The Invisible Man brings out the fear of what you can’t see
Derrick Dunn

Derrick Dunn

The Invisible Man brings out the fear of what you can’t see

Universal Pictures and Blumhouse Productions give an H.G. Wells classic a contemporary spin in The Invisible Man from director Leigh Whannell. The Invisible Man opens with Cecilia Kass (Elisabeth Moss) escaping the abusive clutches of her controlling boyfriend, Adrian Griffin (Oliver Jackson-Cohen). 

Following the advice of her sister Emily (Harriet Dyer), Cecilia decides to stay with her childhood friend James (Aldis Hodge) and his daughter Sydney (Storm Reid). Before long, Adrian takes his own life, and Cecilia is informed by Adrian’s lawyer and brother, Tom (Michael Dorman), that Adrian left her his fortune. 

Initially over the moon, Cecilia’s happiness is short-lived as strange and spooky occurrences from an unseen force soon turn violent. Cecilia realizes that Adrian may have faked his death, and is hell-bent on revenge.  With no one believing her stories about Adrian’s superior intellect and new found invisibility, Cecilia realizes that she not only has to prove Adrian is alive but stop him before he hurts those she loves. 

H.G. Wells’ character, “The Invisible Man”, has had numerous versions since his initial creation in 1897. Some of the results were great (2000’s Hollow Man) while others (1988’s The Invisible Kid) were laughably bad. Thankfully writer-director Leigh Whannel’s modernized take on the material is a well-crafted suspense film, driven by the terrific Elizabeth Moss.

One of the things I commend scriptwriter Leigh Whannell for establishing with Cecilia’s arc is that the moment we meet the character, she’s a broken and terrified woman.  Cecilia’s eyes and silence solidify the terror she experienced while living with Adrian. It’s a testament to Moss’s strength as an actress that I generally felt emotion for her character. Once the film kicks into high gear, the fun starts. There are physical moments where Moss must act terrified, show off her athleticism as she is thrown around, but is also quick to get up and continue the fight.

None of those mentioned above scenes never come off as comical as Whannell purposely creates a slow narrative.  There’s one moment in the film (which I won’t spoil here) that will catch audiences off guard and is worth the price of admission alone.  With his third film, Whannell has come a long way as a director, and I look forward to what he has up his sleeve for the future. Whannel’s wise decision to avoid jump scares and gore is a rarity in today’s horror films. 

Regarding the supporting cast in the film, Oliver Jackson-Cohen was a great choice as our primary villain.  While we never see the physical form of Oliver Jackson-Cohen’s attacking Cecilia, the mental fear he puts in our minds comes back full fold during the so-called invisible scenes. It also helps that Oliver Jackson-Cohen is a somewhat unknown actor, as a more known name may have hurt the overall tone of the film.  Storm Reid, Aldis Hodge, and Harriet Dyer were also great as Cecilia’s support system. 

Each character wants to help Cecilia, and the moments in which they don’t believe her come off as genuine as opposed to forced. I enjoyed seeing Aldis Hodge on screen as our male hero, and I’m still hoping he gets an action franchise one day. Similar to most horror films, the primary issue with The Invisible Man is the marketing campaign. Some of the movie’s best moments were ruined for me as I had already seen them in the trailer. 

Relying on suspense and the fear of what you can see, Leigh Whannel’s remake of The Invisible Man is a success. With another excellent performance from Elisabeth Moss and some significant effects, Universal’s and Blumhouse’s take on the H.G. Wells classic is one of the best remakes in recent memory.

Final Grade A-

Movie Clappers

More to explorer

Adam Driver- 65

Adam Driver can’t save 65 from extinction

Collaborators Scott Beck and Bryan Woods deliver their latest film in 65 from Sony Pictures Releasing. The duo writes and directs the film, which Adam Driver toplines. After a catastrophic crash on an unknown planet, pilot Mills (Adam Driver) quickly discovers he’s stuck on Earth… 65 million years ago.

Champions

Clichés don’t hinder Champions from being a crowd pleasing winner

Woody Harrelson returns to the world of basketball for director Bobby Farrelly in Champions from Focus Features. Mark Rizzo pens the film’s screenplay, a remake of the 2018 Spanish film of the same name. Marcus (Harrelson) is a washed-up basketball player turned assistant coach passing the time with a D-League in Des Monies.

Jesus Revolution

Jesus Revolution is an affectionate true story

Director Jon Erwin delivers his latest faith-based film in Jesus Revolution from Lionsgate. Brent McCorkle codirects the movie, while the script is a collaboration between Jon Gunn & Erwin. Jesus Revolution is the true story of a divided time when people came together by checking their preconceptions at the door and formed a movement by listening to each other and looking beyond their beliefs.

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn

© Copyright Reviews & Dunn. All rights reserved

website designed by Red Robin Digital designers