The Invisible Man Review

Blumhouse’s version The Invisible Man is the latest film by writer/director Leigh Whannell. It shows that both the studio and the filmmaker are the current masters of budget filmmaking.

Cecilia Kass (Elisabeth Moss) is a woman who makes a daring escape from her abusive boyfriend, Adrian Griffin (Oliver Jackson-Cohen). Two weeks later, Cecilia hears Adrian has committed suicide and leaves her $5 million. But Adrian has found a way to haunt Cecilia from beyond the grave.

The Invisible Man is a horror film for the #MeToo era. It lays out its themes early on: Cecilia was a victim of domestic abuse and continues to suffer even when her abuser’s gone. The story was about Cecilia’s torment and how she was had to take back control.

The film is an excellent portrayal of domestic abuse, done in the context of a horror film. The titular Invisible Man does what most abusers do: they seek to dominate and control their victims. The Invisible Man sought to isolate Cecilia from friends and family so makes it easier to control her: just like what happened when she lived with Adrian. The filmmakers did tackle wider issues, like one character questioning why Cecilia didn’t leave Adrian sooner. It’s easy to say that from the outside looking in, but the psychology of domestic abuse is a lot more complicated. The first half of the film was a psychological horror because of the torment Cecilia goes though. Most people think Cecilia’s losing her marbles when she tells them she’s haunted by an invisible man.

Elisabeth Moss is an excellent actress who has proven herself in indie films and on television. She does it again with her character in this film. Her character evolves from a scared woman in hiding to someone who’s forced to take on her abuser. Cecilia is shown to be a smart and resourceful woman: she had to be to escape Adrian’s clutches and has to do it again when he stalks her. That’s how I like my horror protagonists because it is a lot easier to route for a character who has to use their brain to survive.

Whannell did an amazing at meshing genres. After the first half that focused on Cecilia’s psychological horror before turning into a more genre heavy film. When Cecilia gets locked into a psychiatry ward the film turns into a mini-remake of Terminator 2: Judgment Day because Cecilia was in the same predicament as Sarah Connor. No one believes Cecilia about the extraordinary things she has seen.

When The Invisible Man does attack the ward it becomes a fun actioner as he fights off several cops. It was an impressive sequence and it’s even more remarkable because the film only had a budget of $7 Million. The special effects were used fantastic and effective. It leads to thoughts of what  Whannel could do with a franchise like The Terminator or Predator.

Whannel and Blumhouse have managed to have their cake and eat it with The Invisible Man by making a sci-fi/horror mash-up that was both topical and horrifically entertaining.