The Invisible Man

Nerve-wracking and brilliantly filmed, The Invisible Man is one of the best horror/thriller films that came out in a while. - 7/10

by Jad Sammour

I am a huge fan of Leigh Whannell’s Upgrade and I was excited when I heard he will take over the classic H.G. Wells tale in a new retelling. The film did not disappoint.

The story largely diverges from the source material. This new take really highlights abusive relationships and the trauma that follows making the film a discrete allegory about this topic. The script is classical in telling the story and it has good dialogue and a smart story. Some twists are predictable but as the film advances it is mostly hard to see what’s coming. In addition, the concept of the invisible man is well-used to its maximum potential and some things are really disturbing. However, the story becomes slightly messy near the end.

The performances are all great especially Elizabeth Moss’ as Cecilia Kass.

The CGI was incredibly well-done and never feels cheap. I LOVED the explosive score by Benjamin Wallfisch it helps in building tension and elevates the feel of the film. The cinematography was great. The editing was good, however it could’ve avoided some unnecessary cuts at some points. The runtime was a bit longer than it needed to be.

Leigh Whannell did an amazing job. He used really smart filming techniques albeit opting to generic ones during dialogues (shot reverse shot) and other types of scenes. From the opening sequence which shows the credits and the title, and the one that follows, the tensions and thrills are peaking. This film really wrecked my nerves. Then as the invisible man starts to appear, tension increases and some really unexpected jump-scares successfully accomplish their duty - all jump-scares were justified and terrifying. The way the scenes are filmed especially when there are tension and thrills really serves the story and makes things scarier– get ready to be terrified and uncomfortable by looking at shots of rooms, doorways and chairs. Many scenes use the one-long-take format and it totally elevates the experience. Whannell’s trademark in filming action scenes which was heavily used in Upgrade is prominent in many scenes, and seeing something that is still new is really fresh and enjoyable.

In the end, The Invisible Man is a GOOD horror film that will make you grab your seat’s armrest and sit on the edge of your seat. It’s thrilling and scary and shows there’s still hope for a genre lost in jump-scares.

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