“He has figured out a way to be invisible.” - Cecilia Kass
The Invisible Man is a horror-thriller starring Elisabeth Moss and directed by Leigh Whannell. It tells the story of Cecilia Kass, a woman who recently escaped the clutches of her abusive husband Adrian. When Cecilia finds out that Adrian is dead, she is finally able to rest easy. That is until she suspects that Adrian isn’t dead after all. Throughout the film, she becomes more and more convinced that Adrian found a way to become invisible and is now stalking her.
This film is a modern take on the classic H. G. Wells novel, which was made into a 1933 film directed by James Whale. It presents itself as a cat and mouse thriller that asks a very difficult question: How would you survive if you were being hunted by someone you couldn’t see, and how would you keep your sanity in the process? You would constantly have to stay one step ahead of your stalker, and you would most likely have to do it alone since not many people would believe that there’s such a thing as an invisible man. This film explores that in full detail.
The plot is intriguing, but so are the characters. All of the characters are interesting and well crafted, from the cunning and sadistic Adrian to the strong but traumatized Cecilia. They all have clear motives, and it’s cool to see how they go about working to get what they want. The characters are all well developed and realistic.
The music is brilliant and was composed by Benjamin Wallfisch, who was the composer for It and the co-composer for Blade Runner 2049. The score uses lots of strings and dissonant chords that sent chills down my spine. It elevates the tension as good scores should do.
I really admire the camerawork here. The film uses empty space in very clever ways. For example, the camera will occasionally focus on an empty room for a good ten seconds and then pan over to Elisabeth Moss in another room. Or it will focus on Moss from a very strange angle, which gives the impression that she is being watched. It’s brilliant stuff, and it had me biting my nails the entire way through. Leigh Whannell recognizes that the scariest things are those which we cannot see, and his work behind the camera left me feeling a sense of paranoia.
The special effects are phenomenal, and there seems to be a lot of wirework being used, which is super cool. The action scenes are choreographed impeccably, which is made all the more impressive when you consider the fact that most of the fight scenes involve a person fighting someone who is impossible to see. The actors have to give the impression that someone is actually grappling with them, and it looks incredibly convincing.
The acting is fantastic, especially on the part of Elisabeth Moss. Her frantic performance and intense facial expressions show that she is a more than capable actor. She has proven this before, with her performance in 2019’s Us being one of my favorites of hers, but this just might be the best she’s ever been. Aldis Hodge is also terrific and funny as James Lanier, Cecilia’s cop friend who takes care of her.
In terms of flaws, I found a few plot holes here and there, but even so, there weren’t any that seriously impacted my enjoyment of the film. This film is very well done, and I had a fantastic time watching it. There are lots of twists, turns, shocks, and thrills that made my jaw drop, and I recommend watching it even if you’re not into horror films. It’s intense, It’s thrilling, and I was thoroughly entertained with every minute. Be sure to check out The Invisible Man!
Rating: R
Grade: A-
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