The Invisible Man
Director: Leigh Whannell
Cast Headliners: Elizabeth Moss, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, technically others
Original Release Date: February 28th, 2020
The Invisible Man is interesting when viewed in its content of a dual heritage. On one hand, it's yet another take on the classic H.G Wells idea of one who can become invisible delivered through a bit more of a realistic modern lense. On the other hand it also marks the first Universal Monsters movie post-Dark Universe (their attempted mashup of creatures in the fashionable sense of the superheroes at the time). This is a film devoid of any connections to a larger horror world which makes it feel very fresh and distinct amidst its typical tropes.
The firstmost unique thing about this reboot is that it places much more emphasis on its main character Cee(Elizabeth Moss) and her situation. A darkly intense opening shows her escape from insane abusive ex-boyfriend Adrian(Oliver Jackson-Cohen). Cee finds relief in her sister Emily(Harriet Dyer) alongside her old friend James(Aldis Hodge) and his daughter Sydney(Storm Reid).
However of course this being a horror, or more accuratelya sci-fi psychological thriller, peace does not last long. Even with Adrian's apparent death she feels an unseen , invisible presence of him in her life haunting her and manipulating those around her into hate. There's also Adrian's jerk of a brother Tom(Michael Dorman) who pressures Cee in various ways to maintain the late inventor's fortune.
There are of course thrills and chills but an unique highlight of this piece is the lead performance by Moss as Cee. It deals with darkly important themes considering her state as an abuse survivor haunted by PTSD in addition to literal threads. One will feel very bad for her with powerful emotional takes. However she has some warmth and momentary humor which eventually evolves into fierceness as she fights back.
Unfortunately the supporting cast is very generic. There's really nothing much of note from the friends and family around her especially with an at times mixed quality of a script. On the more villainous side, Jackson-Cohen's living scenes as Adrian are few and far between but are menacing enough with Dorman's Tom also making for some uncomfortable drama scenes if a bit hammy.
The film's best on-screen star is the complete absence of one. The titular Invisible Man itself, whoever or whatever it may be, is handled very well. Director Leigh Whannell crafts some chilling sequences. A variety of moods are used whether atmospheric slow burns(some of the best moments of the film being through subtle things in the background), pulse-pounding action, or yes a few jump scares. His overall direction / cinematography is also effective as well whether in up close dialogue or more sweeping landscape or action shots. Some of the effects are a bit rough yet also some of the effects are quite fascinating to look at . A sci-fi-tastic score by Benjamin Wallfisch adds to things from electro beats to chilling, horror-typical sctrings.
There isn't that much more to the film aside what it appears to be on the package but that's a fine thing. The scares are spooky and the drama scares in its own way. It's a long two hour plus burn but by its end it becomes most exciting of all. One has optimistic hope for the rebirth of Universal's monster future if they're all like this. 7.95 out of 10
No comments:
Post a Comment