THE INVISIBLE MAN
WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY LEIGH WHANNELL
From Blumhouse Productions — We Make Nightmares Comes True
by Dan O’Brien / @vedafy1 / Published September 21, 2020
Inspired by Universal Picture’s classic monster character, “The Invisible Man” was released in February of 2020, quickly earning positive reviews by fans and critics. Despite a microscopic budget of just $7 million, it would bring in more than $64 million domestically as well as almost $70 million internationally during it’s first three weeks in theaters.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, movie theaters would be shut down globally by the last week of March. The film shifted to Video On Demand, where it would earn more than $10 million through September of 2020.
Here is a summary of the film’s earnings to date: Domestic and international box office.
Presenting:
Trailers and curated reviews for this 2020 thriller from Universal Pictures and Blumhouse Productions.
The Official trailer is below, released Nov. 17, 2019. From Universal Picture’s Youtube page.
Highlights from Critic’s Reviews
“It’s much closer to Paul Verhoeven’s Hollow Man (2000). But whereas Verhoeven’s take was so male gaze-y that the very first scene showed Kevin Bacon spying on his voluptuous neighbor in a sheer bra, Whannell’s version is essentially a horror-thriller about gaslighting. Where a few years ago we probably would’ve gotten a goofy, kid-friendly version of the Invisible Man with lots of CG — something big — (Johnny Depp was attached at one point), Whannell’s version is R-rated, real to a fault, and claustrophobic.”
“The Invisible Man trades on that well-established horror trope of the heroine unable to convince her friends that something is wrong, an apparent hysteria growing the more she pushes her fantastic theory. But by situating the film in the context of domestic abuse, Whannel avoids cliché by evoking the way that distressed women are routinely treated as irrational and disreputable – a theme carried through to the film’s inspired conclusion.”
“But the movie’s violence opens up a larger question, keyed to the way the world reacts when a woman steps forward to call out abuse. What is it that makes us believe a woman’s story? If a woman is struck by an unseen hand, as Cecilia is, has it really happened? Where’s the proof? In The Invisible Man, it’s her word against his silence—and he doesn’t even have the guts to show his face.”
“Whannell and cinematographer Stefan Duscio have a knack for letting their frames linger with space, drawing our attention to where we, and Cecilia, know an unseen danger lurks. Of course, we’re always betrayed: Corners of rooms and silhouette-less doorways aren’t empty, aren’t negative, but pregnant with assumption—until they aren’t, the invisible man never precisely where we expect him to be. We begin to doubt ourselves; we’re punished by tension, and we feel like we deserve it.”
“Whannell plays with empty frames of the film to build suspense and turn every empty space into a potential threat hiding the monster of the Invisible Man. When the action ratchets up and Cecilia and Adrian come to blows, Whannell’s direction works best when it puts viewers in Cecilia shoes – and worst when his stark shots highlight some unfortunate CGI. For the most part, though, the Invisible Man and his fights with fully visible characters are seamless and uncomfortably realistic. Altogether, Whannell’s skill makes The Invisible Man an immersive and thrilling piece of horror filmmaking.”
Here is the Vedafy.com review for The Invisible Man
“One of the undeniable highlights of this film is the writing and directing abilities displayed by Australian film maker Leigh Whannell. After massive success from his Saw and Insidious franchise screenplays, Leigh took over the directing chair with Insidious: Chapter 3”. He followed this up by hitting his next movie out of the park with his underappreciated 2018 Blumhouse release, Upgrade…..This is a spectacularly terrifying two hours of non-stop tension and twists, with unexpected contemporary themes such as spousal abuse providing a new take on a character first introduced to cinemas during the Depression era period of the 1930’s. Invisible Man grips the viewer immediately, from it’s unique opening credits until the screen turns black.”
Collected Youtube Reviews for Leigh Whannell's The Invisible Man and Upgrade
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