Image courtesy of IMDb
Hello, everyone.
For this review, we’re taking a look at one of the best horror remakes of the past few years*.
This one is going to take some backstory, so we have to start there.
Originally, this was going to be part of Universal’s planned Dark Universe (basically, their answer to the MCU), with Johnny Depp already cast in the role. The series was set to begin with The Mummy, featuring Tom Cruise, Russell Crowe, and Sofia Boutella of Kingsman fame as the titular monster.
In reality, the series began and ended with that movie when it was eviscerated by critics and bombed at the box office.
The shared universe concept was then abandoned in favor of standalone stories featuring the classic monsters.
As for what I thought of it… here’s the short version: I thought it was okay.
It’s actually one of the earliest reviews I ever did, so for those who want to learn more, feel free to go check out that one.
Flash forward to 2019. Leigh Whannell gets brought on to write and direct a new version of the story, a reboot of the original 1933 film, but much like that one, it would also be loosely based on the original 1897 novel by H.G. Wells.
One year later, the movie gets released to great reviews and box office success… and then its theatrical release gets cut short due to COVID plunging the world into Hell. Three weeks later, it’s made available to rent on Digital for those who weren’t initially able to see it.
Now, five years since its release, he’s released his latest project, and I rewatch this to get ready for it.
Folks, let’s see if this still holds up, as I present my review of what is inarguably Leigh Whannell’s best movie up to this point, The Invisible Man.
The story follows Cecilia Kass, who’s been trying to escape an abusive relationship with scientist Adrian Griffin, who specializes in optical engineering.
One night, she’s able to escape, but even then, he still haunts her.
Two weeks later, while staying with her childhood friend and his daughter, she hears that Adrian has apparently killed himself and left $5 million to her.
After making arrangements with his brother Tom, strange things start happening, and this leads Cecilia to believe that Adrian didn’t really commit suicide, and has found a way to become invisible.
What Worked: First of all, the performances are fantastic across the board. Elisabeth Moss is outstanding in this movie. She brings a realistic sense of vulnerability to Cecilia, so you genuinely feel her plight.
Aldis Hodge (the new Alex Cross) plays her friend, Detective James Lanier, and Storm Reid plays his daughter Sydney. Reid in particular is great. She’s one of the best young actresses working today, as anyone who’s seen Missing will attest, though I would also recommend Sleight as well.
Though Harriet Dyer and Michael Dorman (who play Cecilia’s younger sister Emily and Tom, respectively) are both really good, I actually thought Oliver Jackson-Cohen (Mike Flanagan’s Haunting series**) was just as excellent as Elisabeth Moss in this movie.
His version of Adrian is one of the best horror villains of the decade so far. He toys with Cecilia at every turn, and he is so unsettling, even when you do see him***. Any characteristic of abusers, he has, from gaslighting to victim blaming to lying.
Without giving too much away, she gets to confront him, and what happens is nothing short of satisfying, given everything he had put her through.
Where the movie really shines, though, is with the technical aspects.
Up to this point (which isn’t saying much, because I haven’t seen all of his movies), I had viewed this as Leigh Whannell’s best movie, both in terms of direction and writing.
It’s also well paced and has some of the best cinematography you can see in a horror movie this decade so far. You’re constantly on edge throughout the movie, and you never know where the Invisible Man could be. You know you’re doing something right when you can linger on inanimate objects for a few seconds and it makes sense for the movie.
The technique for how the Invisible Man is done here is from a more logical perspective, so it’s also realistically plausible.
Instead of drinking a potion or taking a serum, this version of Adrian is still a genius scientist, and because he specializes in optical technology, it makes sense.
In this version, he wears a suit fitted with hundreds of cameras that reflect the light around him to make him invisible. It looks so cool in action.
The best scene in the movie involves him and a bunch of people in a hallway. Be on the lookout for it.
If you thought the sound design in Upgrade was excellent, you’ll love it as much if not even more here.
The best aspect of the movie, though, is Benjamin Wallfisch’s phenomenal score. The final track alone makes it stand out.
What Didn’t Work: There are some plot points that seem a bit excessive, namely parts of Adrian’s grand plan to ruin Cecilia’s life, which I won’t go into.
Some of those plot points are a bit predictable as well, but other than those two things, that’s really it.
Overall: The Invisible Man is one of the best modern horror remakes out there, one of the best horror movies so far this decade, and quite possibly Leigh Whannell’s best movie to date (his latest, though, I’ll get to soon, don’t worry).
With a realistic depiction of a very sensitive topic, a solid script and direction, fantastic sound design, a phenomenal score, excellent performances (particularly Elisabeth Moss and Oliver Jackson-Cohen; Moss especially should’ve at least been nominated), it also provides a surprisingly sensible way of taking an iconic monster’s story in a different direction, and it really works.
Acknowledging what came before also helps, and this even does that in a clever way in one scene****.
What makes it even more impressive is something I alluded to in the Upgrade review: The fact that it looks as great as it does on a minimal budget. Though slightly higher than Upgrade (which cost $3 million), this still looks impressive. This cost $7 million, and it looks more like $10-12 million.
It’s just as effective a commentary on abusive relationships as it is a horror movie.
You may not be able to see the villain, but this movie, it must be seen.
Where You Can Find It: At the time of this writing, you can find it on Freevee. Unfortunately, that means you’ll have to deal with ad interruptions, so if you can handle that, you should be fine.
Next time, we go from witnessing one monster’s psychological transformation to witnessing another monster’s physical one.
*It won’t be the last time we’re looking at this concept this year, but we’ll get to that later.
**The Haunting of Hill House and The Haunting of Bly Manor.
***Speaking of people you can’t see, if you manipulate the letters of his name enough, you get the name of another… I couldn’t resist on that one.
****If you’ve ever seen any previous depictions wearing bandages, they do that here.