A remake perfectly suited for the times. One that takes it’s inspirations and evolves them to be an unforgettable product of it’s time.
After a botched attempt at kick-starting a monster universe with 2016’s The Mummy, Universal Studios takes another crack at reimagining one of the all-time greatest movie monsters, The Invisible Man. Written and directed by Leigh Whannell and starring Elisabeth Moss, The Invisible Man is 2020’s first genuinely great movie.
February has always been a weird month for movies, but as of late movies such as Kingsman, John Wick 3, and The Lego Movie have found great success critically and financially. What is usually a dumping ground for bad movies, some studios have been sneaking in some surprisingly great films. The Invisible Man can join the discussion alongside those aforementioned films, and hopefully bring in enough money at the box office to call it a genuine success.
After a disappointing venture into sci-fi, Leigh Whannell’s Upgrade was a boringly predictable film with a lot left to be desired. Although the marketing here was relatively familiar, the trailer gave off bad vibes and seemed to be another half-hearted attempt at cashing in on the legacy of The Invisible Man. Instead it is anything but that, and it is a film that pulls out all the stops and packages plenty of surprises with a tight knit bow. Whannell also wrote the film and the script is honed in and just as strong as the direction. What stands out the most here is how he sprinkles in items that make a reappearance later in a significant way. A new ladder, fire extinguisher, a knife, amongst various other items end up having some sort of value in a pivotal moment. It isn’t some sort of transcendent writing technique, but it exists naturally and isn’t drawn out for us. Where most other horror films would be.
What makes The Invisible Man stand out is it’s confidence and balancing act of sci-fi/horror. It spins these plates (albeit quite few) with great balance and Whannell puts on a show. An exercise in visualizing the invisible. Taking a psychological threat and making it a physical force the characters can only feel through pain. The film starts on the hand of it’s oppressor in its most relaxed and gentle form on the oppressed. It offsets the harsh truths about the reality the main character lives in. It’s a great tone-setter and it maintains this tone from beginning to end in heart-pounding fashion.
On a negative note, the ending of this film is a bummer. It follows through on exactly what it set out to do, but it’s execution felt too blunt. In avoiding spoilers it’s difficult explaining why the ending didn’t quite work for me, but I am open to discuss it. Benjamin Wallfisch’s score is far too overstated for a film like this. It’s reminiscent of his work on Blade Runner 2049, a grandiose sci-fi epic, and despite this film’s strands of sci-fi, Wallfisch should have scaled it back. It makes a lot of the film’s quieter, more subdued moments feel bigger than they are. Lastly, outside of a terrific Elisabeth Moss and Storm Reid, the cast is underwhelming and misses the mark. It’s not resoundingly awful, but it feels Lifetime-y and sub-par for professional actors. It’s something I took note of in Upgrade as well. Whannell just doesn’t seem to be a great actor’s director yet.
The Invisible Man is just as great as you’ve heard. What started as another standard, concerning, poorly marketed February horror flick, is anything but. It’s strengths are lean and mean, and a powerful turn from Elisabeth Moss makes The Invisible Man the year’s first great film. Leigh Whannell turns a great concept and executes its elements with ease and proper tension. It’s wrung tight and leaves little room to breathe or exist beyond the boundaries it enforces on it’s characters. Each act concludes with a fierce revelation and it makes the following act that much more enticing. Take the time to check out The Invisible Man to satisfy that crave for some old-fashioned horror with nifty camera tricks.