“The Invisible Man” Review (NO SPOILERS HERE!)

This review will most likely be vague because of spoilers. You can probably see a few twists coming a mile away (some twists were spoiled for me mere minutes into the film by putting two and two together), but let’s review this.

PLOT –

After escaping from her abusive rich boyfriend (Oliver Jackson-Cohen), Celia (Elizabeth Moss) (called “Cee” in the film, clever writers), moves in with her sister’s (Harriet Dyer) police officer ex-husband (Aldis Hodge) and daughter (Storm Reid). After her boyfriend is found dead, Celia is haunted by a figure she surmises is her boyfriend come back from the dead…

The plot moves at a quick clip, but hangs in the middle, as per usual with films, yet the tension keeps building by the minute as the plot unfolds. There is a point where the film could have easily ended, yet it kept going for ten more minutes or so in order to fulfill a character arc (and set up more films?).

My PLOT RATING is 4/5. Quick, yet slow with scenes that hang for tension.

CHARACTERS –

Elizabeth Moss carries this film. She looks more and more unhinged as the film goes on, trying to prove her point to the other characters. She seriously helps sell the film.

Oliver Jackson-Cohen does a good job, yet he isn’t in the film that much. He does have a presence, yet he plays more of a psychological foe than physical.

Aldis Hodge is awesome in this. He plays the muscular no-nonsense cop with a soft spot for his daughter and Moss. His acting is solid, yet his fight choreography leaves something to be desired, especially with the muscles they kept showing, I thought that was foreshadowing for a good fight scene.

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In a turn of phrase, Hodge is the body, Moss is the mind, and Jackson-Cohen is the spirit. The body fights the spirit haunting the mind.

Also a fun fact, Jackson-Cohen’s character, Griffin, is named after the Invisible Man from the H.G. Wells novel, yet that is where the similarities end.

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Harriet Dyer plays Moss’ sister in the film, and is directed to be an obstacle to an absurd degree. She seems to unknowingly cause a lot of nuisance for Moss, and doesn’t really work for the film. She does play an important role in a very memorable scene, and Dyer plays her part very well.

Storm Reid plays Hodge and Dyer’s daughter, and she does a good job. She’s basically the damsel in distress, and motivation for the audience to care about her in other scenes, and we all just want to see her succeed.

Michael Dorman plays Jackson-Cohen’s brother in the film, a lawyer in charge of who his brother’s finances go to. He mainly sets up conflict in the film and is a looming threat to Moss’ financial and mental state.

My CHARACTERS RATING is 4/5. A tight-knit core cast that does very well with what they are given, yet Moss really carries the film.

DIALOGUE –

The dialogue is done well, with common “you’re crazy” and horror movie tropes thrown in with a dash of sci-fi here and there. It services the film, but nothing really stands out.

My DIALOGUE RATING is 3/5.

EFFECTS –

the effects in this film are really done well. For having a $7 million budget (and making 14 times over by Mid-March 2020), the effects are great. There is blood and gore in the film, and the invisible man effects are the best, especially in the action scenes.

My EFFECTS RATING is 5/5.

MUSIC –

Droning, quiet strings that just help heighten the tension. Orchestra hits when they’re needed. Intense action music to heighten the thrills.

Perfection.

My MUSIC RATING is 5/5.

OVERALL –

As someone who isn’t really a fan of horror going in, this is more like a science-fiction thriller. Despite my middle B-Grade rating, I really do recommend this film. Great effects and music, solid acting and plot, with good dialogue.

It’s worth seeing the thrills, chills, and kills this film provides…

If you can see it…

My OVERALL RATING is 84%.

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QUICK NOTE: This film is on digital release. I’ll be looking at older movies next time around, and I hope all my readers, old and new, are safe in this time. We all need a great escape…

UPDATE: This just so happens to be my 50th post on the site! Looking forward to the next 50 with all of you in the coming months! Thank you all!