The Invisible Man (2020) - Movie Review

Hey guys, remember monster movies? You know those films with creatures like the wolfman, Dracula, the creature from the Black Lagoon? Remember when they were good before we got Tom Cruise running from a clearly CGI sandstorm in London or when Frankenstein's monster was fighting weird gargoyles for some dominion over... something? Well I wouldn't because I wasn't born that early in film history, but that's not to say I or anybody else is not experienced with these classic monsters because they're staples of horror. There's one monster though that we haven't seen helm in their own film in a very long time... until now: The Invisible Man!

I recently went through the original Invisible Man story from H.G. Wells and it was quite fascinating. I finished it in fact the day I watched this newest version of this classic monster, so I had got myself a firm understanding of what makes the Invisible Man so scary. Yes, he's just a plain human who can't be seen, but the original story from Wells was made over 100 years ago, back when science fiction was just starting out. It's not suppose to be complex or have lots of sub-plots, it's a man who can't be seen. But that is what makes it so good though because if there was an invisible man in real life they could be right behind you about wrap their strong hands around your neck and squeeze and squeeze all that air out of you, your vision beginning to cloud into blackness as you try to fight back, but cannot hit this thing that you cannot see that's kill you slowly with delight.

Did you turn around or get any shivers? That's the power of the Invisible Man and I'm very happy to say that this newest version of the classic film and monster was very well done. I was very happy watching this film and I'm glad we got at least one well-done film in the "Dark Cinematic Monster Movie Universe." Oh wait, that's not official anymore. But still, it's so good that this was well done. This film was set in the modern era instead of long ago and it feels very realistic, apart from the invisibility. We got cell phones, Uber, security cams, and more, leaving the invisibility a bit of a mystery in such a present day setting. You'll be scratching your head throughout the film as to how well it's all done and I'm sure it won't disappoint.

Let's start now with the main character, Cecilia, played by Elizabeth Moss. Throughout the whole film this character looked like she was about to suffer a mental breakdown, something that makes perfect sense since her ex was extremely abuse. We don't see this abuse on screen (which is a notable problem for me), but as the film progresses we can tell how broken of a character she is as this invisible thing keeps messing with her life. Even if you've never experienced abuse before you'll easily start to care for our main protagonist. If you were to tell somebody an invisible man was stalking you people would think you're crazy and we get a lot of that and our main character determined to get the truth out. This makes for a fantastic struggle.

Our villain, the Invisible Man, was very well utilized. It was updated for a modern setting, but the concept is the same as its many incarnations: They're invisible, they stalk people, and there's occasional murder. When it was about causing mischief and violence it didn't feel like the actors being attacked weren't waving the arms about and hitting the air, you can see (in a ways) that the Invisible Man was choking them, punching them, and holding things like knives and guns. Now the Invisible Man in the original Wells story was very rash, violent, quick-tempered, and kept making mistakes before and after becoming invisible. This version though does have the violent and quick-tempered nature, but they're also very smart and they plan ahead a lot in order for things to go their way. This fits perfectly for an abuser and a stalker, especially the type described in this film.

Both hero and villain though needed (and got) something extra to make the story more effective and impactful to the audience: Excellent cinematography, specially the type that allows your eyes to wander a bit on the screen. Many recent horror movies never let you rest and they never leave the villain a mystery, mostly because of stupid jump-scare tactics to dilute the scary factor in the film and get as many people in the seats as possible. Many of the best horror films out there are subtle, they keep you locked in your seat and only let loose minimal amounts of tension. For instance there's the scene in The Babadook where we first see the monster and it's so subtle that you jump in your seat a little, but you're still on the edge because it wasn't a big reveal and you're looking on the screen to find out where it vanished to.

The Invisible Man does this very well, let the camera drift a little in empty rooms or scenes. These build up tension because, even though it's futile, you're trying to find some sign of the Invisible Man. When I went to see it there were three others next to me whos' eyes were glued to the screen and later after the film ended said it was, "Crazy sh!t!" Okay, that's pretty vague (and vulgar), but we were all trying hard to find the monster, almost worried it would sneak up on us. One particular moment is when Cecilia is being interrogated over some suspicious stuff that's happened and she's continually looking the corner, thinking that the Invisible Man is there. When that is happening the camera keeps focusing on that corner and we're thinking, "... Is he there?" The fear of the unknown is the greatest fear that humans have and by not knowing everything, of things being in the air and we can't tell where the villain is or how they'll strike... that'll put the fear in you.

Now this film is not free from problems. These problems I could somewhat ignore since the film was well directed, had great CGI, and a compelling story, but I still have to talk about them. First, as I mentioned earlier, we never see the abuse our main character goes through before she leaves them. True, I did say that what happens throughout the film kind of mitigates this problem, but I still believe if we saw a little we'd have a better understanding and connection towards our main character. Second, there's the plot points and character moments that don't make sense. One of them involves transportation and I'll leave it there because if you see the film it'll be very obvious. Second there's this waiter at a restaurant and oh my god I was like, "Dude... you're at a tryout to be the next Spiderman, you're a waiter! Act like a waiter." And third, the film relies on the use of security cameras and technology a lot. So there are a few moments involving the Invisible Man where I'm pretty sure even if a security camera cannot see them that you can't ignore this random object just floating in the air. Maybe the Invisible Man was messing with the cameras before making their move?

Now even with these problems I was still hooked throughout the film. I've gained a massive respect for well done horror films over the past couple of years and The Invisible Man (2020) definitely is a genuine horror film. There were great performances, great CGI, an interesting story, and some strong scares. There are also some loud noises, but they're very much earned and there's great uneasiness throughout the film not knowing how and where the Invisible Man will strike. I will say this though: The ending was quite interesting. I wasn't expecting how it went and it's kind of fascinating so be ready for that.

Tentative Score: 8/10

Definitive Score: 8/10

Since Universal is still determined to make their monster movie remakes I hope they learn from this and make some genuinely good attempts to continue in the success of this film. I definitely can recommend this film, especially to horror fans. But if you have been through abuse before this might make you uncomfortable, so be prepared.