The Invisible Man Blu Ray Review (Universal/Blumhouse)
The Invisible Man is a 2020 horror film written, produced, & directed by Leigh Whannell (Upgrade, Insidious: Chapter 3, Saw, & Escape from New York Remake). It’s loosely based on the H. G. Wells’s 1897 book. It was produced by Jason Blum (Get Out, Happy Death Day 1/2, Split, Glass, The Purge franchise, US, MA, Halloween, & Upgrade). This project was first developed in 2006 & it went through many changes before it was actually produced. Originally it was going to be a remake of the classic monster film with Johnny Depp as the lead but after Tom Cruise’s The Mummy failed at the box office, Universal cancelled or delayed all their Universal Monster reboot plans. A spin off “The Invisible Woman” is in development & planned for the future after this film had success. The budget was $7 million & it still managed to gross $126.1 million worldwide even with the COVID-19 pandemic starting four weeks after it was released.
Trapped in a violent & controlling relationship with wealthy businessman Adrian Griffin (played by: Oliver Jackson-Cohen from The Haunting of Hill House, Faster, Dracula, & The Raven), Cecilia Kass (played by: Elisabeth Moss from The Kitchen, The Handmaid’s Tale, Mad Men, & Girl, Interrupted) one night drugs him with Diazepam. She escapes their home into the nearby woods to wait for her sister Emily (played by: Harriet Dyer from The Other Guy, The InBetween, Killing Ground, & Down Under). Cecilia hides out with childhood friend Detective James Lanier (played by: Aldis Hodge from Die Hard with a Vengeance, Brian Banks, Straight Outta Compton, & Jack Reacher: Never Go Back) & his teenage daughter Sydney (played by: Storm Reid from The Suicide Squad, Euphoria, Sleight, & A Wrinkle in Time).
Two weeks later, Adrian seemingly commits suicide & leaves Cecilia $5 million in his will handled by his lawyer brother Tom (played by: Michael Dorman from Daybreakers, Killer Elite. Triangle, & The Water Diviner). As Cecilia tries to move forward, she is plagued by several unexplained experiences. She suspects another presence in the house one night when she finds the front door open & witnesses the lights flickering. Cecilia finds the same bottle she drugged Adrian with, which she dropped during her escape in her bathroom. She arranges a meeting with Tom & James insisting that Adrian faked his death. She claims that he used his optics expertise to become invisible in order to torment her, but gets rebuffed. No one believes Cecilia & everyone around her starts to think that she is going crazy. The people close to her start getting pulled into this dangerous game. Cecilia is framed for a brutal crime & gets sent to a mental hospital. She must battle wits with the evil Adrian. Can she outsmart her abuser & save the people that she loves? Or Will end up locked away for the rest of her days????
The Invisible Man is a unique take on the classic story. It takes a minute to warm up but when it starts it’s very intense. The script keeps you on edge & you never know what’s going to happen next here. I would say it’s more of a suspense thriller rather than a straight up horror film but it does have those darker elements to them. The visuals & fx mess with your head just like it does with the main character in this. It gets crazier & crazier by the time it’s done. Leigh Whannell is on fire lately with this & Upgrade under his belt as a director. I am looking forward to his Escape from New York remake. Elisabeth Moss is top notch as the lead. I’ve honestly never seen a bad performance from her so far. She carries this feature, that’s hard to do when the villain is invisible most of the time. Her reactions really elevate everything in the movie. I am not familiar with Oliver Jackson Cohen but he beat out some known & respected actors for this role. I can see why because he’s very creepy & imidating as the living nightmare for Cecilia. It has a solid supporting cast which helps & rounds out this quality production. It’s one of those features that you can’t keep your eyes off the screen & don’t want to miss anything. It has a nice build up to the finale, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!!
Let’s talk about the high definition presentation from Universal! This 1080p (2.39:1) transfer is stunning, all the major locations stand out. The production design is top notch here. It has a nice variety of audio options which includes English: Dolby Atmos, English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1, French (Canada): Dolby Digital 5.1, & Spanish: Dolby Digital Plus 7.1 on the release. The audio is top notch for The Invisible Man, it’s one to show off your home set up on. All the dialogue is crystal clear, the suspense is elevated, & the music has a killer boost to it. It also has English SDH, French, & Spanish subtitles. Both picture & sound are very impressive on this blu ray.
Let’s discuss the special features from Universal! “Audio Commentary” with writer, producer, & director by Leigh Whannell. He goes over & covers everything about the production on this track. All the basics & technical aspects are brought up here. Commentaries can be hit or miss but Leigh is always worth listening to. A little over 13 minutes of “Deleted Scenes” which includes Annie, Changing Room Montage, Blow It Up. Make It Rain. Out to Sea., Daisies, Where’s My Phone?, Butt Chug, There’s Someone Sitting In That Chair, I Can Do This, & Insanity Defense. “Moss Manifested” is almost 4 minutes. It has an interview with lead actress Elisabeth moss plus various members of the cast & crew. They chat about the actress & the main character here. They go over the project & their experience with it. “Director’s Journal with Leigh Whannell” is almost 11 minutes. Director Leigh Whannell takes you behind the scenes for various days of filming for The Invisible Man. It’s a great inside look into the production. It features a various members of the cast & crew. “The Players” is a little over 5 minutes. It has interviews with most of the major cast members & some crew. All the actors chat about their characters. They talk about the film & working with each other. They go over the impact they made in the story. “Timeless Terror” is a little over 3 minutes. Director Leigh Whannell says he wanted to do an updated & modern version of the classic tale. He chats about making it realistic for how Adrian becomes invisible in this. He goes into detail how he made that possible. It also has a slipcover, a digital code, & a DVD copy of the release. It’s available everywhere right now, CHECK IT OUT!!!!
