The Invisible Man (2020)
A review by Shlomoh Sherman
March 18, 2020


The Invisible Man (2020)
Director: Leigh Whannell
Writers: Leigh Whannell (screenplay by), Leigh Whannell (screen story by)
Stars: Elisabeth Moss, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Harriet Dyer
The Invisible Man (2020) on IMDb 7.5/10
Plot Summary: When Cecilia's abusive ex takes his own life and leaves her his fortune, she suspects his death was a hoax. As a series of coincidences turn lethal, Cecilia works to prove that she is being hunted by someone nobody can see.
Plot Keywords: murder - relationships - death - violence
Taglines: What You Can't See Can Hurt You
Genres: Horror - Mystery - Sci-Fi - Thriller
Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
Rated R for some strong bloody violence, and language.
Parents Guide: See below
Country: Australia - USA - Canada - UK
Language: English
Release Date: February 28, 2020 (USA)
Filming Locations: Fox Studios, Moore Park, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Box Office: Budget:$7,000,000 (estimated) - Gross USA: $52,693,570 - Cumulative Worldwide Gross: $98,293,570
Company Credits: Production Co: Goalpost Pictures, Blumhouse Productions, Dark Universe
Runtime: 124 min
Sound Mix: Dolby Atmos - 12-Track Digital Sound
Color: Color


Review:

I am happy to see the advent of the new horror-thriller movies so reminesent of the 1930s and 1940s Universal horror masterpieces.

To tell the truth, neither the original Claude Raines film nor the 2020 version can be actually be described as horror movies. They are more of the thriller-suspense genre. Nothing supernaturally occurs in them as does in movies such as Frankenstein or Dracula.

However, The Invisible Man [2020] will keep you on the edge of your seat and jumping with its sudden scare moments, and there are plenty.

The Trivia section below correctly categorizes it as Sleeping With the Enemy spliced together with the Invisible Man. It IS the ME TOO movie of this socially conscious era.

The story is about the protagonist, Cecilia, who attempts to escape from her abusive boyfriend. Trying to re-build a better life for herself, she finds herself followed and threatened by a now unseen antagonist who not only attacks her but the people she is close to as well.

If she is to survive, she must quickly learn how to blindly find her attacker and destroy him on her own since none of her friends believe that she is being pursued by an invisible entity.

The action is nonstop heart-pounding suspense. As jaded as I am to this type of film, the new Invisible Man scared the shit out of me in a way that the original 1933 film could not do.

If you have any kind of heart condition, my advice is to STAY AWAY!

As usual, I append to my own review, that of one review found at IMDB. Here is an excerpt from the February 26, 2020 review by Monicacrossan.

Must see of 2020!
I absolutely hate scary movies & try to avoid them wherever I can; however, my housemate got free tickets to a preview screening & I can't say no to popcorn.
I was so pleased with this film and I'm so glad I went. This movie was like Gone Girl on crack, it was sooooo good! Kept you on edge majority of the movie & Elizabeth Moss's performance is one to remember. Her acting was so good, even I began to believe she was insane.
The music and sound effects are loud and make everything ten times scarier than it needs to be but the storyline is magnificent and the twists keep coming.
And if you hate horrors just like me, the lead up to any jump scares is predictable so you know when they're coming!

KUDOS to Elisabeth Moss as Cecilia Kass. I have loved this magnificent actress since MADMEN and THE HANDMAID'S TALE
KUDOS to Oliver Jackson-Cohen as Adrian Griffin, a superb villain whom you love to hate


Trivia:
Originally was going to be part of the Dark Universe, with Johnny Depp starring as the titular character, and Ed Solomon writing, but changes were made to the Dark Universe to focus on individual storytelling and moving on from the shared universe concept after the box office failure of The Mummy (2017).
Armie Hammer and Alexander Skarsgard were the studio's top choices for the titular role.
Elisabeth Moss once voiced a young girl in an episode of Batman: The Animated Series. The plot featured a man who had found a way to become invisible and at one point attempted to abduct his daughter, played by a young Moss.
The titular character's last name is Griffin, the same surname as the scientist from HG Wells' original story.
Similar to Hollow Man (2000) starring Kevin Bacon. Both were scientists who developed technology to make themselves invisible however Bacon's scientist used chemical/biological means to induce his invisibility.
Both Hollow Man (2000) and The Invisible Man (2020) feature lead actresses with the name Elisabeth and a four-letter surname. Elisabeth Shue in Hollow Man (2000) and Elisabeth Moss in The Invisible Man (2020) and both actresses are blonde and were both also 36-years-old at the time of filming of their similar films.
When Ceci is in bed asleep and Adrian is taking photos of her, upon waking she looks up and sees a hat and trench coat on a stand. This is a throwback to the original design of the Invisible Man's costumed disguise in the original series from 1933-1951.
When Ceci is in the Hospital and sees a patient is staring at her, being bought out on a stretcher, his whole head is bandaged up apart from his eyes. This aesthetic of the bandaged head is a reference to the original design of the Invisible Man's costumed disguise in the original series from 1933-1951.
In both the 1933 and 2020 films, the Invisible Man is killed by gunshot. Where fire was used to lure him out of hiding to be killed by police in the original, a fire extinguisher was used to discover the character in this movie and he was killed with a police officer's gun.
This is basically Sleeping With the Enemy spliced together with the Invisible Man.
Due to the closure of movie theaters during the COVID-19 pandemic, Universal announced that the movie will be available to rent from Friday 20th March 2020 with 48-hour viewing windows for $19.99.

Quotes:
Cecilia Kass: He said that wherever I went, he would find me, walk right up to me, and I wouldn't be able to see him.
Cecilia Kass: [to Tom] You're the jellyfish version of him.


PARENTS GUIDE FOR THE INVISIBLE MAN (2020)

MPAA - Rated R for some strong bloody violence, and language.
Certifications:
Argentina:16 Australia:MA15+ Brazil:14 Canada:14A (Alberta/New Brunswick/Newfoundland and Labrador/Nova Scotia/Prince Edward Island) Canada:18A (British Columbia) Canada:18A (British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario/Saskatchewan) Canada:13+ (Quebec) Chile:14 Colombia:12 Denmark:15 Finland:K-16 France:12 Germany:16 Hong Kong:IIB Hungary:16 India:A Indonesia:17+ Ireland:16 Ireland:15 (video) Malaysia:18 Mexico:B15 Netherlands:16 New Zealand:R16 Norway:15 Philippines:R-13 Portugal:M/16 Singapore:M18 South Korea:15 Spain:16 (ICAA) Switzerland:16 Thailand:18 United Kingdom:15 (cut) United Kingdom:18 (uncut) United States:R (certificate #52535) Vietnam:C18

SEX & NUDITY
The protagonist implies that she was raped by her boyfriend when he wanted a child. A friend asks, "Did he hit you?" and she replies, "Among other things."
A woman takes a shower, but only her head and shoulders are shown. She exits the shower and is shown in just a bath towel.
Towards the end of the movie, a woman is shown in a short skirt where a man puts his hand on her thigh in a suggestive manner.

VIOLENCE & GORE
Two characters have their throats slashed in the movie, showing blood spurting out. In one case, the blood runs down a white table cloth onto the floor and there is a pretty good shot of it
In one scene, there is a bloodbath where 10 hospital staff and police officers are either shot in the knees, heads, and chests or they are choked and punched in the face causing nosebleeds and bruising.
One scene shows a picture of dead body which is caused by suicide. The picture shows a man lying face down in a pool of blood.
A man is shot to death with a least 6 gunshots to his upper body.
A man is beaten up by another man and falls to the ground unconscious. His face is bruised and blooded during the fight. In the same scene, a young teenage girl is dramatically in the same fight, where she receives punches to her face and she is dragged across the floor.

PROFANITY
8 uses of "fuck" including 1 use of "motherfucker"

ALCOHOL, DRUGS & SMOKING
Two people are drugged with Diazepam.
A woman is sedated in hospital by doctors using a syringe to her arm.
A woman explains to her friend about using birth control tablets and why she has been taking them. The woman mentions it again later on in the movie during a discussion with a doctor.

FRIGHTENING & INTENSE SCENES
Prolonged suspense and frightening scenes from the offset. There are several scenes of gruesome violence

SPOILERS: The Parents Guide items below may give away important plot points.

SEX & NUDITY
It is implied a woman was raped while unconscious after she is revealed to be pregnant. It is not clear if she was raped in her sleep or if her ex-boyfriend switched different drugs with her birth control while they were yet together.
VIOLENCE & GORE
A woman stabs a man several times using a fountain pen. In the same scene she uses the same fountain pen to slit her wrists in a suicide attempt.


Why you should watch the Invisible Man

22 Things You Missed in The Invisible Man (2020)

Read about The Invisible Man On the Internet Movie Data Base


Cast:
Cast overview, first billed only:
Elisabeth Moss ... Cecilia Kass
Oliver Jackson-Cohen ... Adrian Griffin
Harriet Dyer ... Emily Kass
Aldis Hodge ... James Lanier
Storm Reid ... Sydney Lanier
Michael Dorman ... Tom Griffin
Benedict Hardie ... Marc (Architect)
Renee Lim ... Doctor Lee
Brian Meegan ... Lyft Driver
Nick Kici ... Taylor (Waiter)
Vivienne Greer ... Screaming Woman
Nicholas Hope ... Head Doctor
Cleave Williams ... Orderly
Cardwell Lynch ... Police Officer
Sam Smith ... Detective Reckley


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