped in a violent, controlling relationship with her wealthy scientist husband Adrian (Oliver Jackson-Cohen). After drugging him one night, the terrified woman escapes and disappears, hiding at a policeman friend’s (Aldis Hodge) house. Overcome with loneliness, Adrian commits suicide — but Cecilia suspects his death is a hoax. After a series of creepy coincidences that eventually turn lethal, Cecilia’s sanity begins to unravel as she tries desperately to prove she’s being haunted and hunted by an invisible force that happens to be her departed ex.

By telling the story from the woman’s point of view, Whannell has given the film a contemporary feminist spin that makes it all the more haunting and effective. It’s scary because the details of mental abuse by a partner feels so real, as the manipulation and controlling behavior feeds Cecilia’s paranoia. It’s one of the more chilling horror films (or rather, monster movies) that’s come along in quite a while.

Moss makes her performance look effortless as she wrestles with an empty corner of a room or throws punches into the air. Casting a talented actor in the lead role makes all the difference and prevents this from becoming just another hokey Blumhouse production.

Although serious themes like domestic abuse and mental illness are tackled in an honest way, “The Invisible Man” is so entertaining because it achieves the right mix of terror and female empowerment.

If you want to watch this, don't. If you want to watch an 'invisible man' movie, watch the original 'The Hollow Man'. I actually had to rewatch 'The Hollow Man' just to wash my eyes after this. The manlet of a woman in this movie that they call an actress is 100 times worse than Rhona Mitha's performance in 'The Hollow Man'.

Review on Horror Focus

Director Leigh Whannell had a crisp and clear vision when adapting this classic Universal monster The Invisible Man, into a modern re-telling that taps into the relevantly dark dangers of a domestic relationship, exploring such a theme with the upmost intensity and craft. This is a classic horror tale adapted with a contemporary twist, focusing more on the psychological mayhem we're forced to endure, much like our protagonist Cecilia, who's tormented in chilling manners. Already within 2020 this is the sleeper-hit of the year, one that on paper looks a lot more naff than what we are actually presented with.

Moss is the core of the movie here, playing as the heartbeat of the entire duration. Through Whannell and Moss' talent combined we are forced to endure emotional and brutal intensity, throwing its audiences and main protagonist through nerve-wrecking intensity, tapping into the fear of the unseen that worked so well with the likes of It Follows.

Moss' performance as Cecilia is superb, as her portrayal of unhinged woman broken from domestic abuse is both unsettling and devastating, already leading to one of strongest female lead performances of the year so far. Whilst the portrayal of constant angst is unforgettable, it's her balanced likability that keeps Cecilia so fascinating, without the character ever compromising her morals or intelligence. A character like this is refreshing to see, especially when they ultimately get their moment to redeems themselves, which she absolutely does.

Image result for the invisible man 2020 The most successful element of The Invisible Man is undoubtately the chilling, ice-cold intensity, delivering an unshakable tautness that will have your cage rattles until the closing credits. Whannell's lever use of cinematography with large concrete open spaces and a washed-out colour palette enhances the presence of the Invisible Man himself, allowing paranoia and angst to trickle through bit by...

This is a film that tries to be smart and clearly isn't. It has more holes than a colander containing Swiss cheese being held by Christ. This film thinks it's so edgy when it couldn't be further from it. It's a low budget, badly acted, dire attempt to contemporise a classic story. Do yourself a favour and don't bother.

Well made horror-thriller that takes the classic version updated for today with not only the effects but violence, which was very effective. A little predictable in some respects but ultimately entertaining and features a good performance by Elisabeth Moss. Going the more lower budget with Universal's "monster" remakes the best route, hopefully they learned their lesson from blunders of The Mummy. 3.75/5

My ten word review:

Unoriginal. Nothing here you haven't seen a hundred times before.

Click here for a video version: https://youtu.be/rCeL3WAvuCs

Nice suspense thriller.