In the age of reboots, it comes as no surprise that Universal Pictures has remade its 1933 classic "The Invisible Man." In the original, "The Invisible Man" is an imposing but sympathetic protagonist, a brilliant scientist with the capacity for despair, remorse and love. In this sense, the original "The Invisible Man" and the 2020 remake are similar only in name.
The new character behind the Invisible Man is instead the antagonist — a violent, maniacal scientist who abuses his girlfriend, Cecilia (Elisabeth Moss), fakes his own death and becomes invisible to enact his revenge. By refocusing the story on the victim, writer and director Leigh Whannell breathes new life into the classic tale of "The Invisible Man," combining the story of an iconic movie monster with modern perspectives on abuse, technology and accountability.
The film begins in near-silence as we are thrust into Cecilia’s world. Despite never seeing Cecilia’s abusive boyfriend, Adrian (Oliver Jackson-Cohen), we still feel the tension escalate due to masterful direction and Moss’s enrapturing performance. The silence is finally broken when Cecilia escapes, calls her sister and makes her aware of the abuse — becoming a literal “silence-breaker” to a previously secret cycle of abuse.
And so begins the movie’s introduction to the new Cecilia, the Cecilia without Adrian’s vitriol, gaslighting and lies. The supporting cast rounds out Cecilia’s character in surprising and welcomed ways; Aldis Hodge’s performance as Cecilia’s childhood friend James is both hilarious and heart-warming, and Storm Reid as Sydney flips between sarcasm and sincerity with ease.
One of the weaker portions of the movie, unfortunately, comes with Harriet Dyer’s portrayal of Cecilia’s sister, Alice. Whether the lack of chemistry between Cecilia and Alice can be attributed to the performers or the script, plotlines involving Alice fall flat, rendering one of the major turning points in the film less effective than it could have been.
Perhaps the greatest feat of the film is its cinematography and sound-editing. With the concept of an invisible, but deeply dangerous monster, Whannell stated that his great challenge was how to "make empty spaces tense.” This works fantastically well for the film as lingering shots of empty hallways, rooms and parking lots become unbearably terrifying, which serves as a testament to Whannell’s artistic vision.
The concept behind Adrian’s invisibility adds additional layers to scenes beyond the aforementioned empty corners and hallways; simple conversations and joyful moments shot from afar force the audience to never forget Adrian’s (potential) looming presence, mirroring the thought process of Cecilia, and intimately involving us in her psyche.
Moss’s performance as Cecilia is not a career-best, but it certainly builds upon the fantastic work she has done before. While not as unflinchingly badass as Offred from “The Handmaid’s Tale” (2017–), Moss’s portrayal of Cecilia’s vulnerability makes her bravery in the face of terror that much sweeter. Moss’s characterization supplements the intelligence detailed in Whannell’s screenplay; Cecilia is the only person in the world able to outsmart the tech-mogul-sociopath-genius that is Adrian.
This is increasingly compelling when viewed as a post-#MeToo film; both Whannell and Moss have outlined the extra sensitivity they took to successfully portray an intelligent, strong female character who has suffered abuse from a romantic partner. All in all, it is hard to compare Moss’s acting to the iconic horror performances of the last decade (Toni Colette in Hereditary, Lupita Nyong’o in Us), but Moss proves to be endlessly compelling and believable.
Ultimately, the film’s strength lies in its ability to manipulate the audience’s expectations; the film cleverly toys with the concept of invisibility in ways that steadily increase the tension. Even as the film ends, choices with the soundtrack and sound editing ensure that we never forget the impact Adrian has had on Cecilia — invisible but never gone.
Summary
In the original Invisible Man, women’s perspectives are, for all intents and purposes, invisible; Whannell’s reboot breathes new life into an existing property by cleverly restructuring the narrative and escalating tensions at every turn.
4 Stars
