The Invisible Man

Invisibility would be a dope superpower, of course, it’s not my favorite power, but it can be useful. With that power, you’re a one-person army; you can do covert missions for the CIA or rob banks (please don’t rob banks). A while back, I saw a preview for The Invisible Man, and it intrigued me. I’m a fan of H.G Well’s work, I just finished reading The Time Machine, but I tried to read The Invisible Man novel, and I had to put it down after the first chapter because it was a tough read in my opinion. However, I’m familiar with the story enough that I know it’s about a scientist that turned himself invisible and started causing mischief.

The preview of this movie made me audibly laugh because the protagonist tearfully said something along the lines of “my stalker is sitting right in that chair.” After that line, the camera ominously zooms into an empty chair with some cliche horrifying inception horns. I could’ve made a Chicago style deep dish pizza with the cheesiness in that scene. I decided to catch the movie in theaters because I didn’t want to unfairly jump to conclusions based on an out of context scene. After seeing the movie, I’m proud to say that this film subverted my expectations; it was a fantastic movie (it was the last movie movie I saw in theaters before the quarantine). So let’s talk about it.

What’s the synopsis, Monsieur Headley?

Cecilia (played by Elizabeth Moss) escapes an abusive marriage to a wealthy tech mogul named Adrian (played by Oliver Jackson-Cohen). She seeks refuge at a detective friend, James’ (played by Aldis Hodge) house. Once there, she received news that her husband killed himself, and she inherits his fortune. Cecilia gives a significant portion of the money to James and his daughter. As time goes forward, strange things begin to happen. An unseen force is causing mischief such as starting fires around the house, making essential items disappear, and harassing the family. It turns out the unseen force is Adrian’s brother, Tom, in an invisible suit. Cecilia tries in vain to out Adrian and Tom but ends up losing loved ones and ended up in a mental institution.

However, she doesn’t let that stop her. With her quick thinking, she gets the best of Adrian.

What work?

• In the beginning scene, Cecilia is sneaking out of bed to escape. You can cut the tension with a knife because Cecilia is trying not to make a sound as the camera cuts to the sleeping Adrian. The audience knew Adrian was terrible news, based on Cecilia’s nervous expressions, as she hastily escaped quietly. Adrian was sleeping, and I was already scared of him. The scene didn’t feel long, and it builds that tension and dynamic without dialogue. The perfect example of “show, don’t tell.” If someone throws a jab and shatters a car window with ease, they’re either on drugs or a psychopath.
• Cecilia, James, and his daughter, Sydney, had good banter and chemistry. I chuckled a few times when I was watching. In the back of my mind, I thought Cecilia and James were going to get together at the end. Elizabeth Moss is a great actress in this.
• The shot composition of the scenes where the invisible man was in was fantastic. It was composed of still wide-angle shots that lingered. For example, when Sydney and Cecilia were in the kitchen, they were at the far right, and there was a ton of space on the length. In other films, this would be a lousy shot. It works in this film because you already know that shot implied that the invisible man was standing in that shot.

• This film didn’t rely on jump scares. The few jump scares were earned. The soundtrack had a slow, ominous feel that acted like a crescendo to mimic the escalating tension in a given scene.

• I felt awful for Cecilia when people started turning against her. Tom or Adrian attacked Sydney, and everyone thought Cecilia did it. Adrian sent an email to Cecilia’s sister from her computer, stating that she hated her.
• Adrian was playing chess, not checkers. He faked his death, gave his wealth to Cecilia on the condition that she doesn’t break the law, and has his baby (oh yeah, Cecilia is also pregnant throughout the film. I forget that KEY plot point). Adrian sabotages Cecilia’s relationships and job interviews. All of this to have control over her, all of this without being seen on the scene. Adrian is my favorite antagonist, not because of his personality, of course. It’s because of how he’s written, the writer made him calculating, super petty, and they ironically gave him a ton of presence without being visibly there.

• The action scene was bad-ass!
• Adrian gets his kumuppins at the end, it was clever setup but there were plot holes.

I have so many questions…

• Adrian has a super-suit that turns him invisible, and he can make billions on it. Saying that’s powerful is an understatement. Why does he use the suit that can revolutionize the world against Cecilia? I think that’s a weird motivation to use the suit. I might be tripping because typical motives don’t apply to sociopaths and psychopaths.
• When the weird stuff started happening, why did Cecilia immediately jumped to the conclusion that it was Adrian’s ghost? One could argue that it was PSTD, etc. that made her think like this, I had to suspend my disbelief because it didn’t logically make sense.

• Did Cecilia know about the suit beforehand? It was alluded to in the beginning when she looked into the lab when she was escaping. Hypothetically, if I were Adrian, I would keep that invisible suit project a secret from Cecilia. It’s like showing your hand in poker or telling your chess opponent the several moves you have planned. I think it was Adrian’s flaw that he underestimated Cecilia, good old folly.
• When the Invisible Adrian killed Cecilia’s sister in front of Celicia at the restaurant, it was kind of funny; to be frank; the knife was floating, and it felt cartoony. Why did she get arrested and locked in the mental hospital for the murder? There were clear cameras in the restaurant that’ll show the floating knife.
• I guess human physics doesn’t apply to the suit wearer. Why couldn’t Celilia hear footsteps and breathing? You ever tried to sneak around the house? The human body makes a lot of noise. Unless Adrian went to Wakanda and stole T’Challa’s “sneakers.” Sure Adrian looks like he can maneuver through space with ease but Tom on the other hand- let us say that he is no Sam Fisher (Splinter Cell reference for any gamer reading this)

• Did Adrian and Tom teleport between scenes? Did they change into the suit in a nearby telephone booth like Clark Kent? Or did they just sneaked onto a bus? I’m pretty sure they change in a car, but the image of a car driving itself is funny.
• The suit is made out of cameras that seem to manipulate light. I may not be a scientist, but isn’t it impossible for light to pass through solid objects like the human body? Even if you are manipulating light, you’re still tangible, meaning you can be touched physically. Also, if you can manage light and be invisible, you can still produce a shadow and maybe an outline of your figure when light hits you. I’ll give the film a pass for the sake of the plot.

Final Thoughts.

The Invisible Man was an enjoyable movie. The acting, direction, cinematography, the score was on point. I was at the edge of my seat the whole viewing, and my eyes were glued to the screen. This film was ambitious for going the opposite way with the source material, the only connection this film has with H.G Well’s book was that invisible suit. With the fantastical invisibility aspect aside, this film’s plot was grounded in reality. A reality that many people unfortunately face, abusive relationships. There was no cheesy “Muahahaha” type of villain. It was a woman trying to move on in life but has the overcome the wrath of her abusive ex. I’d give it an 8.75/10.