The Invisible Man

Manuel São Bento 6/23/2021 3:58:34 PM 8.4

If you enjoy reading my Spoiler-Free reviews, please follow my blog @ https://www.msbreviews.com As you should know by now, I avoid trailers at all costs, especially for highly anticipated movies. I'm careful enough already, but once I heard the massive complaints about the trailer for The Invisible Man, I made sure to not even listen to it, let alone see something from it. My expectations got higher as the release date approached, and the overwhelmingly positive reactions reached my attention, so obviously, I couldn't help but get excited. I love The Handmaid's Tale, and I always thought it was a matter of time until Elisabeth Moss brought her phenomenal acting skills to the big screen. She just needed a big film to do it... And this is the one. Elisabeth's performance is yet another horror display for The Academy to ignore when the year comes to a close. In comparison to Hereditary's Toni Colette or Us' Lupita Nyong' o, I admit that I would give an Oscar to one of these two over Moss. However, this is one of the main issues I have when people compare things from different years: it's extremely unfair and a bit irrational. Something "great" in a specific year can be just "okay" in the next one. It depends on each year's quality regarding movies and their cast's performances. If Moss truly ends up delivering the best interpretation of the year, she should receive recognition independently of other year's injustices. With that said, based on my experience, I firmly believe Elisabeth Moss should be one of the contenders for the respective category during the awards season. I'm not saying she should be nominated or not, I'm saying that she should be one to think of when it's time to fill the ballot with the nominees. She is relentlessly exceptional during the whole runtime. There isn't a single moment where she drops her level. Impressive! Regarding the story, it's probably the best adaptation of The Invisible Man to the actual world that they could have done. Of all the meaningful and sensitive real-world themes, Leigh Whannell chose the very best to insert in his film. Domestic violence and abuse is a tremendously serious topic, and Whannell addresses it perfectly. It's a remarkably clever screenplay, with tons of tiny little details that relate in some shape or form to the real-life situations a lot of people (women AND men, let's not pretend this is an exclusively female problem) go through. It's one of the best horror movies I've seen lately when it comes to creating a suspenseful, scary environment, mostly based on something that feels incredibly realistic. Taking the sci-fi aspect of, well, dealing with an invisible person, the menacing silence and haunting score work as well as they do because I'm able to feel the protagonist's fear. Stefan Duscio's cinematography is one of the main reasons why this film is filled with so much efficient suspense. The camera constantly pauses on one side of the room the character's in, lingering on for some seconds, creating a certain doubt if something's moving or if someone's there. This point-of-view (POV) shot works exceptionally well for the whole movie. Being able to see what the main character is seeing, it's also possible to think what she's thinking and feel what she's feeling. That awkward, frustrating, unnerving, uneasy feeling that something's not right. Then, Whannell proves he knows his film's own weaknesses. When it starts to lose a bit of its entertainment value, and when the audience begins to get used to the long, suspenseful sequences (of which probably half, nothing happens), he hits the narrative with an unexpected, shocking turn of events in the most jaw-dropping way possible. This particular decision got the blood heavily pumping again, and it delivered the energy I needed to be at the edge of my seat until the very end. However, the ending is a tad underwhelming, and maybe a bit over-the-top concerning some character's decisions. I can't really get into spoiler territory, so I'll just write I don't really think that the last scene is very coherent with everything the movie showed until that point. Even though I understand and respect this narrative decision, I don't believe its message is the one the film wanted to transmit. Good performances from the rest of the cast, a few character's decisions are a bit hard to believe, but I don't want to be nitpicky. In the end, The Invisible Man deserves all the hype it's been getting. Leigh Whannell crafted a genuinely scary and extremely suspenseful horror movie, based on a traumatic real-life situation that a lot of people, unfortunately, go through. Elisabeth Moss delivers an emotionally powerful performance, demonstrating all of her impressive acting abilities which are probably going to be ignored when the awards season comes around (the usual horror genre bias). Incredibly well-written, intelligent screenplay, supported by some terrific camera work by Stefan Duscio. The haunting score from Benjamin Wallfisch is also a standout, especially when it chooses to be completely silent. I'm not a fan of the slightly incoherent ending since some character/narrative decisions seem hard to believe, and the final message didn't really have the meaning it should. Nevertheless, it's one of the best films of the year so far, so don't miss it! Rating: A-

jackcarlin18 6/23/2021 3:58:36 PM 8.4

> **_Review on Horror Focus_** Director Leigh Whannell had a crisp and clear vision when adapting this classic Universal monster The Invisible Man, into a modern re-telling that taps into the relevantly dark dangers of a domestic relationship, exploring such a theme with the upmost intensity and craft. This is a classic horror tale adapted with a contemporary twist, focusing more on the psychological mayhem we're forced to endure, much like our protagonist Cecilia, who's tormented in chilling manners. Already within 2020 this is the sleeper-hit of the year, one that on paper looks a lot more naff than what we are actually presented with. Moss is the core of the movie here, playing as the heartbeat of the entire duration. Through Whannell and Moss' talent combined we are forced to endure emotional and brutal intensity, throwing its audiences and main protagonist through nerve-wrecking intensity, tapping into the fear of the unseen that worked so well with the likes of It Follows. Moss' performance as Cecilia is superb, as her portrayal of unhinged woman broken from domestic abuse is both unsettling and devastating, already leading to one of strongest female lead performances of the year so far. Whilst the portrayal of constant angst is unforgettable, it's her balanced likability that keeps Cecilia so fascinating, without the character ever compromising her morals or intelligence. A character like this is refreshing to see, especially when they ultimately get their moment to redeems themselves, which she absolutely does. Image result for the invisible man 2020 The most successful element of The Invisible Man is undoubtately the chilling, ice-cold intensity, delivering an unshakable tautness that will have your cage rattles until the closing credits. Whannell's lever use of cinematography with large concrete open spaces and a washed-out colour palette enhances the presence of the Invisible Man himself, allowing paranoia and angst to trickle through bit by bit until it reaches an un-palpable level of tension. Even though we can't see him, his presence is truly unsettling, and once we do, like a bucket of paint to the face, we are then treated to more than a few effective jump scares. Less is more, and The Invisible Man surely capitalises on this, rinsing its novelty for everything its got, for maximum fear factor. Behind this creepy facade is an intelligent thriller, that after the half-way mark begins to toy with the narratives origins, often hoodwinking the audience until credits role. There is flare to Whannell's direction here, as some of the themes being juggled around here could very easily have resulted in a cheesy and half-baked result, which to my surprise wasn't the case. In fact, the entire film and premise could have so easily been a disaster, and on paper shouldn't really hold up. To my surprise and probably yours, it's way more effective and haunting than I ever would have given it credit for. With a runtime of nearly two hours, it's surprising how The Invisible Man never feels like it's dragging, nor does it ever let up on the tension. In fact, the movie progressively get more and more unhinged and intense as the movie goes on, and only until the very end do we ever get a second to settle or breathe. This is what great horror movie experiences are about, and like every great horror experience it is easy to forgive and forget its mishaps. Moss' depiction of Cecilia is fantastic, there is no denying that, however it's perhaps the character itself who could have benefited slightly from more depth. More details on exactly what she would have endured or more clarity in her mental decay could have packed a stronger emotional punch overall. In saying this, when we witness her ultimate and long overdue redemption, it is superbly satisfying. Ask the girls who cheered in the audience, they'll agree with me. VERDICT Welcome to the horror sleeper-hit of 2020. The Invisible Man delivers unpalatable tension like no other, also boasting a stellar cast with slick delivery. Universal Monsters have never looked so good.

Kamurai 6/23/2021 3:58:45 PM 8.4

Great watch, will watch again, and do recommend. This really is a "what if" they extended the scenes from "Hollow Man" where Kevin Bacon gets into the public and starts messing with people. I am starting to worry about Elisabeth Moss though, she seems to be type-casting into all these heavy handed dramatic roles, or maybe that's just how she acts. She's certainly good enough to pull it off, so it's not a downside of the movie, it's just part of a note that this movie is very much a slow-burn suspense. On the premise alone, the first 2 acts are going to be that way as it is established that she is / isn't crazy and there is an invisible man stalking and sabotaging her. My biggest problem with the movie is that there has never been a more plausible and clearly reasoned explanation for the events, to include camera footage and dead bodies, than she has in this story. If someone finalized a version of a wearable inviso-suit, then this is exactly the type of nonsense they're going to get up to, especially if no one knows about it. It is a little irritating how they handle him once he's been exposed as well. Mostly it's because of the premise that no one believes her, but you'd think people had seen a ghost movie, or would have a clever idea. If the movie sounds good to you at all, then I really think you'll enjoy it.