The trailer for The Invisible Man clearly shows a detour from the classic novel from H.G. Wells. This version is much less about a scientist going crazy through experiments on himself. Instead, this particular story warps the original idea. It then splits the concept of isolation into more than one character. There are glimpses of information about the scientist behind the invention of being able to become invisible but the film does not delve into that a lot. The Invisible Man is streaming on the new Amazon Prime Video Cinema Hub. Clearly, though, there is a much larger agenda at play in this story. One that spends a lot of time weighing up just how dark and awful being inside a narcissistic abuse cycle can be.

This type of topic built into a science fiction horror film is a perfect fit and the use of a pivotal character like the Invisible Man is a great way of looking at it.

If you didn’t know, The Invisible Man was supposed to be part of Universals’ Dark Universe. It was to mingle alongside Dracula, The Wolf Man, Frankenstein, and The Mummy. I don’t know much about that. What drew my interest in this film was that Leigh Whannell wrote and directed this reemergence of the classic tale while teamed up with Jason Blumhouse. Two of my personal favorite powerhouses. I won tickets to a pre-screening event and eagerly saw it a full week ahead of its release due for the 28th of February 2020. A lady introduced the film as a thriller and politely asked if the audience would refrain from spoilers. However, some things can’t be spoiled, especially if you simply watch the trailer.

Now Available on Prime Video Cinema

Available on Prime Video Cinema. A narcissistic abuse cycle in The Invisible Man. Starring Elizabeth Moss as Cecelia.

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It all begins with Cecelia. She is making a bid for freedom to escape a controlling and abusive relationship. Adrian lies in bed as she slips out under the cover of darkness. In the trailer, we see her exodus as she tiptoes out of a mega-mansion. Soon after, news of Adrian’s death is presented to her and her sister by her tormentor’s brother. Subsequently, a very large inheritance is bestowed upon Cecelia.

Whannell relies on the fact that the general audience knows who the Invisible Man is. Much to the film’s credit, a backstory and transformation sequence is unrequired here. Moreover, instead of the emergence of a crazy man as the result of being a world-renowned scientist fighting his own demons, we get more of the good stuff. This invisible man film dives head-on into tension and tiny little details. It immediately makes you want to watch the film again. Could I go back and see more evidence of Adrain remaining unseen if I look more closely next time? Probably. And I intend to.

On the negative side, the film falters slightly is in its consistency. To explain, the narrative has a few holes. My plus one for the night and I spoke at length about quite a few elements. Some of which were unforgiving within the execution of the overall movie. The final act was also jarring compared to the rest of the film. It felt like Universal’s fingers were poked into places they shouldn’t. What I am grateful for is that the original casting ideas being handled by its original filmmakers were thrown in the rubbish. apparently, Johnny Depp and Tom Cruise were pegged for some of these Dark Universe films.

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The casting in this film was more than adequate. Elizabeth Moss as Cecelia is a worthy adversary for a force of this kind. Michael Dorman at times seemed to be channeling Bill Skarsgard in his performance as the ‘innocent in all this’ brother. The ensemble in the narrative all flowed together easily and to be honest, are a far better fit than the two aforementioned mega-stars.

Despite these few areas of discontent, The Invisible Man does its job undeniably well. There is a good handful of really cool special effects. There are some great fight scenes, which added to the fast pace of the majority of the film. Since Whannel’s previous film Upgrade, I’ve been looking forward to seeing what else he could do. By comparison, there is a remarkably solid chill factor and some excellent jump-scares to this Invisible Man. Many cinephiles dislike the overuse of this horror trope. When done in moderation, there is nothing to complain about.

I give The Invisible Man

3.5 Not a remake out of 5

⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Additionally, check out these titles of films that have narcissistic characters who revel in abuse:

Without a Doubt, The Invisible Man 2020 Trailer Will Hook You In

You can rent this on the new hub for Amazon, Prime Cinema.