The Invisible Man (2020)
R – some strong bloody violence, and language | 2h 4min | Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Synopsis: When Cecilia’s abusive ex takes his own life and leaves her his fortune, she suspects his death was a hoax. As a series of coincidences turn lethal, Cecilia works to prove that she is being hunted by someone nobody can see.
Review: I was pretty stoked for the latest horror thriller THE INVISIBLE MAN. All of the initial trailers and footage made it look a cut above the normal jump and boo movies that plague the genre. Plus the Elisabeth Moss factor is hard to overlook. Being such a fantastic actress regardless of the role I knew she would bring some next level intensity to this one. It is easy to use adjectives like predictable and convenient to describe the plot – and I will – but don’t let those take away from the fact that you will have a good time at this one.
Cecilia (Elisabeth Moss) finally thinks she has escaped the clutches of her abusive, controlling, and manipulative husband (Oliver Jackson-Cohen). Yet she can’t ever shake the feeling that he is coming after her. When he takes his own life in an apparent suicide it is only then that she can feel totally free. That freedom does not last long when her fears return. Somehow he has found a way to haunt her even in death; or something a bit more advanced.
The solid yet subtle horror in this one is not taken for granted. It seems easy to scare a viewer with a mask wearing lunatic. But in the most spine chilling scenes in this one there is nothing there. Only the real panic on Moss’ face. That understanding of what it feels like to be watched. When you sense a presence in the room even when your eyes tell you there is nothing there. Those are the moments in this one that are so well done. Maybe it is true that you should fear what you don’t see more than what you do. Hats off to director Leigh Whannell on getting us to that terrified level so organically.
About halfway through the film it evolves more into a mystery. Cecilia is convinced that someone is behind this. While her friends and family assume she is having a mental breakdown she must fight for her sanity and her safety. As an onlooker I wanted the other characters to know what Cecilia and I knew. This balance of the three genres -Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi – gives the film depth and keeps the story moving at a good pace. Even though the clock ticks past 2-hours you don’t really feel it.
I said earlier that I would use words like predictable and convenient. Now is that time in the review when I pull them out. Let’s be honest though, these movies have to have some sort of “I saw that coming” moment in order for the “I didn’t see that coming” moment to have a stronger impact. Yes you can break apart each moment and find holes but where is the fun in that. For every bad decision in this one there are at least two good ones to make up for it. And did I mention Elisabeth Moss? Ok, just checking.
Bottom line; this is a truly fun outing for fans of the genre and a perfect modern telling of a classic horror film. It is rated R for good reason so leave the young and the timid at home Everyone else go check this out and be reminded of how cool it could be to actually be invisible. Just use your powers for good.
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