The Invisible Man Review

Official Synopsys: When Cecilia's abusive ex takes his own life and leaves her his fortune, she suspects his death was a hoax. As a series of coincidences turn lethal, Cecilia works to prove that she is being hunted by someone nobody can see.

Official Review:

The Invisible Man is the most recent horror film from director Leigh Whannell and follows the life of Cecilia, a recovering survivor, who after the apparent death of her abusive ex-boyfriend begins to suspect she may still be a subject of his cruel games. From the opening sequence, I knew I was in for something special. The Invisible Man is an absolutely phenomenal piece of work, showcasing the best work of Leigh Whannell's career. Throughout the entire 2h 4 min runtime, I found myself on the edge of my seat anticipating what was coming next. The Invisible Man displayed some of my favorite camera work in any modern horror film. Through the creative and subtle camera work, Whannell managed to make the simple act of putting clothes away nail-biting. The sustained tension in The Invisible Man was felt throughout the entire theater- the room fell silent and I could notice the quiet almost breath-holding silence. Whannell's direction demanded the attention of its audience in the best way possible.  

Quite possibly my favorite aspect of The Invisible Man was the film's way of building and sustaining tension. If you are anything like me and enjoy horror films, then you are aware of the plague that is taking over modern-day horror films known as the "false jump scare." A false scare is essentially when the audience is jolted by a loud noise and a non-threatening character that pops out on screen. For example, in most horror movies you'll see an individual walk into a bathroom to either get a drink of water or take some medication, they'll open the medicine cabinet and when they close it you see the reflection of their mom or friend standing directly behind them accompanied by a loud noise. This serves to do one thing- get you to jump. However, jump scares that are "false" in nature do more harm than good. The reason for this is simple, the character is not in any danger and all the tension is lost. This was not the case for The Invisible Man. Throughout the entire opening sequence, I sat on the edge of my seat waiting for the "false scare" only for it to never come. Whannell did something I greatly appreciate in that he didn't choose to lose or sacrifice tension for the sake of a jump. He allowed the film time to breathe and for the tension to build to the point a scare was earned and it felt true. Without any spoilers, one of my favorite scares in the movie came during the opening sequence when our protagonist accidentally kicks an object while trying to sneak through a home silently. This was one of the best-earned scares I have witnessed in quite a while. It wasn't done to just cause the viewer to "jump" and then move on- but the scare added even more goosebump-inducing tension. Whannell was a master at using a scare to set up another more satisfying one. 

The acting in this film was outstanding. Elizabeth Moss (Cecilia) was a juggernaut on screen. She commanded and led every scene she was in. I honestly don't think this movie would have been as entertaining with anyone else. Moss gave probably my favorite performance this year. Her ability to sell emotion and to act with an invisible co-start was second to none. This movie and concept had a real opportunity to be laughable. Thankfully, it was not.  Largely in part to Moss' ability to have believable interactions with her invisible hunter. Her pure and raw performance had me believing there was an actual invisible man in the room with her. Elizabeth Moss gave an award-winning performance that has my respect. The rest of the cast was just as impressive and were excellent support to our heroes. I am a firm believer that this was due to an excellent script. The dialogue felt natural and it flowed. Every character felt believable and I never found myself groaning at the decisions made onscreen. 

I have no quarrels with this film. All of the small intricate details of this movie were fine-tuned creating a blueprint for how I believe horror should be done. From the magnificent score to the haunting cinematography Whannell proved to be one of the better working horror directors today. If you are at all a fan of thriller or horror films, this is a must-see. I am going to give The Invisible Man an A+. 

  

I loved this movie.  


Writers: Leigh Whannell 

Director: Leigh Whannell

Starring: Elizabeth Moss, Oliver Jackson-Coehn

Composer: Benjamin Wallfisch


Genre: Horror, Thriller

Run Time: 2 hrs 4min

MPAA: Rated R for some strong bloody violence, and language.