A few years ago Universal studios put in motion a plan to
revisit and reinvent their classic horror icons, creating a shared universe of
monsters much like the Marvel superhero universe. With the release of their
first film, THE MUMMY starring Tom Cruise, that collapsed like a house of
cards. Criticized by critics and fans alike and a financial failure, the whole
think crumbled. In response with several items in the works they decided to
make the films separate and not tied together at all. The first of those to
come out was THE INVISIBLE MAN.
Released just before the coronavirus pandemic began the film
was doing well at the box office before theaters shut down. In response
Universal released the film to digital services and sold it as those theaters
closed. Now it comes out on disc for those who chose to wait.
Elizabeth Moss is Cecilia "Cee" Kass, a woman
virtually held captive by the person she though was the man of her dreams,
Adrian Griffin (Oliver Jackson-Cohen). Instead Adrian controls every aspect of
her life. As the film opens Cecilia is in the midst of escaping having set the
wheels in motion to do so before hand. Things don’t quite go as expected and
Adrian nearly catches her as she drives away with her sister Emily (Harriet
Dyer).
In hiding Cecilia is staying with her friends James (Aldis
Hodge) and his daughter Sydney (Storm Reid). Still shaken by her ordeal and
fearful that Adrian will use his money and power to find her, she finds herself
afraid to even walk to the end of the driveway to pick up the mail. Two weeks
later her sister shows up with the news that Adrian committed suicide.
Meeting with his lawyer brother Tom (Michael Dorman) he
informs her that Adrian has included her in his will. He’s left behind $5
million dollars to her, as long as she shows she is mentally competent and not
convicted of any crimes. She accepts the money, sharing a part of it with
Sydney for college and attempts to move on with her life. Until strange things
begin happening.
The sheets are pulled from her bed while she sleeps. She
hears footsteps. Drawings from her portfolio are missing when she goes to a job
interview. She collapses during the interview and they discover Diazepam in her
system, the same drug she gave Adrian to make him sleep when she escaped. She
finds the bottle she used and lost when she escaped on her bathroom sink
counter, a bloody fingerprint on it. Is she going mad or is there some way
Adrian is still alive and bothering her?
Cecilia insists that Adrian is alive but no one believes
her. She goes to talk to her sister to find Emily less than receptive since she
received an email from her earlier in the day telling her how much she hated
and resented her. But Cecilia insists that she never sent the email. She talks
to Sydney and they decide on a girl’s night but then something strikes Sydney
and she leaves in fear of Cecilia.
Still in the house alone, Cecilia discovers Adrian’s cell
phone in the attic. In the middle of trying to find out what’s going on she
dumps a can of paint on an unseen force on the ladder to the attic, coating
Adrian in some sort of suit. Before she can catch him, he makes it to the
kitchen where he cleans himself off. As she searches for him the two fight back
and forth until he leaves. Will Cecilia be able to make anyone believe her
story? Or has this all been something in her mind?
The move does a wonderful job with the special effects, a
must for a film like this. Both the fighting sequences and popping in and out
of view are handled incredibly well. The direction by Leigh Whannell (who along
with James Wan created the SAW and INSIDIOUS franchises) is well done and his
handling of the actors helps create much of the tension seen here. The actors
all turn in some great performances as well, making their characters and their
actions believable.
Perhaps the only drawback for the film is its length. At
just over two hours the film feels like a full 20-30 minutes could have been
shaved off the film and it would have moved along at a much better clip. Too
many panning shots of empty rooms and travel time feel like padding. Because of
these the first half of the film drags. It is the second half that redeems the
film.
Not necessarily a frightening film the movie does offer a
nice dose of tension to keep you watching. I doubt a sequel will be in order
but who knows these days. For now if you’re looking for a solid mystery with a
science fiction twist, you might enjoy a night with the invisible man.
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