[Review] The Invisible Man: A Realistic and Excellent Remake

The Invisible Man is my favorite horror/thriller film recently and an excellent example how film remakes should have been done.

The original novel The Invisible Man by science fiction master H. G. Wells was published over 120 years ago and has been adapted into films and series multiple times, including 2000's Hollow Man. This time, the film The Invisible Man re-adapts this story, brilliantly incorporating modern social issues and trends into the narrative, making it an outstanding work among the many film remakes of recent years. The film's opening is direct, depicting the protagonist Cecilia (Elisabeth Moss) escaping Adrian's (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) mansion, and almost the entire plot of the film revolves around this simple premise of Cecilia fleeing Adrian. In the film, apart from seeing Adrian chasing Cecilia and smashing the car window at the beginning, we never see how Adrian treated Cecilia before, how he used power, violence, and fear to control Cecilia's life; our understanding of Adrian is basically entirely based on Cecilia's descriptions. Later, we learn from the characters that Adrian has committed suicide. Although he doesn't physically appear for most of the film, and we only clearly see his face near the end, he continuously makes the audience feel an invisible terror. Since we haven't seen him being violent towards Cecilia, nor have we seen much of his physical presence, why do we feel fear towards him?

As mentioned above, our understanding of Adrian is basically entirely based on Cecilia's descriptions, and our terror of him is due to Cecilia's reactions. The entire film basically has only Cecilia as the protagonist, and Elisabeth Moss's brilliant performance is the focus of the film. From the opening scene, Elisabeth Moss vividly portrays Cecilia's terror. She is almost constantly frightened in every scene, worried that Adrian will appear nearby. After learning of Adrian's death, she initially finally lets down her guard, and Elisabeth Moss's expression also shows less tension. But then, she discovers that Adrian seems to be tormenting and hurting her with an invisible body. She can't even detect his presence, let alone fight back, and her fear is even stronger than before. However, she cannot prove Adrian's existence to others, so she cannot make others understand this fear. As a result, what she says and her mental state are questioned by other characters. Seeing this, the audience might also question, is the "invisible man" real? Is Cecilia's version of the story reliable, or is she simply mentally disturbed? Isn't this kind of question often raised in the violent and sexual scandal incidents in Hollywood in recent years? These incidents have usually occurred some time ago, with almost no objective evidence to prove them. All accusations rely on the victim's testimony, and there are many voices from the outside questioning these accusations.

Hollywood has produced many film remakes in recent years, and The Invisible Man is one of them. We have seen a similar story in Hollow Man in the past, but The Invisible Man touches upon realistic social issues and the current climate, injecting a unique perspective into this story. Years later, we might be able to recall the real social situation of this era through this film. In the film, initially, no one believes Cecilia's claims and the existence of the "invisible man." Cecilia is even framed as a murderer and locked in a mental hospital. But she ultimately uses her intelligence and patience to prove the existence of the "invisible man" to the outside world, although his identity is not Adrian when he is discovered. However, she still believes that Adrian is the mastermind behind all the incidents. Since she cannot prove it to the outside world and make others believe it, she has no choice but to end things in her own way. The smile on Cecilia's face as she walks out of the mansion in the final scene reminds me of the smile in the final scene of director Leigh Whannell's previous work, Upgrade, with both symbolizing the character gaining freedom. However, in Upgrade, the one who gains freedom is an evil character. Does this mean that Cecilia in The Invisible Man also ultimately becomes evil? Throughout the film, she lives in the shadows, constantly on edge, worried about being harmed by Adrian. In the ending, she uses the only method to get rid of this fear and finally gains true freedom, hence that smile. At the same time, she also gains the ability to be invisible, allowing her to do things others cannot imagine. The way she uses this tool will determine the character's morality. In the real world, victims of domestic violence and sexual violence constantly try to bring perpetrators to justice through legal means. If they succeed in having the perpetrators legally punished or imprisoned, they might find some solace. But if they cannot bring the perpetrators to justice, they have no choice but to silently endure, and this invisible fear and harm is unimaginable to others. If they choose to get rid of this pain in their own way, like Cecilia, how should we view it?

In addition to Elisabeth Moss's brilliant performance, the film also uses excellent cinematography and sound effects to create the invisible terror. The horror of the film lies in the villain's invisibility, and the production team effectively uses this feature to create an unsettling atmosphere. They use smooth panning shots and static shots, filming empty environments to make the audience guess if the "invisible man" is nearby and pay attention to his movements. This keeps the audience, like the protagonist, very tense for most of the time. The film's special effects are also amazing. In one scene where Cecilia fights the "invisible man" in the living room, although we cannot see the "invisible man's" actions, we can clearly understand through the visuals. This scene is not long, but the special effects are almost seamless. On the other hand, the film, starting with the large waves in the opening scene, makes some external sounds particularly loud, so that the audience, like the protagonist, is startled by these sudden noises. Equally frightening is the "invisible man's" art design. He is all black, without facial features, looking very much like a humanoid monster, and he is composed of countless lenses, close to real technological development, making him very suitable for this story.

The Invisible Man remakes a story that many people may already be very familiar with, but it adds a unique perspective of this era. Even if this story is remade again years later, everyone will remember this 2020 version of The Invisible Man.

Trailer:

Synopsis:

Trapped in a violent, controlling relationship with a wealthy and brilliant scientist, Cecilia Kass (Elisabeth Moss) escapes in the dead of night and disappears into hiding, aided by her sister (Harriet Dyer, NBC’s The InBetween), their childhood friend (Aldis Hodge, Straight Outta Compton) and his teenage daughter (Storm Reid, HBO’s Euphoria). But when Cecilia’s abusive ex (Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Netflix’s The Haunting of Hill House) commits suicide and leaves her a generous portion of his vast fortune, Cecilia suspects his death was a hoax. As a series of eerie coincidences turns lethal, threatening the lives of those she loves, Cecilia’s sanity begins to unravel as she desperately tries to prove that she is being hunted by someone nobody can see.

Photo and Source: Universal Pictures