The Invisible Man Appears

What would you do if you could make yourself invisible? No wait, forget about sneaking into bedrooms and dressing rooms, what would you really do? Rob banks and jewelry stores without the risk of getting caught, of course! That is also what happens here. The acclaimed Dr. Nakazato (whose haircut seems to be inspired by Albert Einstein) invents a serum that is the biggest scientific discovery of the century, and yet his friend & business partner is only interested in using it to steal a diamond necklace! He persuades Nakazato's student Dr. Kawabe to collaborate, but there are a few complications. The serum causes extremely aggressive temper, and the antidote to undo the invisibility effects doesn't exist yet.

We all assumed that Japan's horror & monster legacy started in 1954 with the phenomenal "Godzilla", but this one is still a few years older. Overall speaking, "The Invisible Man Appears" is a disappointing and dull pioneer. It's inspired by - or you might even say: blatantly stolen from - the genius Universal classic from 1933 directed by James Whale and starring Claude Rains. The Japanese version adds nothing even remotely interesting to the H. G. Wells' story and seemingly the most useful purpose of "The Invisible Man Appears" is that it served as good practice for special effects wizard Eiji Tsuburaya. The special effects are very well-handled but, again, nothing new here. We see smoking cigarettes floating in the air, unwrapping of bandages, and a motorcycle without a driver, but these (or similar) effects also featured in the 1933 landmark already.

Followed by a sequel that is slightly better, namely "The Invisible Man vs the Human Fly")

This movie is essentially an overly complicated and somewhat incoherent crime movie wrapped in the trappings of an invisible man story. The one interesting aspect of the plot is the mystery around who the invisible man actually is. It's surprising that subsequent movies in this subgenre have never taken advantage of this obvious opportunity. In the case of this movie, unfortunately, it isn't difficult to figure out who the invisible man is, and the fact is revealed soon enough anyway. Insofar as entertainment value, it's a pretty slow moving affair. Nonetheless, it is worth watching for fans of Japanese sci-fi and horror if for no other reason than curiosity's sake.

The film is available through Sinister Cinema, and through Arrow as one half of a double bill with the Invisible Man Versus the Human Fly. Arrow made zero effort at restoration, so it's probably from the same 16mm print employed by Sinister. Arrow has made its usual mistake of using the astoundingly overrated so-called expert Kim Newman, who relies on his usual "perhaps," "it could be that," and other qualifiers as a substitute for actual research and expertise. I sort of wish I had spent my money with Sinister instead to support their business.

The professor has invented a formula that turns things invisible. He's interested in the science of it, but a crook hears of it and sees a chance to steal expensive jewelry, so he gets himself dosed. The trouble is there's no antidote, and he becomes increasingly unhinged.

It's a Japanese version of the 1933 THE INVISIBLE MAN. Effects specialist Eiji Tsuburaya replicates some of the shots from the older movie, including the part where the villain is unwinding the bandages from around his invisible head. While the suspense is well done, there's no clear advance in what the film makers are using i for, and the movie lacks the funny lunacy of James Whale's direction.

Tsuburaya would continue to specialize in special effects. He is best remembered for his work on various version of GODZILLA. He would die in 1970, age 68.

The Invisible Man Appears (1949), is pretty good for a film, that came out, in the late-1940s, produced by a post-war, Japanese film studio, known as, Daiei Studios. Daiei Studios is famous for being the studio, that launched the Gamera film series in the mid-1960s in Japan. The Invisible Man Appears (1949), is also an early Eiji Tsuburaya, special effects gig, that he did five years before Gojira (1954). This film is an interesting take on the original Invisible Man film series, that Universal Pictures did in the 1930s in the U. S. A. Tsuburaya's special effects don't disappoint in this film. Just remember, to put yourself in a 1949 frame of mind and the effects work for themselves. I am happy I found this lost gem.

PMTM Grade: 6.7 (C-) = 7 IMDB.