The Invisible Man
4/4
Starring: Elizabeth Moss, Aldis Hodge, Storm Reid, Michael Dorman, Harriet Dyer, Oliver Jackson-Cohen
Rated R for Some Strong Bloody Violence, and Language
It's been a good long while since I've seen a movie that has scared me as badly as "The Invisible Man." Movies that are truly scary don't come along that often, so it's been a while. When was the last one? "The Nun?" "The Conjuring 2," certainly. Both of those movies had their moments (such as the first meeting of the Demon Nun in the latter film), but when it comes to two hours of pure, unadulterated terror, Leigh Whannel's new film beats them hands down. Evidently, Whannel has learned something from his friend and filmmaking partner James Wan.
The film opens with a bang (even the opening credits, where the titles are created by waves, are eerie). Cecilia Kass (Moss) is trying to escape from her sleeping boyfriend, Adrian Griffin (Jackson-Cohen). It's a sensationally creepy sequence with careful staging and editing. Cecilia is smart, and the amount of work it has evidently taken to run away tells us that this guy is bad news. She's successful, although running away doesn't mean she's out of his grasp.
Two weeks after fleeing to her friend's house, she finds out some good news: Adrian is dead. He slashed his wrists shortly after she fled. Cecilia isn't convinced. She knows of his penchant for making her feel like she's crazy and believes that this is just another one of his sadistic games to make her life hell. Adrian was a genius inventor in the field of optics, and she is certain that he has found a way to stalk her without being seen. Try convincing anyone of that, though.
The trailer for this film implies that this is a Hitchcockian-style thriller where we are meant to doubt her sanity. That's not really true, and the scene that adds this wrinkle occurs late in the film and in a very different context. It's clear very early that Adrian is alive and making her life hell. Although this may seem like a spoiler, it isn't. In fact, going down this route makes it even scarier. From start to finish there is a sense of dread, terror and utter paranoia. Adrian can be anywhere at any time, and knowing that he is most likely watching her as she is scared out of her mind (or worse) increases his malevolence. Adrian is pure evil in a way that puts most villains to shame. He is obsessed with controlling her and there is no line that he won't cross to do so. He is capable of anything. Whether or not he is in the room when believes him to be is, I suppose, a moot point.
"The Invisible Man" is a purely visceral experience, so all that's required of the actors like Elizabeth Moss, Aldis Hodge, and the others is that they can scream and act heroic or creepy (whatever the plot requires). The cast does their jobs well. Elizabeth Moss manages to get us on her side from her first moment on screen and keep us there til the end credits roll. Aldis Hodge adds some machismo, even if his character is a dimwit. Veteran nice guy Michael Dorman subtly changes his low-key charm into something slimy. If there is a disappointment, it's Oliver Jackson-Cohen. Although he's playing one of the most sadistic psychopaths in recent memory (only "David" from "The Guest" comes close), the actor only has a handful of lines and he can't live up to the menacing force his character is developed as. Then again, who could?
The true star of the film is Leigh Whanell. He is the filmmaking buddy of legendary director James Wan, but his directorial debut, "Insidious: Chapter 3" was a waste of time. I didn't see "Upgrade," but evidently the five years since then has been a boon to his filmmaking talents. This is more terrifying than anything Wan has created. He is exceedingly careful in creating an ominous atmosphere. Long takes and clinical set design are par for the course here, and he has a gift for creating visceral, violent shocks. Not just "boo" moments, but legitimate jolts. His sense of atmosphere is so powerful that after the first one I accidentally sent a considerable portion of my popcorn flying in every direction (this is why I always get a large popcorn). And that isn't the only one. Credit must also go to the camerawork by Stefan Duscio, the musical score by Benjamin Wallfisch, and the entire sound design team.
There is an overwhelming sense of terror and dread throughout the two hour running time. It's really, truly menacing. The central questions are: what will Adrian do next and how far will he go? That the film always left me wondering that is a testament to the skill of Whannell and his production team. A lot of horror films, even some of the better ones, have a sense of mental safety where we can take a breath. That's not the case here. Adrian is capable of anything and at no point do we ever believe that he isn't nearby waiting to attack. And he won't hesitate to kill anyone who gets in his way. This is the movie that "Hollow Man" should have been.
When the end credits rolled, I was left jumpy and uneasy. I even padded my backseat to make sure no one was there. It took me a while to feel normal again. I can't say it was pleasant to feel that way, but I have to appreciate the skill of the filmmakers to get me to that point and their willingness to go that far. This movie offers no quarter, and is all the better for it. It's one thing to wonder what is going to happen next or whether a key character is going to survive. It's quite another to experience their paranoia and lack of safety. Not many people want to go through that, which is quite understandable. But you have to admire the accomplishment of a film director who can pull that off.
Starring: Elizabeth Moss, Aldis Hodge, Storm Reid, Michael Dorman, Harriet Dyer, Oliver Jackson-Cohen
Rated R for Some Strong Bloody Violence, and Language
It's been a good long while since I've seen a movie that has scared me as badly as "The Invisible Man." Movies that are truly scary don't come along that often, so it's been a while. When was the last one? "The Nun?" "The Conjuring 2," certainly. Both of those movies had their moments (such as the first meeting of the Demon Nun in the latter film), but when it comes to two hours of pure, unadulterated terror, Leigh Whannel's new film beats them hands down. Evidently, Whannel has learned something from his friend and filmmaking partner James Wan.
The film opens with a bang (even the opening credits, where the titles are created by waves, are eerie). Cecilia Kass (Moss) is trying to escape from her sleeping boyfriend, Adrian Griffin (Jackson-Cohen). It's a sensationally creepy sequence with careful staging and editing. Cecilia is smart, and the amount of work it has evidently taken to run away tells us that this guy is bad news. She's successful, although running away doesn't mean she's out of his grasp.
Two weeks after fleeing to her friend's house, she finds out some good news: Adrian is dead. He slashed his wrists shortly after she fled. Cecilia isn't convinced. She knows of his penchant for making her feel like she's crazy and believes that this is just another one of his sadistic games to make her life hell. Adrian was a genius inventor in the field of optics, and she is certain that he has found a way to stalk her without being seen. Try convincing anyone of that, though.
The trailer for this film implies that this is a Hitchcockian-style thriller where we are meant to doubt her sanity. That's not really true, and the scene that adds this wrinkle occurs late in the film and in a very different context. It's clear very early that Adrian is alive and making her life hell. Although this may seem like a spoiler, it isn't. In fact, going down this route makes it even scarier. From start to finish there is a sense of dread, terror and utter paranoia. Adrian can be anywhere at any time, and knowing that he is most likely watching her as she is scared out of her mind (or worse) increases his malevolence. Adrian is pure evil in a way that puts most villains to shame. He is obsessed with controlling her and there is no line that he won't cross to do so. He is capable of anything. Whether or not he is in the room when believes him to be is, I suppose, a moot point.
"The Invisible Man" is a purely visceral experience, so all that's required of the actors like Elizabeth Moss, Aldis Hodge, and the others is that they can scream and act heroic or creepy (whatever the plot requires). The cast does their jobs well. Elizabeth Moss manages to get us on her side from her first moment on screen and keep us there til the end credits roll. Aldis Hodge adds some machismo, even if his character is a dimwit. Veteran nice guy Michael Dorman subtly changes his low-key charm into something slimy. If there is a disappointment, it's Oliver Jackson-Cohen. Although he's playing one of the most sadistic psychopaths in recent memory (only "David" from "The Guest" comes close), the actor only has a handful of lines and he can't live up to the menacing force his character is developed as. Then again, who could?
The true star of the film is Leigh Whanell. He is the filmmaking buddy of legendary director James Wan, but his directorial debut, "Insidious: Chapter 3" was a waste of time. I didn't see "Upgrade," but evidently the five years since then has been a boon to his filmmaking talents. This is more terrifying than anything Wan has created. He is exceedingly careful in creating an ominous atmosphere. Long takes and clinical set design are par for the course here, and he has a gift for creating visceral, violent shocks. Not just "boo" moments, but legitimate jolts. His sense of atmosphere is so powerful that after the first one I accidentally sent a considerable portion of my popcorn flying in every direction (this is why I always get a large popcorn). And that isn't the only one. Credit must also go to the camerawork by Stefan Duscio, the musical score by Benjamin Wallfisch, and the entire sound design team.
There is an overwhelming sense of terror and dread throughout the two hour running time. It's really, truly menacing. The central questions are: what will Adrian do next and how far will he go? That the film always left me wondering that is a testament to the skill of Whannell and his production team. A lot of horror films, even some of the better ones, have a sense of mental safety where we can take a breath. That's not the case here. Adrian is capable of anything and at no point do we ever believe that he isn't nearby waiting to attack. And he won't hesitate to kill anyone who gets in his way. This is the movie that "Hollow Man" should have been.
When the end credits rolled, I was left jumpy and uneasy. I even padded my backseat to make sure no one was there. It took me a while to feel normal again. I can't say it was pleasant to feel that way, but I have to appreciate the skill of the filmmakers to get me to that point and their willingness to go that far. This movie offers no quarter, and is all the better for it. It's one thing to wonder what is going to happen next or whether a key character is going to survive. It's quite another to experience their paranoia and lack of safety. Not many people want to go through that, which is quite understandable. But you have to admire the accomplishment of a film director who can pull that off.
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