The Invisible Man (2020)

The Invisible Man (2020) is excellent domestic horror. Man was that good.

1 Like

The Invisible Man is so fucking good. Watch it again and you’ll notice all sorts of stuff.

The Australian director of the movie Leigh Whannell is like a more commercial Denis Villeneuve. Did you see Upgrade? A sci-fi/action movie that shows what he might do if he ever cares to handle a blockbuster property. Not that he needs to. His resume includes four of the best horror/thriller movies in the last 15 years.

Saw
Insidious
Upgrade
The Invisible Man

Youve piqued my curiosity. Im a huge Villeneuve fan (Dune in December virus willing).

INVISIBLE MAN SPOILER WARNING

Definitely will rewatch “The Invisible Man.” First critique would be the end was anticlimactic.

I understand why they tied it up that way but it is incongruent with other implicit reasoning used earlier in the film. Authorities had to have already given the idea of invisibility credence so to assume the suicide scene is necessary and logical is a bit problematic. Unless it was a straight revenge kill. Hmmm.

Only other nitpick would be the acting of the dad. Not terrible overall but felt really deadpan in some key moments.

They really bully the viewer with the soundtrack but it works. I agonized a good amount watching this film.

1 Like

Whoa whoa whoa I thought his use of sound and music was exquisite. Like the opening over the credits and then the first scene, he is so specific about the overwhelming silence and the first time you hear a loud noise. Wait for it in the second clip.

Holy shit is that effective. He primes the audience without us even knowing it into a state of hyper-vigilance. We are listening and agonizing over every possible sound or minor visual cue that her husband is actually right there, waiting to strike.

2 Likes

Yeah, bully probably the wrong word. Grabs probably better. The soundtrack is leading the film for sure.

1 Like

This was where I felt the movie was less than perfect, too. Not just for what you said, though I loved it a lot more on a second viewing. But I don’t understand how Adrian would not notice and find his missing suit. He’s a genius mastermind but gets caught by surprise like that? I didn’t buy how it happened, though it was easy for me to appreciate how it fulfilled the character arc when I knew to expect it.

My wife also has a few theories about the ending…

One is that Adrian and his brother are both present when his brother gets shot in the penultimate climax. But Adrian sees what’s happening and races home for Plan B to get discovered as a fake captive. I think that’s probably true.

Her other one is a little more out there but is that Celia had been orchestrating the whole thing from the beginning.

I see what you mean. It can for sure be a little heavy handed. I also tend to like obtrusive use of sound and music, eg Hans Zimmer and Interstellar, so wouldn’t slight someone if they held on to bully to describe their experience :face_with_monocle:

1 Like

Interstellar was amazing on my first watch. Pure film experience. All the criticisms of its lack of reality only come upon later obsessing.

But yeah, looking back, soundtracks really dictate how much you like films even tho you can spend much of your life not thinking about it.

Fuck, now I might have to watch Dark Crystal today.

1 Like

I highly recommend “The House At The End Of TIme.” It’s free on Tubi. Can’t really talk about it but if you like horror and suspense its worth a watch.

Going to watch “Upgrade” later tonight. Looks like a gem. :nerd_face:

1 Like

This seems like a really bad idea.

1 Like

As bad an idea as making a Blade Runner sequel…until Denis was the director. And I say that noting my immense relief when we found out it would be him instead of Ridley Scott directing the sequel.

Yes, an Escape sequel is a bad idea in general, but in the hands of Denis or Leigh, let them make whatever they want.

It doesn’t sound like a sequel, it sounds like a remake or reboot or whatever we’re calling these things now.

Either way, the bad idea part imo is having it be set in New York. The original was about that city at the time the movie was made, at its nadir of urban decline, when the portrayed future didn’t seem all that far fetched.

That New York doesn’t exist anymore, so there’s no obvious way to have a remake that echoes the earlier while also being a reflection on contemporary society. The only reason anybody wants to escape from New York these days is high rent.

Maybe it could work as a comedy. The president is forcibly confined to Park Slope as a stay-at-home dad while his wife works 80 hour weeks on Wall Street. Snake Plissken is sent in to rescue him in time for a G-8 meeting, and has to contend with gangs of hipsters driving artisanal toast food trucks.

1 Like

L’esprit de l’escalier:

Escape from New York prequel would be the shit. I wanna know about Snake flying the Gullfire over Leningrad. Amazon or Netflix needs to make this a TV show right now.

1 Like

Ah that is my bad. A remake/reboot, not a sequel.

You convinced me. This is a bad idea. But this is Leigh Whannell, so I’m willing to put some faith in the guy. If this is what he decided to make next, I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt that he has an idea worth turning into a movie.

Starring Nicolas Cage or I’m out

1 Like

Holy shit, Invisible Man was way more intense than I expected. Absolute must-watch. Elizabeth Moss’s character is the most legitimate heir to Sigourney Weaver’s Ellen Ripley that I’ve ever seen.

2 Likes

Did you watch the trailer first? I accepted how intense the movie was for me when it came to the scene where she’s in the attic and throws the paint. Like, that moment is spoiled in the trailer and I still screamed like a little zikzak

Upgrade was good. This is a dark story.

The way you’re caressed with the protagonist’s affable antics really sets you up for the stone cold horror of the AI revealing itself. Did make me wonder what the point was if it already had that much autonomy and control. I need to watch it again.

1 Like

https://collider.com/leigh-whannell-ryan-gosling-wolfman-movie/

This was a great movie that got hosed due to the fact that it was released right when the pandemic hit. You can catch it on streaming.

1 Like

The Invisible Man gets very high praise itt (wtg search function), and I have to agree. Finally caught it a couple of nights ago and damn that was some great sci-fi horror.

Had not been eager to see it because I ran into something around the time it was released that positioned it as an allegory for the plight of domestic violence victims, and haven’t been in the mood for something that felt like homework. While the opening scene is literally a victim of domestic violence running from her tormentor, the movie is definitely thought provoking, as most great movies are, but doesn’t feel like homework and I’m annoyed I let that get in the way of catching this sooner.

The restaurant scene completely messed me up and really showed how amazing Moss is. She doesn’t have dialog for long stretches while she is on screen but she’s saying so much you can’t turn away.

I’m a little more bothered by the ending than some have mentioned. Someone already pointed out that there would be no way Adrien wouldn’t know a suit was missing and be prepared accordingly. My bigger issue tho was after Adrien uses the knife and falls on the floor, we watch him for a moment until a footstep appears in the carpet. IMMEDIATELY after the footstep appears, Moss comes running out of the bathroom.

My spot on theory: the way that scene was edited has to mean Moss didn’t kill him. Someone else was in the house with the suit on. She wouldn’t have been strong enough to use his arm like that anyway.

Great movie. Check it out.

1 Like