By Quinn Marcus

The Invisible Man

(2020)

Age: 14+

87/100: Sweet

“Surprise!” The Invisible Man was directed by Leigh Whannell, director of Upgrade and Insidious: Chapter 3. In a desperate attempt to leave her abusive fiancee, Cecilia Kass escapes their house one night. Only to hear that he had soon after taken his own life and given her his fortune. However, when strange coincidences start to become threats to Cecilia’s life, she attempts to prove that her fiancee has somehow made himself invisible and is stalking her.

Pretty spooky, if you ask me, in fact, this story gave me the chills. After finishing the film I was forced to think that someone was watching me at all times. The frightful effect that the film has on you is enormous, but holy sh-t is it a fun ride. Before I go on babbling about how freaking good it is, let’s talk about a few nitpicks I noticed. 1. Why is the invisible man so strong? Later in the movie, Cecilia and the invisible man have a fight, somehow, he’s able to pick her up around the neck with one hand and throw her across the room. This isn’t the only time his massive strength is showcased. While it does look awesome, it just doesn’t make any sense. In fact, although his character is psycho, he seems pretty scrawny. 2. The invisible man is somehow really stealth. I mean seriously, we may not be able to see him, but does his invisibility suit really prevent the characters and us from hearing him as well? Because that wasn’t explained either. 3. Cecilia had some very easy ways of proving that she was right. I won’t explain this point as it goes into some spoilers, but there were a couple of instances where she could have proven her invisibility theory correct by documenting certain things, etc. While these things aren’t necessarily terrible, I just found little pieces of the story that could have had a better explanation. Then again, for all the horror movies I’ve seen, there are always moments like these.

Now time for the amazing side of things. I would grab a bucket of popcorn or something to eat or drink because you’re going to be reading for a while. 1. The camerawork is fantastic. I wanted to talk about this first because it’s the thing that stood out to me the most. The cinematographer, Stefan Duscio clearly knows how to shoot a horror film. There are some shots that are utterly terrifying, ones that truly make you feel like you and Cecilia are being watched. Every scene is filmed in a specific, creepy style that undoubtedly pulls you deeper into the story. 2. The directing is very well done. As a director who has only completed 3 films, I was generally impressed with his obvious skills. Leigh Whannell managed to expertly craft an almost perfect horror film, providing a perfect mix of fun and terror. 3. The writing is (mostly) great. Despite the small inconsistencies with explanations in the story. The script effectively crafted deeply understood characters revolving around Cecilia whose well-written insanity and empowerment were both brilliantly handled by a fantastic Elisabeth Moss (we’ll talk about the cast later). 4. The soundtrack surprised me. The haunting musical score for The Invisible Man was just another one of the things that blew me away. It built upon the tension-filled atmosphere. Not relying on draining out all the noise just before a cheap jumpscare occurs like in so many other modern horror flicks today.

Overall, I had my expectations for The Invisible Man and this film surpassed all of them. It was well written, well-directed, beautifully filmed, and had a surprisingly effective soundtrack.

The cast including Elisabeth Moss (The Handmaid’s Tail), Oliver Jackson-Cohen (The Haunting of Hill House), and Aldis Hodge (Hidden Figures) all had very dedicated performances. While the rest of the cast was great. Elizabeth Moss is truly the whole movie, the real star of the show. She depicts her characters slowly forming insanity and torment with her own unique style and a large amount of emotional depth.

Although including a couple of semi gory scenes, The Invisible Man is a little tamer when it comes to other horror films. It has its fill of scares and a ton of tension. People are seen shot, killed and hurt by the invisible man. Cecilia is tortured psychologically while trying to prove that she’s right. There is barely a speck of romance in the film. However, Cecilia is a strong female role model who despite everyone treating her like she’s crazy, doesn’t give up.