THE INVISIBLE MAN

Writer & Director
Leigh Whannell
(UPGRADE, INSIDIOUS: CHAPTER 3)

Starring
Elisabeth Moss, Aldis Hodge, Storm Reid, Michael Dorman and Harriet Dyer

To date, it’s fair to say that the Dark Universe franchise has experienced more darker days itself than anticipated. The first film, DRACULA UNTOLD wasn’t exactly a box office success and received mixed critical reception. THE MUMMY was a downright disaster in every possible way. This then led to THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN being pulled from release and Dark Universe’s lead producers leaving both the franchise and Universal Pictures. Early last year, Universal announced that all future movies in the universe would focus on standalone stories rather than inter-connectivity. Hence, we now have THE INVISIBLE MAN, a modern reimagining of both the novel of the same name by H. G. Wells and the 1933 film adaptation.

The Invisible Man (1933)

Things get off to a really good start in THE INVISIBLE MAN during a very tense opening as Cecilia (played by The Handmaid Tale’s Elisabeth Moss) attempts to execute a carefully thought-out plan to leave her controlling and abusive partner, Adrian (Oliver Jackson-Cohen). This entire sequence is easily the best we’ve seen from the Dark Universe franchise so far. Within a few weeks, Cecilia is living with a lifelong friend and cop, James (Aldis Hodge) and his teenage daughter, Sydney (Storm Reid), as she grapples with new forms of fear and paranoia. Soon, Cecilia’s sister Emily (Harriet Dyer) shares breaking news with her – Adrian has taken his own life and left her with his fortune. But just as Cecilia begins to finally feel safe again and embraces her new life of freedom, haunting signs of Adrian’s presence start to surface.

Image result for the invisible man 2020 film stills
Not only is the opening sequence the best we’ve seen from the Dark Universe franchise so far, it also turns out to be the best of what THE INVISIBLE MAN has to show full stop. Disappointingly, the downward trend happens as the screenplay attempts to toy around with audiences as to what’s really going with Adrian’s possible existence and inside Cecilia’s head. At first, the film starts showing too many worrying signs of becoming a very familiar and outdated affair. Next, the characterisation of our protagonist gets irritatingly one-dimensional. Then finally, the movie just gets downright ridiculous. At the very least, Leigh Whannell could and should have written his central female character with even some self-awareness and smarts. This would have marginally improved his film and made the anchoring performance of Elisabeth Moss more worthwhile for her efforts. Regardless, the finale is what will cause the most damage. This needed to be conceived, developed and executed much more dutifully than it evidently has been. In the end, without its score and Elisabeth Moss, both of which the film is too heavily reliant on, THE INVISIBLE MAN is virtually invisible itself.