This new rendition of The Invisible Man has--besides a man that can become invisible--nothing to do with H.G. Wells's classic novel, nor does it have much in common with director James Whale's 1933 movie adaptation of that novel. For this update, writer and director Leigh Whannell, creator of Saw and Insidious, has come up with a completely new story.
Cecilia Kass (Elisabeth Moss), escapes from her psychologically and physically abusive boyfriend, Adrian Griffin (Oliver Jackson-Cohen), who just so happens to be a scientific genius in the field of optics. After a few weeks adjusting to her newfound freedom, Cecilia gets the news that Adrian has taken his own life. But Cecilia has the creepy feeling that she is being watched, and even the feeling that someone is sometimes standing in the room right next to her.
Moss is excellent as a terrified woman fighting the lasting effects of an abusive relationship. It's also quite clever how Whannell reflects the horrific science-fiction elements with the very real horrors of a woman being victimized but not believed.
However, the weakness of the film is the fact that invisible Adrian frames Cecilia for murder. I couldn't help but laugh when Cecilia ends up holding a bloody butcher knife in a crowded room while sitting next to a dead body. That scene was goofy rather than shocking.
Also, the details regarding the invisibility were pretty lax. At one point, the invisible man is splashed with paint, but he is able to wash himself off with water then dry himself in a flash. Wouldn't there still be beads of water trickling off of him? I know it's just a movie and I shouldn't ask questions like that, but there are many issues with logic in this film, and it bothered me.
The Invisible Man is marginally entertaining, but more thought should have gone into the invisibility aspects of the film.
