Movie Review: The Invisible Man

Copyright: Universal Pictures

Classic pictures should never be adapted for the mainstream audience. There are truly rare occasions where something can be expanded on positively thanks to the beauty of modern technology. More often than not, it leads to nothing but farce that moves so far away from the engaging interest of the original piece that it may as well be its own project entirely. Shamefully, this has happened with The Invisible Man. A huge overhaul and reworking of the classic Universal Monsters picture of the same name. Truly a sad shame to see the only improvement to be made is the man sitting in the director’s chair, but futile considering the lack of quality on display throughout this one. 

With Elisabeth Moss leading a headstrong charge into the world of invisible men, we should be in for at least a slight amount of quality. Her leading role here is expectedly bland, but there are scenes showcasing her capable range. Hopefully she’ll be able to apply these tools to later roles, but for now, The Invisible Man offers up nothing more than the expected screaming, manic scenes of acceptable fear, and more than a few plays on the concept of hauntings. Crucially, though, they’re not scary. A tad unnerving at times, yes, but once you’ve pieced two and two together it does breach the concept entirely. Unfair it may be to compare this to the original, but the beauty of James Whale’s piece is that we already know the eponymous lead is, well, invisible. The attempt at shrouding this reveal in a greater mystery is endearing, but ultimately poor. 

Certainly not bad, not by any stretch of the imagination. The Invisible Man is stuck in the mud of complete desolate messiness. There’s no heart to be found in this. Devoid of any genuine passion for the craft or expeditionary feeling of charting new territory, it’s a safe and complacent film that offers nothing interesting. Its premise is stretched out far beyond what could be considered engaging, what with a multitude of feeble supporting performers and direction whose thick sheen of modernity is congealing in the most awful of torpid results. 

Blumhouse once again prove they are capable of producing a film that costs them barely anything and makes them massive dividends in return. Ran through all the expected high string orchestras and three-act structures, the charm and allure of the original is lost entirely. The Invisible Man replaces it with nothing inspiring or unique, instead relying on the capable charms of Moss. Little to offer, and even less to say for its message, the curse of Blumhouse strikes again with this horribly wasted offering. Maybe you’ll find it appealing if you’ve not seen many horror films. Oversaturation is a terrible thing, but for devoted fans of the genre, this won’t offer anything fresh or exciting. More of the same issues that crop up in every other unreliable remake or revamp, and little point to it at all.