L'uomo invisibile

Leigh Whannell is not a subtle filmmaker - at least, that's what I used to think. The Saw and Insidious movies are over-the-top and shocking, which is fine, and I enjoyed Upgrade quite a bit, but I was afraid the Invisible Man would fall into the same trap of shock-value over substance. Thankfully, I was wrong.

From the opening scene, the movie sucks you in with tension and unease. Cecilia (Elizabeth Moss) is trying to escape from her abusive boyfriend while he is asleep, and with practically no dialogue or exposition, we immediately understand the situation and feel for Moss' character. She's trapped in an abusive relationship and fears for her life. It's a testament to Whannell's deliberate direction, using visual cues to give us the information we need while slowly ratcheting up the suspense. The movie is not reliant on jump scares. There are a few, but they're 100% earned and actually effective because we care about the characters. The excellent score helps add to the atmosphere, alternating between pulsating ambience and melancholy orchestral bits.

From the concise writing, likable characters, clever directing, a powerhouse lead performance, and a genuinely scary villain, The Invisible Man gets just about everything right. I suppose you could nitpick some of the logic, but that's missing the point. It's a film about gaining freedom from a toxic relationship, and Whannell knows exactly how to pace the story so that we don't spend too much time dwelling on potential plot holes. Overall, a gripping and expertly crafted psychological thriller.

Mad scientist is also an abusive stalker. Starting when Cecelia gets away from the abusive stalker, she nonetheless continues to be impacted by the echoes of the emotional abuse. But these aren't echoes. Elizabeth Moss does well to turn the woman of domestic violence into one of psychological breakdown. She keeps the movie engaging. Whannell manages the direction of this film well (he also wrote the story and screenplay). He frames shots expertly to give empty space a personality. Worth the rental.

With the pandemic I think studios released the movies they were not in love with and are still holding on to their best movies for later this year or the beginning of next year. There was an abundance to stream but The Invisible Man was one of the few movies I thought was actually good.

Elisabeth Moss had an excellent performance. Really making me feel the horror of the situations she was in. The concept was nice. It was executed well with some terrifying scenes. Not just seeing the horror but making you imagine the horror. There were some by the book scenes but the creators also did create some memorable unique scenes. Worth the watch.

Immerse yourself in a not uncommon story of a woman fighting an aggressive and violent male predator, where the assaults can come out of the blue, often do, and for little or no reason, or justification (not that there could ever be any).

An outstanding lead from Elisabeth Moss in a genuinely suspenseful piece of cinema with a refreshing perspective on a tried and tested theme.

This is a film about an abusive relationship and what is does to the tormented, well... except it's not. Around halfway through the story turns away from a suspenceful psychological thriller and shapes itself into a rather generic, mainstream, twisty and predictable piece.

After seeing this I thought the movie works because of Elisabeth Moss's work as lead actress. Her Cecilia is present in almost evey scene and her acting range, her connection to the character and her talent is what elevates this film a couple steps above your typical low-budget thriller. Also speaking of budget, the film is VERY good looking for just a 7 million. I've had some fun with this, I wish it could have gone a different path but it's what it is I guess.