Where & When: Arclight Cinemas, Hollywood, CA. March 1, 2020 5:00 PM
This latest filmed version of "The Invisible Man", inspired by the 1897 novel by H.G. Wells and the 1933 Hollywood movie starring Claude Rains and Gloria Stuart (who would later be better known as "Old" Rose in "Titanic), is set firmly in the contemporary world. While there are still plenty of elements involving sci-fi and horror, this "Invisible Man" is far more of a psychological drama. Leigh Whannell, the writer behind the modern horror classics, "Saw" and "Insidious", made the bold and captivating move with his third time as a director to shift the focus from the man who can make himself imperceptible to his girlfriend, with a thrilling, go-for-broke performance by Elizabeth Moss, as a troubled woman who believes she is still being tortured by her abusive boyfriend even after his apparent death.
The film opens with Cecilia Kass (Moss) beginning her elaborate plan to escape from her boyfriend, Adrian Griffin (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) in the middle of the night. While Griffin may be handsome, wealthy and a successful scientist, he is also controlling, violent and emotionally abusive to Cecilia. After secretly drugging him to make sure he doesn't wake up, she retrieves her hidden packed bag and races out of the house to her sister, Emily (Harriet Dyer) awaiting in a running car. But the drug wasn't enough to keep Griffin down. He almost catches her yet Cecilia successfully escapes.
A traumatized Cecilia hides out at the home of her childhood friend, James (Aldis Hodge), a police officer and his teenage daughter, Sydney (Storm Reid). Certain that Griffin will track her down, she is too frightened to leave the house. Not long after she begins to feel more at ease, Cecilia receives some unexpected news. Griffin has not only committed suicide but has left her his vast fortune in his will. She is certain that Griffin would never kill himself and this must be some sort of trick.
But after meeting with Griffin's lawyer (and brother), Tom (Michael Dorman), Cecilia is presented with photographic evidence of Griffin's demise, although she's still highly skeptical. And she's also informed that the inherited estate will be forfeited if she doesn't remain mentally competent. This soon leads to her beginning to sense a presence lurking around her in the house, nothing she can actually see but definitely being felt. After some odd, unexplainable occurrences start to happen (a stove burner is turned up high, causing a fire; she is drugged by the same narcotic she used on Griffin) Cecilia begins to suspect that somehow her former boyfriend must be behind these mysterious activities.
"The Invisible Man" could have easily become a supernatural thriller at this point but the film remains rooted in science-fiction, easily generating scares and discomfort from an invented device, a human menace who terrorizes under a cloak of invisibility. When Griffin is finally revealed to Cecilia, a violent, physical altercation happens between them. Now that she has discovered his secret, the unseen Griffin's increasingly dangerous actions causes Cecilia to become alienated from her family and friends and become a suspect in a horrific crime. Tossed in to a mental hospital, she's left desperately trying to convince everyone that she's not really losing her mind.
But Cecilia refuses to remain a victim. Newly determined and strong-willed, she will no longer allow herself to be abused, more than willing to fight back even if she can't physically see her antagonist. Ms Moss, who has displayed numerous times her steely tenacity in roles ranging from the television series, "Mad Men" and "The Handmaid's Tale" to just recently in the under seen indie feature, "Her Smell" where she played a self-destructive rock-n-roller, delivers another fully committed, breathtaking performance. The actress appears in almost every scene, expertly holding focus as she expresses all of the fear, agony, and ultimately, bravery that will lead Cecilia to finally become ready to kick some invisible ass.
Much like what Jordan Peele did with his films, "Get Out" and "Us", "The Invisible Man" features a deeper, thought-provoking message buried inside of a genre movie. While this film may not be as artfully conceived as Mr. Peele's work, Whannell has crafted a moving, emotional character study which examines the complications that women face in abusive relationships and the extreme difficulties of extracting themselves from these situations. Yet the film also manages to entertain with what is expected from these types of films; providing shrouded frights, suspenseful action and bloody thrills.
"The Invisible Man" doesn't fall easily into any category as it's sort of a thriller, not really science-fiction and definitely not a horror flick. But that's what makes this film even more interesting, it's ability to defy categorization and expectations. With the unusual approach of revealing the terror only from the victim's point-of-view, "The Invisible Man" turns the idea of a "horror movie" on it's head. This film is actually an intriguing, jittery drama that will absolutely leave you on the edge of your seat, elevated by the inventive mind of writer/director, Leigh Whannell and a first-rate performance by Elizabeth Moss.
