Invisible Man revisited

A 15 days of Halloween mini review

Day 14

The Invisible Man extended edition Blu-ray

If I love a film I will happily watch it multiple times but if I really love a film I get this weird thing where I get almost afraid to rewatch it incase it’s not the same. So that was the case with Invisible Man. (Whannell, 2020) I saw in at the cinema on release. It was also one of the last films I was able to see before U.K. cinemas were closed for a year which was crazy. It’s actually a very cinematic film so I felt lucky that it was able to keep the idea of the traditional movie going experience alive in my head for a while but I’ve had the Blu-ray sat around unopened for ages because of ‘the fear.’

I made IM my day 14 pick because I rightly predicted that trying to watch and review 15 things while looking after a 16 month old was going to be exhausting. So really, I just wanted to pick something I’d been wanting to see, a hopefully guaranteed enjoyable watch. It’s a bit of a semi-cheat because I’ve already reviewed it! Another thing that terrifies me; reading back my own reviews! You can read my full, spoiler-free review by clicking the link below 👇🏻

The Invisible Man 2020

Probably my biggest takeaway from rewatching IM is that although there is so much packed into it at various levels it is also a gripping entertainment experience. So you can choose to think while you watch it or just choose to enjoy it. It’s a great ‘popcorn’ movie.

Classic Gods eye view!

The one person who reads this blog (hi, if that’s you) is probably sick of me being so sycophantic about Leigh Whannell all the time but I did genuinely come away from this rewatch in awe of how perfect and tightly written this movie is. I think it comes from being a writer-director.

Lots of writers have a go at directing but very few are genuine writer-directors. Even then it’s hard to strike gold. The Sixth Sense (Shyamalan, 1999) was on tv the other night as I flicked between channels, and I think that’s another good example of writing-directing that is so spare and considered, every scene so mesmerising.

It’s also worth restating that Elisabeth Moss’s performance is fantastic. Genre films are notoriously overlooked by the Oscars but she deserved at least a nomination in my opinion.

Celia been incrementally isolated by her tormentor

The U.K. Blu-ray call’s it’s self the ‘extended’ edition. I couldn’t work out what had changed and started to think I had a terrible memory, but according to IMDb trivia, this is literally an addition of three seconds of injury detail that made the difference between a 15 rated release and an 18. (I’ve always found the ratings system fascinating.)

If you want to update an IP Invisible Man is the master class. I can’t think of a better Universal Horror to watch on a dark and stormy night.

The Invisible Man 2020

The Invisible Man is the terrifying, triumphant, and timely (all the t’s) return of horror writer/director Leigh Whannell; legendary co-creator of such franchises as Saw (James Wan, 2004) and Insidious. (Wan, 2010) I was extremely hyped to see this film ever since the trailer dropped. Even Murray, who isn’t really a big horror fan, was looking forward to seeing it. Often, my overly high expectations end in disappointment but I am happy to tell you that was not the case with this film. Invisible Man is as thrilling as it is culturally important and so I am going to endeavor to relate my views without spoilers for a change!

The Invisible Man is one of the famous ‘Universal Monsters’ that brought chills to cinema audiences from the 1920s – 50s. Based on the classic H. G. Wells novel, James Whale’s 1933 movie follows Dr. Griffin (Played by the late, great Claude Rains) as the serum from his successful experiment to make himself invisible slowly turns him into a homicidal maniac. The concept of ‘the invisible man’ has been revisited on film throughout the years notably in Paul Verhoeven’s Hollow Man, (2000) a movie that, despite my sincere love of Kevin Bacon, I always found to be a bit creepy and rapey.

Whannell’s Invisible Man takes the story in a refreshing direction. Cecilia (Elisabeth Moss) is at the center of the narrative. After making a nighttime escape from her clifftop condo and taking refuge with the friend of her sister she discovers that her abusive husband Adrian Griffin, (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) a millionaire tech entrepreneur, has apparently killed himself and left her his fortune. But her nightmare continues as strange goings-on around the house cause her to believe that Adrian may have discovered a technological way to turn himself invisible and continue his reign of physical and mental abuse.

Elisabeth Moss is instantly relatable. I was 100% with her from the first close up as she carefully listens to her husband’s breath as he sleeps. The initial escape is terrifying, (especially Zeus’s dog bowl) not just because it is perfectly blocked and shot for maximum suspense but also thanks to its realism. How many women have done the same? It’s been a long time since I jumped out of my skin at the cinema.

What’s great about The Invisible Man is that it’s not just a scary movie, it’s also a timely and important look into the grim realities of abuse and domestic violence with #metoo overtones. On the other hand, it is also just a horror movie; in that at no point does any of the deeper subtext intrude on the entertainment experience or become preachy.

Several aspects of the film look at the impact of abuse against women (and often men) by powerful figures. There are two key scenes for Moss, the first is her soliloquy where she speaks directly to her abuser (a rich, well connected, well-regarded figure) about his ability to buy power, explaining that there is nothing left for him to take from her and wondering why she was chosen to be his victim/partner. Many victims of abuse wonder if there is something they did to cause the abuser to behave in that way, probably because it is drilled into women by the media and the court system that the victim is somehow to blame. Secondly, (trying to avoid spoilers) at one point we get a head-on shot of Cecilia in a position of strength emphasising that she is not merely a victim but primarily a survivor.

There is also the legal documentation Cecilia is encouraged to sign by Adrian’s brother Tom (Michael Dorman) who happens to be the executor of his estate. This is a restrictive agreement that initially appears to offer financial freedom but is ultimately another means of control. I saw this as a reference to the NDAs so many victims of Harvey Weinstein and others were made to sign in the wake of their abuse. To learn more about how these agreements affect victims lives you might read this FT article:

https://www.ft.com/content/1dc8a8ae-b7e0-11e7-8c12-5661783e5589

The creeping terror of the invisible man is that he can be anywhere at any moment watching you. For domestic abuse survivors, the fear of being found and stalked by their abuser is very real. Whannell emphasises the power of cutting edge technology to track and harass somebody non-stop through Adrian’s high-tech suit, to his use of email, and his phone to take over Cecilia’s private communications, spaces, and to get into her head.

But this film is also about the invisibility of domestic violence in society. Cecilia points out that on the surface it appeared to friends, family, etc that she has an ideal life with a successful, rich man because she is always well put together. The invisible truth is that Adrian controls what she wears, says, and has done a good job of isolating her from friends and family.

Even in recent high-profile cases where the man is exposed to have been violent, the woman is always the last to be believed with her credibility more intensely scrutinised and in the large part judged on outward appearances. Just as with alleged cases of rape and sexual harassment in Hollywood, when domestic violence is alleged it is often the woman’s career that suffers while the accused continues to secure high-profile jobs.

Domestic violence is still all too prevalent in many seemingly developed societies including the UK. Follow the link in red to read the ONS statistics on recorded domestic violence in England and Wales.

The final topic The Invisible Man delves into is the ability powerful men have to control women’s bodies. Near the start of the movie, Cecelia tells her sister of Adrian’s desire to have a child, knowing that a child would tie her to her abuser forever Cecilia has been secretly taking contraceptive pills. It is softly implied that Adrian has raped Cecilia in the past, either way, it is not in her power to say no because she is under a constant threat of violence. This is significant because many American states have sadly gone backward on women’s abortion rights in recent years including stopping rape victims from accessing safe, legal abortions. The consequences of that mean a woman might become permanently tied to her abuser, Invisible Man seems to be commenting upon this sad state of affairs.

By contrast, police detective James, (Aldis Hodge) who along with his daughter Sydney (Storm Reid) opens his home to Cecilia, is full of gentle encouragement. As a black, single father (often underrepresented in films) who is great at lovingly bringing up his daughter, he reminds the audience that there are plenty of amazing, respectful, non-abusive guys out there standing in solidarity with women.

There are some references to other films with strong female leads. Again, trying to avoid spoilers; The scene where somebody first dies is reminiscent of a similar scene in Candyman (Rose, 1992) in which Virginia Madsen is set up to appear mentally ill. The scenes at the hospital seem to be riffing on T2 (Cameron, 1991) when Linda Hamilton is attempting to break out of jail just as T-1000 is attempting to break-in. The design and location of Adrien’s house are somewhat reminiscent of the glass, beachfront house Julia Roberts shares with her abusive husband in all-time classic Sleeping With the Enemy. (Ruben, 1991) I would like to think that Sydney’s name is in reference to Scream, (Craven, 1996) but as it is spelled like the city I am probably reaching. There is also a drawing of Jigsaw on the wall in the background of a car park giving an affectionate nod to Saw!

One of Leigh Whannell’s strengths is writing strong, untypical, and convincing female characters like Elise from Insidious. I won’t give away the ending but I would describe it as a powerful feminist statement. I absolutely loved this horror movie, it is the best Universal Monster movie of recent decades. I hope Universal/Blumhouse commission Whannell to make more and I hope you can go see it (before the Pandemic keeps us all indoors)

Side note; I promised Murry that I would express his view that there was not enough comedy as he missed seeing lots of British ‘Bobbies’ running around as per the black and white classic. You can’t please everyone!