The Invisible Man
Directed by Leigh Whannell
On numerous occasions, Universal have tried to launch a ‘Dark Universe’, their answer to the MCU and a reboot of the Universal Classic Monsters, the original shared cinematic universe from the early 20th century. So after neither Dracula Untold nor Tom Cruise’s The Mummy did enough to warrant a continuation, what do you do after twice falling at the first hurdle? As The Invisible Man indicates, the answer isn’t actually that complicated — you simply focus on making one good movie without trying to cram in universe-building and set-up. And if you need assistance in this area, there’s no-one better to ask than Jason Blum, whose production company Blumhouse has excelled in making very cheap, critically-praised horror films that really connect with audiences.
Directed by Australian Leigh Whannell, whose previous film Upgrade I’d also recommend, The Invisible Man takes the original concept and modernises it, turning it into a film about domestic abuse in the process. Elisabeth Moss is excellent as Cecilia, a woman who is trapped in an abusive relationship with Adrian Griffin, a wealthy and controlling tech-designer. After she is informed that Adrian has committed suicide, strange events lead Cecelia to believe that he is actually still alive and has found a way to turn invisible in order to mentally torture her. However, no-one else believes Cecelia’s version of events, and they perceive her as going crazy and delusional.
I thought this film, which I’m very glad to have seen in a theatre, was simply excellent. The acting is strong across the board, but for me the star of this film after Moss was the director. This film only cost $7 million, but looks incredibly high-quality, and it’s obvious the director and production team know how to maximise every dollar they spend. The camera positioning and scene staging helps to emulate the feeling of being trapped which the main character is going through, and what makes this film so tense is the knowledge that The Invisible Man could be in virtually any scene.. At times the camera is stationary, and as an audience member I was searching for any little change which would indicate an invisible presence. There were very rarely any subtle cues that I picked up on, but the possibility that he could be in any corner of the screen was scary, but also exciting from a storytelling perspective. The fact that there are some shocking moments which I wasn’t expecting only maintains the air of unpredictability. Perhaps on another day I wouldn’t have been overly surprised, but I found the film created an engrossing atmosphere which resulted in me simply being in the moment, which is a big plus point and a sign the film doesn’t have many dull moments.
The sound production for this film is outstanding. Aggressive at all the right moments and fading into the background for the quieter scenes, the use of music heightened this to being a cinematic experience which was much more fulfilling than if I’d seen it on a TV in my living room. The special effects are also seamless, with the malfunctioning suit at the end never looking fake and adding to the menace of the character. Many genre movies lose me when they resort to an action-heavy final act, but Whannell’s direction of the concluding action sequences is sublime. The film doesn’t lose any tension and it is very well-established that apart from invisibility, The Invisible Man is also a physical threat that won’t be taken care of easily. The final physical confrontation isn’t over-the-top, but it is satisfying to see Cecelia finally defeat him and prove her innocence to others. And the fact that the ending is ambiguous is the cherry-on-top of the two-hour ride. It is unclear how involved Adrian was in the film’s events, but more importantly the film doesn’t tell you how you should feel about Cecelia’s final actions against him. It’s not played as a heroic action, but as an audience member you’re certainly on her side and are observing the whole film from her point of view.
I loved everything about this film. I’m not one that desires sequels and shared universes from every genre film, but I did leave the cinema feeling that I wanted more of this. More importantly, I would trust Moss and Whannell if they felt there was a strong enough story to tell about what Cecelia does next, and if they don’t feel there’s anything left to tell then it can be left here as a complete character arc with a satisfying conclusion. Hopefully Universal don’t scramble to push The Invisible Woman into a team-up film with Frankenstein and The Mummy but again, anything can be good if it’s approached in the right way, and Blumhouse have proven here that these monsters can possess great relevance for a modern world.
Verdict: 5/5
(The Invisible Man is now available on Blu-Ray/DVD, YouTube and Google Play, and playing limited screenings in select cinemas.)
Review written by Owen Selby
