The Invisible Man (2020) Review
Trapped in a violent, controlling relationship with a wealthy and brilliant scientist, Cecilia Kass (Elizabeth Moss) escapes in the dead of night and disappears into hiding, aided by her sister, their childhood friend and his teenage daughter.
But when Cecilia’s abusive ex commits suicide and leaves her a generous portion of his vast fortune, Cecilia suspects his death was a hoax. As a series of eerie coincidences turns lethal, threatening the lives of those she loves, Cecilia’s sanity begins to unravel as she desperately tries to prove that she is being hunted by someone nobody can see.
Writer/director Leigh Whannell (UPGRADE) has spectacularly updated a classic Universal monster for modern day sensibilities, a feat that previous stabs, such as Tom Cruise’s THE MUMMY (2017) and Luke Evan’s DRACULA UNTOLD (2014), for the same studio’s ‘Dark Universe’ franchise failed to do. Had those movies been a triumph at the box-office then this miniscule-budgeted Hollywood flick would have never have seen the light of day. Instead we would have had to make do with a different take on the H.G. Wells’ 1897 story with Johnny Depp cast as the lead character. As things go I really think that this has worked out for the best – Whannell’s THE INVISIBLE MAN is an absolute triumph!
Whannell finally came of age with his last directorial effort UPGRADE (2018). Until then he was best known as the writer and creator of both the SAW and INSIDIOUS franchises. He could have rested on his laurels and basked in the glory that residual payments could afford him from two such lucrative brands to his name. He hasn’t, instead he has gone from strength to strength and whilst his otherwise stunning UPGRADE had some initial pacing issues his INVISIBLE MAN has no such worries as it hits the ground running and never lets up for two solid tension-drenched hours.
Whilst there are plotting similarities to the insipid Julia Roberts flick SLEEPING WITH THE ENEMY (1990) in terms of pacing and its scene-setting slow panning camera shots I’d liken it more to Adrian Lyne’s seminal FATAL ATTRACTION – now a largely forgotten late Eighties shocker – in respect of the way it methodically cranks up the tension. What also helps elevate Whannell’s movie above the norm is by casting Elizabeth Moss as his main character. She’s literally in every scene and totally nails it, veering from acrophobic to misunderstood victim to ultimately triumph as a kick-ass female lead. You’re with her for the ride and totally rooting for her throughout.
There’s a couple of excellent ‘shocks’ along the way and an ambiguous ending that kind of screams out that there will be an INVISIBLE WOMAN movie sometime soon. In short this is the most fun I have had watching a Hollywood horror for some time. It takes a well-known story and gives it a twist that actually works and had its box-office run not been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic then this would have bagged a ton more money at the box-office and become a major talking point for those that had seen it.
Littered with visual references to Whannell’s own back-catalogue as well as previous incarnations of the titular character himself, this film is a treasure trove on many levels for general film fans and horror film fans alike – highly recommended!