The Invisible Man (2020)

Starring: Elisabeth Moss, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Harriet Dyer, Aldis Hodge, Storm Reid, Michael Dorman, Benedict Hardie, Sam Smith
Directed by: Leigh Whannell
Rating: R
Genre: Drama, Horror, Mystery
2020

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: After fleeing her abusive husband, a woman (Elisabeth Shue) begins to suspect he is invisibly stalking her.

Review:

Tim: How do you update The Invisible Man for 2020? I loved the 1933 film, but this is a different day and age. I certainly wouldn't have answered that question the way Leigh Whannell did with his script, but that's partially why this movie is so effective. There's a few flaws here that hold the movie back from being great, but it's incredibly entertaining and a truly strong movie.

It's funny, the idea of invisibility in 1933 was certainly science fiction, the prospective of that worlds away from reality. In 2020, it's still science fiction, but much closer to reality. There's been huge advancements in cloaking technology and while cumbersome, early-stage invisibility developments have taken place. What we see here is still beyond the realm of science, but it doesn't feel outlandish. The movie wisely focuses on this technological angle to explain the invisibility. I loved how Leigh Whannell grounded the movie in science, just pushing the boundaries of what is currently possible.

As good as that is, the brilliant stroke of this movie is making the movie about an abusive relationship. That's not what you first think about when you consider an Invisible Man movie, but it brilliantly fits. That allows Whannell an opportunity to not only tell a science-fiction horror story, but a powerful story about gaslighting, controlling, abusive relationships as well. There's an obvious parallel here- in real abusive relationships, the specter of the abuser lives on, even after the victim manages to escape. The trauma lives on, they can be haunted by that person, almost as if they're an invisible presence still in their lives. It truly is brilliant and it's easily the best aspect of this movie. You get to watch it on two levels- as an entertaining horror movie about an invisible man terrorizing his ex-wife, as well as a disturbing meditation on abusive relationships.

The film assembles a solid cast. Elisabeth Moss has the most to do and she rises to the challenge. I've enjoyed Moss' work on The Handmaid's Tale series, so her talent wasn't a surprise to me. Still, she infuses this role with character and complexity. It's a reminder that horror movies need to have great talent, especially in the heroine role. Moss elevates this character, makes her feel real. Contrast this with the throwaway actors in many 80s horror movies and you see why it's so critical. Moss makes this movie significantly better and is a big reason why it's so good.

Aldis Hodge adds a good supporting performance. I enjoy him as an actor and he did good work here. I wish he had a bit more to do, but I understand. Storm Reid was fine, I didn't have any issues with her performance. Oliver Jackson-Cohen really doesn't have much to do, but the script was right in limiting his onscreen time. Michael Dorman did some good things in an unlikable role. The rest of the supporting cast is fine, but this movie is just so much about Moss. No one else makes even close to her level of impact.

The visual effects were good. There's a few especially creepy scenes and overall, the specter of invisibility works well here. I don't know if I would call anything outstanding, but it's all effective and I have zero complaints. It was legitimately cool how some of the invisibility scenes were done, and they result in more than a few "Oh no!"moments.

I do have to hit my big complaint. This is big enough that it pulled the movie down from a greatness level. There's just too many moments throughout the film that make absolutely no sense. Like, major goofs or gaps in logic that disrupt the viewing experience. I won't hit them all here, but I will highlight one as representative. There's a scene where Moss' character is cut pretty badly- we see the extent of the wound as it happens. And then, she starts moving around with almost no blood from the wound. It might feel like a small thing, but I kept looking for the blood. Where is it? The body doesn't stop bleeding after something like that. It felt like too much blood would hurt the story, so they ignored it. This kind of thing happens numerous times in the film- a logical detail hurts the story Whannell was telling, so it's ignored. This eventually got so frustrating to me that I would groan when another one happened. Whannell does so much well, he gets so many of the big things right that it's frustrating that the small things are what pull the movie down.

Still, despite these flaws, if you told me that The Invisible Man remake was going to be this good, I wouldn't have believed you. The film is entertaining and memorable and a wonderful experience in an otherwise pretty terrible year. It certainly suggests that Leigh Whannell needs to continue directing. I enjoyed Insidious: Chapter 3 and we know how hard it is to make a good third film in a horror movie. I'll have to track down Upgrade, because the guy has real talent. This movie is worth seeing.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Invisible Man (1933), Insidious: Chapter 3, Upgrade