Little Public Service statement I want to make before the review:

Today ladies and gents I want to talk about a movie that came out recently that, honestly, I did not think was going to be as good as it was. A movie whose plot I felt was given away in the first trailer and I was almost not going to watch at all as a result. However, I was very surprised at how much I enjoyed this new take on a classic horror movie. I am talking about the 2020 movie by Leigh Whannell "The Invisible Man", a movie that constantly makes you wonder...are you alone in the room. Or is someone watching you?


Plot: After her abusive ex commits suicide, Cecilia not only feels relief for the first time but also discovers that he has left his mass fortune to her as a result. Feeling this is too good to be true, Cecilia believes its a hoax until shown proof. Her feelings of freedom are short lived ,however, when strange circumstances begin to occur to her and slowly become more violent. Terrified and confused, Cecilia watch's as her friends and family suffer at the hands of this being. Who is haunting her? And can she really protect herself and friends against something she can not see?  

What this Movie does right: I think the first thing I have to say about this movie is the scenes are shot in a certain way that really makes the watcher nervous. The audience is in a constant state of paranoid fear as the camera focuses on the living room even when none is there, implying that there is might be someone there that we cant see. Even the backgrounds when someone is talking makes the viewer nervous, with great blink and you will miss it moments that make you question what you saw. Its a great way to trick the audience's mind, as well as build up a sense of dread of who is in the house.
Having the protagonist as a woman running from her abusive ex is also a fantastic change, as it gave her a reason to be paranoid at first as well as has the audience wondering if there was an invisible man or was it the trauma that her ex left behind. Honestly its a great method of story telling and shows us just how much domestic violence can affect someone.
Next, the invisible man himself. The way this person remains invisible is truly genius and I loved the reveal of it in the movie. Its not a serum, or potion, or government experiment. Its something so simple and realistic that it borders on scary with how much you can believe this is possible in our world today. Thats what makes it effective and scary all at once. Add into it that his end goal changes and adapts with each discovery Cecilia makes and you begin to wonder if Cecilia can defeat, which results in a very effective villain.
Finally the visual effects are wonderful! The reveal of the invisibility device is so cool and makes so much sense that I rang up my friend who is actually a scientist and asked him was this possible...he said it was for the record.

What the movie did Wrong: So. This movie did a lot of good, reviews besides my own will say that. However what it did wrong is a different story.
For one it focuses a LOT on elements in the story that really dont need to be elaborated on more than once (TRUST ME! If you have seen it, you will know). Its not a bad thing when you are trying to explain something in this type of movie, but when you give off 10 minutes on a detail that really isnt going to be looked at again, it feels likes the movie is padding for time (Not the actual limit the topic is talked about but still).
We also get a lot of time hinting at there being no Invisible man...Look we all knew there was going to be one. If you saw the trailer above, then you know there is some invisible man running around. But the fact is that it spends way too long trying to say this is all in her head, its not an actual thing, which I suppose could be a metaphor for nobody believing a battered woman about her spouse, but I dont think works as well as it could have here. Its still done well, but I feel it could have been done better.


Performances: Okay. Can we talk about this for a second here. Some AMAZING acting in this movie. If you know film/acting you know how hard it is to make being beaten up by a ghost look convincing. Elizabeth Moss does this in spades, and at no point does she look like shes trying too hard during this movie. Honestly the only person who outshines her is our prick of an ex. When he finally gets some screen time we get the complete manipulative impression from him. Each performance plays off each other to such a fantastic extent that it honestly sucks the viewer in more and more.


Personal Verdict: I LOVED it. It had its plot holes here and there, but in the end it was an extremely enjoyable story about breaking free. I believe the very effective mix of old school tension with new school scares makes this movie a must see for those of you big into atmosphere and character development. As for those who love a good bloody mess, I am sorry but this film may not be for you. Its got its share of blood and violence, but this movie is more about relationships and trauma than it is about guts.

Overall Verdict: 8/10

The Invisible Man offers chills and fun throughout its entire run. You feel for the characters, understand their decisions, and follow their progression as the story goes. Its a lot more high brow than some horror films I have covered in the past, but is one I would recommend watching with a loved one or someone who just wants a murder mystery story. Does it have its faults? Sure, but that does not distract from the story its telling. Overall I enjoyed this movie more than I thought I would, and watching it the first time around allowed me to really appreciate Elizabeth Moss's acting ability.

Just downloaded this Yesterday, looks interesting though. I might watching it later. Thank you for this information, i wasn't interested at first.

Hollow Man

Menace wrote:

Just downloaded this Yesterday, looks interesting though. I might watching it later. Thank you for this information, i wasn't interested at first.

Hollow Man

Thanks. I hope you enjoyed the movie. I might have a look at Hallow Man as its one of my faves.