The Invisible Man (2020)
When Marvel showed the world that a connected cinematic universe could not only lead to new effective narrative opportunities but also huge financial grosses it seemed like every franchise which could possibly be turned into a connected cinematic universe started to build towards one for what can only be assumed as an equal drive for quality and money. Where none of these universes reached even close to the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, none failed quite as gloriously as Universal's Dark Universe. Based on the original Universal Monster films which arguably was the first connected universe, the new Dark Universe set high goals for itself putting together an a-list cast set to bring these characters back to life over multiple years eventually leading to a fully established connected universe. This plan died almost instantaneously after the release of 2016's The Mummy which was selected as the film destined to kick the universe off. With the film being destroyed by critics and putting the company in red rather than green, it seemed the Universal Monsters were headed back to the grave. Slowly a few standalone projects with these characters made their way into development and finally The Invisible Man has made it to release!
Building a story unique from the 1933 classic, The Invisible Man follows Cecilia "Cee" Kass (Elisabeth Moss) in the weeks following her escape from her both emotionally and physically abusive boyfriend Adrian (Oliver Jackson-Cohen). It seems like the trauma and danger haunting Cecilia is finally coming to an end as it is widely reported that Adrian has killed himself but as mysterious events start happening around her, Cecilia realizes that Adrian is not truly dead but rather has found a way to turn himself invisible and is taunting her while destroying her new life from the sidelines. Where on paper a remake of The Invisible Man seems like an easy vehicle for cheap and lazy filmmaking, trying to cash an easy check due to its association with an already established property, as seen in this story the 2020 remake is far from lazy. Where the film does carry a traditional modern jumpscare horror style in one hand, in the other is an emotional and engaging story of trauma and abuse that gives the film something of actual substance. Despite the specifics of Cecilia's journey fighting against her abuser who can turn invisible might not be the most relatable plot, the deeper ideas presenting the haunting effects of that abuse will be deeply impactful to plenty of audience members. Through this, The Invisible Man finds a relevant voice with something to say propelling the film way beyond most others of the genre.
This is not only shown in the films plot and screenplay from also director Leigh Whannell, but also in the acting. After a few years of incredible work in projects such as The Handmaid's Tale and Her Smell, Elisabeth Moss has finally started to find the respect she deserves as one of the most talented actors of our generation and her work in The Invisible Man is truly a tour de force. Seeing Moss's character fall apart, almost powerless to the destruction filling her life at the hands of Adrian is not just heartbreaking but truly moving. She brings this character to life, from the pain to the eventual reclaiming of power and freedom, Moss crafts a performance that sadly will more than likely go unrecognized come this year's award season despite deserving to be in the conversation. Where his character's emotional depth might be lesser, Aldis Hodge also greatly impresses in the film. Similar to his role as Anthony Woodsin Clemency, Hodge feels extremely genuine in his mix of warmth and coldness that is so hard to master. The only actor who never truly finds their footing would have to be Harriet Dyer as Cecilia's sister Emily. Part of it might have been that their relationship was not properly established, but Dyer and Moss had almost no chemistry and constantly felt like a confusing out of place piece of the film that felt like such a step down when put in juxtaposition with the incredible chemistry of Moss and Hodge for example.
This is not only shown in the films plot and screenplay from also director Leigh Whannell, but also in the acting. After a few years of incredible work in projects such as The Handmaid's Tale and Her Smell, Elisabeth Moss has finally started to find the respect she deserves as one of the most talented actors of our generation and her work in The Invisible Man is truly a tour de force. Seeing Moss's character fall apart, almost powerless to the destruction filling her life at the hands of Adrian is not just heartbreaking but truly moving. She brings this character to life, from the pain to the eventual reclaiming of power and freedom, Moss crafts a performance that sadly will more than likely go unrecognized come this year's award season despite deserving to be in the conversation. Where his character's emotional depth might be lesser, Aldis Hodge also greatly impresses in the film. Similar to his role as Anthony Woodsin Clemency, Hodge feels extremely genuine in his mix of warmth and coldness that is so hard to master. The only actor who never truly finds their footing would have to be Harriet Dyer as Cecilia's sister Emily. Part of it might have been that their relationship was not properly established, but Dyer and Moss had almost no chemistry and constantly felt like a confusing out of place piece of the film that felt like such a step down when put in juxtaposition with the incredible chemistry of Moss and Hodge for example.
Equally impressive and well crafted would be the technical side of the film. Embracing the tension of quiet empty spaces where Adrian could be hiding, the cinematography from Stefan Duscio is easily one of the most effective aspects of the film when it comes to building tension. Most will have their attention drawn to the visual effects in the film which overall where far from groundbreaking are effective enough and wisely used sparingly, the production design is also constantly solid and imaginative especially when it comes to Adrian's mansion which acts as an extension of his wealth. The only technical element in the film that felt like it could have used some work was the score and sound design. Where it is noticeably effective at first, the loud swells meant to help bring terror to the audience quickly loses its charm and feels far too repetitive to continue to feel fresh even by the halfway point of the film. The other major issue to the film was little some of the plot made sense. Deciding to focus on emotions and setting up jump scares rather than well thought out logistics, The Invisible Man has multiple scenes that make very little sense. From Adrian seemingly being able to teleport wherever is most convenient to some really questionable decisions involving paint, The Invisible Man really could have used a few more lookovers when it came to making sure the plot makes sense, especially as there are times where it was so distracting that it can take audiences out of the movie. Luckily they are able to really nail the ending, there were some plot twists that seemed to be bringing the film in some iffy directions but by the end, it finds the right path that feels satisfying.
Where there are some clear issues that hold The Invisible Man back from being an all-time classic, especially for what it could have been, The Invisible Man remains overall quite impressive. This clearly is a movie that cares and has a legitimately important and moving message to say that never feels like it settles with just being another horror movie. The Invisible Man is definitely worth the price of admission and lights a new spark for Universal Monster movies that will hopefully lead to a fire of original takes and interesting stories using these classic characters. Already a new Dracula film has been put into development with Karyn Kusama signed on to direct so the near future looks bright at least. Let's just hope the monsters aren't forced back into the dark by nearsighted corporate decisions anytime soon.
Where there are some clear issues that hold The Invisible Man back from being an all-time classic, especially for what it could have been, The Invisible Man remains overall quite impressive. This clearly is a movie that cares and has a legitimately important and moving message to say that never feels like it settles with just being another horror movie. The Invisible Man is definitely worth the price of admission and lights a new spark for Universal Monster movies that will hopefully lead to a fire of original takes and interesting stories using these classic characters. Already a new Dracula film has been put into development with Karyn Kusama signed on to direct so the near future looks bright at least. Let's just hope the monsters aren't forced back into the dark by nearsighted corporate decisions anytime soon.