Leigh Whannell has only been directing for a short time with Insidious Chapter 3 and Upgrade, but has been writing some fun horror for 20 years with Saw, Insidious, and Dead Silence. When he was tasked to bring new version of The Invisible Man to life, I saw it as a low-risk move by the studio, but with the guarantee that at least it would be memorable.
The center of The Invisible Man’s story is Cecilia (Elizabeth Moss). She has been a victim of her wealthy prodigy boyfriend’s manipulation and conditioning for years until she finally makes her escape. His death, soon after, should bring a sense of relief and freedom for Cecilia. However, she becomes haunted by the abusive presence that no one else seems to notice.
Where the original classic The Invisible Man focused on the titular Invisible Man and how his madness grew over time, this version cleverly shifts the focus to the character that has been affected most by his possessiveness. The audience isn’t shown the history of what Adrian (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) has done to Cecilia in the past, but it’s shown more through Moss’s performance and how the abuse dictates her everyday life. She unsurprisingly deals with PTSD and trust issues, which immediately clues her in when some paranormal events take place in what she considered a safe house.
Moss is fantastic in this role that really puts her through the ringer. She flawlessly carries scenes where there’s obviously no one else shown, but you still imagine an unseen menace standing in the corner smiling as she descends further into paranoia. She is convincing and relatable and puts the viewer into situations where powerlessness takes hold and makes you wonder what you’d do in the same situations.
The supporting characters and their subplots feel like afterthoughts to Cecilia’s story. There’s little explanation as to any of their connections or motivations. These one-dimensional characters flow in and out of the story and drag the pacing down with little reason.
Cecilia’s struggle throughout the movie feels very genuine and personal, even though this is largely a science fiction thriller. Whannell jumps off his latest effort Upgrade, to introduce a better than average cinematic take on Black Mirror. This is a very human story that is small-scale, but it makes the tension higher, focusing solely on how a character reacts to a terrorizing unseen force.
The camera paints the picture as we dwell in rooms, knowing that something is there. The frame stays on chairs or corners where Adrian may or may not be, but it makes you try to squint your eyes and see him regardless. I do wish this were on the scarier side rather than the suspense angle. There are too many jump scares in spots where unpredictable dread should have been.
The Invisible Man should be on your radar. It’s an intense movie, but far from scary, and has very strong themes of PTSD and empowerment throughout. This will be a great opening weekend movie, but will probably play best when it comes out for rental in a few months. B-
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