Review: The Invisible Man (2020)

While this is a spoiler-free review, I’ll discuss aspects of the plot and characters in this review. So, I recommend that you watch the movie before reading my review.

A great thriller.

3.5/5

H.G. Wells’ ‘The Invisible Man’ is an age-old sci-fi parable about the vanity and dangers of a narcissist’s unchecked ego. This new take on the iconic Univeral character is a grim and gritty reimagining that plays into the classic novel’s ideas of horror and insanity with a contemporary twist. The movie explores themes like domestic abuse, gaslighting, and surveillance without getting preachy. It also shows the horror of not believing victims of abuse in the #MeToo era.

Elisabeth Moss (who plays Cecilia) is the heartbeat of this movie and delivers a jaw-dropping performance. The anxiety and trauma that Cecilia experiences as her life is being destroyed by this undetectable monster are very tangible. Director Leigh Whannell is confident enough to do away with some much-needed plot development scenes and instead relies on Moss’ performance to convey meaning and it works. This movie could have failed if a less than capable actor had played Cecilia’s role. The small supporting cast is equally as strong with Cecilia’s sister played by Harriet Dyer and Aldis Hodge plays Cecilia’s old friend James who is a perfect cast for the role. James’ loving daughter Sydney is played by Storm Reid, who gets some tough material and handles it very well. Cecilia’s brilliant scientist ex is played by Oliver Jackson-Cohen, who does a fantastic job too.

It’s what you don’t see that’s scarier and this movie lives up to that saying. You know you can’t see the invisible man and yet you try so hard to find him. It is pretty genius how the movie terrorizes the audience by showing nothing much actually. The production house probably saved a lot of money on the CGI work too. The movie doesn’t rely on cheap jumps scares to frighten the audience. The production design creates a bone-chillingly cold and dark atmosphere. Cinematographer Stefan Duscio does some clever work with the camera to give us a sense of the Invisible Man’s presence. The movie has quite a few totally silent scenes and Benjamin Wallfisch’s score blends in really well and elevates the tension whenever necessary. The action sequences are exciting and slickly choreographed.

All that’s not to say that this movie is perfect. Apparently, this invisible man is not just invisible but also has superhuman level strength and can beat up people like Hulk smashing Loki. The movie does have inconsistencies and does leave unanswered questions. But if you can look past that, the Invisible Man truly is a solid thriller and kept me invested for the whole runtime of 2 hours. The movie ends with a character redemption which is supposed to be cathartic and yet I left the movie somewhat unsettled. This isn’t a negative critique but a testament to how terrifying the movie is because nothing about this movie is meant to make us feel comfortable.