I’ve had high expectations for The Invisible Man since day one. And as I sat in the theater this weekend hearing the audience’s screams around me, it became clear that this brilliant film from writer-director Leigh Whannell is without a doubt making the top of our “Best of 2020” list.
Not many movies can make me jump these days, but The Invisible Man had me curled up in my seat holding onto my man’s arm with a death grip. Is it scary? Hell yes! But that’s not all the movie is about. At the heart of the story is Cecilia (Elizabeth Moss), a woman fighting to break free from her psychotic, abusive boyfriend, Adrian (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) who has the means to make her life a living hell. He’s created a suit that turns you invisible and he uses it to alienate her and torture her every way he can. But what he’s not counting on is Cecilia finding the strength to fight back.
I’ll be upfront, I’ve been a fan of Moss since season one of “The Handmaid’s Tale” first hit Hulu. She gives a powerhouse performance, possibly her best yet in The Invisible Man. She is able to capture and emote Cecilia’s every emotion so well that there were times I forgot for a moment that I was actually watching a movie. Often characters like this, an abused women, doesn’t quite come across right but Moss nailed it like she had experienced something herself. It’s a bit hard to explain if you’ve never been through it yourself but any woman who has experienced abuse can understand what I’m talking about. I may have even shed a tear or two. I think that I connected with Cecilia because I saw so much of myself in her character, but that’s a whole other conversation.
We don’t see much of Oliver Jackson-Cohen, the villain in the film, but he did well. When we can actually see Adrian, he gives off a seriously creepy, domineering, cold, and just plain evil vibe. His character is a psychopath with what I would say is a heavy dose of Narsasstic Personality disorder.
Moss’ co-star Aldis Hodge plays Cecilia’s cop friend James who lets her stay with him and his daughter. He was on point. You get that tough-guy feel of a cop with the kindness and understanding of a friend. But Hodge is at his best in moments of fear and anger, the look on his face is priceless, bulging eyes and all.
The film is dark and fraught with emotionally charged drama. Its story pulls you in and leaves you running a gambit of emotions while at the same time featuring scary scenes that will leave your heart racing. And the big twist, superb.
The special effects play a huge part in the movie and I have to say I was impressed. The scenes where the invisible man was interacting with the cast, especially with Cecilia, were great for the most part. Though, there were a couple of scenes that didn’t quite make sense, like during Adrian’s fight with the guards (don’t want to go into details and spoil it).
There are a lot of big differences between 2020’s Invisible Man and the original 1933 film of the same name based on H.G. Wells’ novel and starring Claud Rains. For one, the villain is not a scientist in the reboot, he’s a camera designer. In the original the scientist is driven mad, in the new film, the villain is already mentally disturbed. Claud Rains appears wrapped in bandages during some scenes so he can be seen. We see the actual suit in scenes where Adrian needs to appear.
Whannel’s updated spin on the classic Universal Monster character is absolutely brilliant. The way he chose to turn Adrian invisible is really clever. Even though there were a few small hiccups in the film, I still have to give it a 5 out of 5. It’s really that good. It’s now playing in theaters nationwide.
I was disappointed by Universal’s first character revival, but The Invisible Man gives me hope about Universal’s upcoming monster reboots.
