The Invisible Man * * * ½
Predictably some folk have got themselves all excited over this film and say it's based upon the Me-Too movement, or it's a commentary on domestic violence, and I suppose it could be seen that way if that's what you really want it to be.
Elizabeth Moss plays Cecilia, a woman who lives in a very fine seaside house with a nutcase. He's got his lab downstairs, where he messes with optics. He's dastardly clever but not very nice.
The film starts off with her running away. She's had enough of his emotional bullying and oppressiveness.
Her sister arranges for Cecilia to stay with a guy who is a cop and his daughters. No one is supposed to know where she is, but she is always paranoid about him turning up.
Then some good news comes for Cecilia. The Ex is dead and she's got the whole estate.
But Cecilia is not so sure. He's lied about everything in their time together, it would make sense that he is lying about this too. Has he faked his death to flush her out?
It wouldn't be a spoiler to say she appears to be right.......Enter the Invisible Man.
And he is nasty!
He commits terrible actions and makes it looks like its Cecilia. Her denials just make everyone think she is mentally unbalanced. "He's doing this to me" she says. "Yerrrr right" other's say. "Time to lock this crazy bitch up".
Clearly Cecilia is going to have to sort this out herself, and petty soon we move from horror to thriller action with shades of Terminator as a messed up lady keeps trying to tell her minders about this killing machine that no one else has ever seen. The similarity is heightened when he pays a brutal visit to the facility where she has been interned. I don't know if invisibly give you super strength but you get the impression it might. At one stage I thought he was going to say "I'll be back".
It looks good most of the time, and I liked the modern take of the isolated house on the cliff top by the ocean, where a mad scientist experiments in his basement. Shades of Frankenstein.
A bandaged face in a hospital is a nice nod to the original story and previous cinematic efforts of the same title. Creepy sounds coming from the attic and things that go bump in the night all help to establish the right atmosphere. Psycho type knives are the weapon of choice; the odd gun and a fire extinguisher come in handy too.
But there is a heap of illogical incidents and plot holes that beg our forgiveness, which we readily give in order to have a good horror film ride.
It has a fun twist at the end which leaves us wondering if Cecilia's own morals and values are compromised. Or has a girl simply done what a girl has to got to do?
Elizabeth Moss plays Cecilia, a woman who lives in a very fine seaside house with a nutcase. He's got his lab downstairs, where he messes with optics. He's dastardly clever but not very nice.
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| Cecilia takes a wild stab at the Ex. |
Her sister arranges for Cecilia to stay with a guy who is a cop and his daughters. No one is supposed to know where she is, but she is always paranoid about him turning up.
Then some good news comes for Cecilia. The Ex is dead and she's got the whole estate.
But Cecilia is not so sure. He's lied about everything in their time together, it would make sense that he is lying about this too. Has he faked his death to flush her out?
It wouldn't be a spoiler to say she appears to be right.......Enter the Invisible Man.
And he is nasty!
He commits terrible actions and makes it looks like its Cecilia. Her denials just make everyone think she is mentally unbalanced. "He's doing this to me" she says. "Yerrrr right" other's say. "Time to lock this crazy bitch up".
Clearly Cecilia is going to have to sort this out herself, and petty soon we move from horror to thriller action with shades of Terminator as a messed up lady keeps trying to tell her minders about this killing machine that no one else has ever seen. The similarity is heightened when he pays a brutal visit to the facility where she has been interned. I don't know if invisibly give you super strength but you get the impression it might. At one stage I thought he was going to say "I'll be back".
It looks good most of the time, and I liked the modern take of the isolated house on the cliff top by the ocean, where a mad scientist experiments in his basement. Shades of Frankenstein.
A bandaged face in a hospital is a nice nod to the original story and previous cinematic efforts of the same title. Creepy sounds coming from the attic and things that go bump in the night all help to establish the right atmosphere. Psycho type knives are the weapon of choice; the odd gun and a fire extinguisher come in handy too.
But there is a heap of illogical incidents and plot holes that beg our forgiveness, which we readily give in order to have a good horror film ride.
It has a fun twist at the end which leaves us wondering if Cecilia's own morals and values are compromised. Or has a girl simply done what a girl has to got to do?
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