☆☆☆½
The opening scene of The Invisible Man is a wordless master class in suspense filmmaking. It shows us a person we don't know, and within a few minutes, we are entirely invested in her story as she flees a modern mansion on a secluded hillside.
Cecelia (Elisabeth Moss) finds a physical way out of an abusive relationship with a Silicon Valley optics pioneer, but this man is not out of her head. The unbearably tense introduction establishes Leigh Whannell's Invisible Man as a multi-layered horror film. In its first hour, it pivots between scary, tense, disturbing and excruciating, cementing Whannell's reputation as one of the best directors working in horror, and Moss's career of playing victims who are sick of being victimized. She, and the film – one of the best-ever depictions of the deep terror of domestic violence – are extraordinarily good for a very long time.
As it takes a necessary a turn into more action-driven territory, it remain a compelling puzzle (its twists are such that I'm not sure they could be entirely explained, even with a diagram), it loses some of its deep-seated fright. The latter half feels a little like a pastiche – mix some Halloween, The Matrix and a touch of the underrated '80 gem Jagged Edge, but be sure not to overtake – and contains moments that require a bit of disbelief. It's also consistently satisfying, though sometimes only just, because its biggest flaw is a villain who can't match Moss's complex, tortured, courageous Cecelia. Moss is more than visible; she's superb.
Viewed Feb. 28, 2020 -- AMC Universal City
1945
Cecelia (Elisabeth Moss) finds a physical way out of an abusive relationship with a Silicon Valley optics pioneer, but this man is not out of her head. The unbearably tense introduction establishes Leigh Whannell's Invisible Man as a multi-layered horror film. In its first hour, it pivots between scary, tense, disturbing and excruciating, cementing Whannell's reputation as one of the best directors working in horror, and Moss's career of playing victims who are sick of being victimized. She, and the film – one of the best-ever depictions of the deep terror of domestic violence – are extraordinarily good for a very long time.
As it takes a necessary a turn into more action-driven territory, it remain a compelling puzzle (its twists are such that I'm not sure they could be entirely explained, even with a diagram), it loses some of its deep-seated fright. The latter half feels a little like a pastiche – mix some Halloween, The Matrix and a touch of the underrated '80 gem Jagged Edge, but be sure not to overtake – and contains moments that require a bit of disbelief. It's also consistently satisfying, though sometimes only just, because its biggest flaw is a villain who can't match Moss's complex, tortured, courageous Cecelia. Moss is more than visible; she's superb.
Viewed Feb. 28, 2020 -- AMC Universal City
1945
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