The Invisible Man || Movie Review

The Invisible Man || Movie Review

The Invisible Man is a sci-fi horror directed by Leigh Whannell starring Elisabeth Moss, Aldis Hodge, and Storm Reid.

Cecilia (Elisabeth Moss) somehow manages to escape from her crazed, scientist and billionaire boyfriend Adrian (Oliver Jackson-Cohen). The scientist commits suicide and all the wealth that he owned is now passed on to Cecilia. Cecilia, Paranoid after the escape, is now somewhat relieved after the death of her boyfriend. But is he really dead? Because Cec feels someone is always around her, someone is always watching her. She doe not believe that Adrian committed suicide she thinks he became invisible. No one believes her and now she has to take on Adrian all by herself to stay alive.

Now, the premise may not sound interesting when we have watched stuff like Hollow Man in our childhood. These invisible man stories never work as a horror, sci-fi, mystery or thriller. Even as a kid I was not scared by The Hollow Man. But I read somewhere that The Invisible Man is a modern take on H. G. Wells 'The Invisible Man'. Plus directed by Leigh Whannell. I like the works of Leigh Whannell and I gave the movie a try.

All I have to say is that it's the best thriller of this year I've watched, at least for now. I'll try to review the movie without spoiling a bit and spoiler: you should definitely watch this movie.

• What I Liked?

The Plot & The Direction

As I said earlier, these invisible man stories never work. The way filmmakers use this idea in horror is always laughable. But Leigh Whannel has successfully made the movie a sci-fi thriller, mystery, and a bit horror. This movie works because the main focus is not the Invisible Man but the victim. We experience the story from Cecille's perspective and we feel the dread and helplessness as much as her. 

I was on the edge of my seat from the opening sequence of the film. The pacing of the movie is excellent lacking any dull moment. It is more of a thriller but the ideas of surveillance implied in the movie are real horror. The movie constantly reminds you how dreadful it is to being watched and no one believing you. Just think of Edward Snowden coming out with his claim without the proof. Will he be believed or be mocked? Also, imagine your relations getting affected by surveillance and somebody else's control. I was constantly reminded of the State surveillance and the amount of control that technology has taken over our lives.

The movie is full of twists and turns from start to finish never feeling predictable. While the thrill remains throughout the two-hour runtime of the film there were these two scenes where me and my brother were like 'what the hell just happened?' You'll understand which two scenes when you'll watch the movie for yourself.

The Acting

The movie would have been a disaster if not for the superb performance given by Elisabeth Moss. This was the first time I witnessed her acting and she deserves all the praise she gets for it. 

Her portrayal nicely conveys the fear, helplessness but also the preparedness and constant surge of fight or flight instincts running within her character.

Aldis Hodge and Storm Reid as a father-daughter duo fill the screen with delight whenever they are present. 

Harriet Dyer has a very small presence in the film but she owns those few moments. 

The Camerawork

The excellent acting and direction are made better with excellent camerawork. 

The camera moves through locations in a way that we feel isolated even when the locations are outside the house further increasing the feeling of helplessness.

The way the camera stays in places even after the characters have left the frame keeps the viewer searching for clues or hints of The Invisible Man. The camera constantly moves to corners and we see these corners as Cec sees them. These shots are scary.

The special effects used don't feel cheap while also helping the story feel more modern.

The Background Score also helps to improve the isolated feel with good use of thuds and bams here and there. Don't take it another way, there are no cheap jump scares here.

• What I Did Not Like

While the movie works well there are a few situations where a character could have used other ways. Cannot say what because it will be a spoiler. There are only these few logical questions that bothered me during and after the movie.

Final Verdict

After a long time, I've gotten a good dose of Sci-Fi thriller blended with horror. 

This is the kind of horror movie that girls love to scared by but the way it is crafted it is not limited to that group. The Invisible Man can be enjoyed by anyone who likes a good horror or thriller flick. There's nothing to complain about and this movie will surely help you to spend two hours of our lockdown day in fear of something else. 

The Invisible Man is now available to stream on Amazon Prime.