The Invisible Man – Movie Review (4/5)

THE INVISIBLE MAN is a new horror movie by Leigh Whannell. Based on the trailer, I didn’t expect too much from this. However, I was very pleasantly surprised in many ways. Read our full The Invisible Man review here!

The Invisible Man is a horror movie by Leigh Whannell. Most of you should know this name since he has made a lot of movies with James Wan. Honestly, I was looking forward to this new horror movie based on the classic by H.G. Wells, but I didn’t have high hopes for anything great.

Maybe that’s exactly why I was so happy after watching just the opening sequence. Also, then I did remember that Leigh Whannell hasn’t let me down yet, so why should this be any different.

Continue reading our The Invisible Man review below.

Leigh Whannell is a master of horror

Most people probably know Leigh Whannell best as the filmmaker partner of James Wan. However, in many ways, Leigh Whannell has not been getting nearly enough credit. They both blasted onto the horror stage with Saw in 2004. James Wan directed while they both came up with the story and Whannell then wrote it.

Also, Leigh Whannell was one of the main victims of that first movie alongside Cary Elwes. Then came Insidious which was directed by James Wan but written only by Leigh Whannell. Once again, Leigh Whannell was also to be seen on the screen. This time as the paranormal investigator, Specs.

It’s no secret that I pretty much adore James Wan. However, I also adore Leigh Whannell, and with The Invisible Man, he has crafted a damn fine horror movie. I mean, from the opening scene, I was sitting on the edge of my seat with my heart racing. And I hadn’t actually seen anything that should scare me yet.

Forget about jump scares, this is pure horror

In terms of horror, The Invisible Man delivers in so many ways. It’s not about jump scares (though they are also there). Instead, it’s about pure horror that seeps in and is all around you. The movie opens with Cecilia (Elisabeth Moss) leaving her husband in the dead of night.

Now, we haven’t seen any scenes prior to this. We don’t know why she’s leaving, but you will have no doubt that she is scared to death. It’s obvious in the brilliant acting by Elisabeth Moss and also in the music. The score is almost a character on its own and was composed perfectly by Benjamin Wallfisch.

In terms of cast, Elisabeth Moss is the absolute star of The Invisible Man and she delivers in every possible way. Of course, Elisabeth Moss is probably best known for The Handmaid’s Tale now, but she was also in Jordan Peele’s second movie Us. You can read our review of Us here >

Another key actor in this movie is Harriet Dyer, who plays Cecilia’s sister. Harriet Dyer was stellar in Killing Ground. And if you haven’t watched that yet, then do yourself a favor and check it out. Also, we have Aldis Hodge (Black Mirror season 4 episode “Black Museum”) helping Cecilia as a good and supportive friend.

Finally, Oliver Jackson-Cohen from The Haunting of Hill House portrays Cecilia’s abusive husband, Adrian. Of course, we don’t actually see him much since he’s invisible most of the time. However, you will soon see him again when he’s in The Haunting of Hill House sequel The Haunting of Bly Manor.

Watch The Invisible Man in theaters!

Leigh Whannell is the writer and director of The Invisible Man which marks his third time as a director. His first movie was Insidious 3 in 2015, which he also wrote. Then came Upgrade in 2018 and now he’s out with this one. To me, he just keeps getting better and especially when it comes to the intensely creeping horror.

Up next for Leigh Whannell is the remake of Escape from New York which is something else entirely. Especially since it doesn’t look like he will also be writing that one.

As far as The Invisible Man is concerned, you really don’t want to miss out on watching this in theaters. Both the audio and visuals of this movie deserve a dark theater to truly get under your skin. And this movie really should do that. Maybe more for women than men, but it’s a solid horror movie for everyone!

The Invisible Man is out in US theaters from February 28, 2020.

Details

Director: Leigh Whannell
Writer: Leigh Whannell
Cast: Elisabeth Moss, Aldis Hodge, Storm Reid, Harriet Dyer and Oliver Jackson-Cohen