After staging his own suicide, a crazed scientist uses his power to become invisible to stalk and terrorize his ex-girlfriend. When the police refuse to believe her story, she decides to take matters into her own hands and fight back.
Plot: When Cecilia’s abusive ex takes his own life and leaves her his fortune, she suspects his death was a hoax. As a series of coincidences turn lethal, Cecilia works to prove that she is being hunted by someone nobody can see.
Director: Leigh Whannell
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1
Runtime: 124 min
Rotten Tomatoes Consensus: Smart, well-acted, and above all scary, The Invisible Man proves that sometimes, the classic source material for a fresh reboot can be hiding in plain sight.
Online Ratings:
- Rotten Tomatoes 91% (Audience 88%)
- IMDB 7.1
- Metacritic 72
- Cinemascore B+
“Classic horror perfected.”
Review:
This movie was shot with Arri Alexa cameras at 4.5k and finished at a 4k digital intermediate, that means you’ll get a native 4k presentation on this disc! On top of that, as per the norm with UHD releases, it was also given a HDR color grade for your viewing pleasure in both Dolby Vision & HDR10+. (This is a nice clean picture, so grain haters rejoice.)
While this is a dark film when it comes to the actual tone of phycological horror, it’s truly a darker film in it’s presentation too. Good news is this UHD has great black levels which enhances every dark scene making it more dynamic with added depth and dimension. This darker presentation is highlighted in the first initial scene of the film when Cecilia sneaking around the house with light only coming from the moon and low-tone lights in the bathroom, closet and hallways. That scene and all dark scenes is where the HDR comes into play on this disc. The Invisible Man isn’t an HDR showcase because there isn’t too much color, a stylistic tone chosen by the director. A good example of the ‘purposeful’ lack of color is in Chapter 4 with the arial shots of San Francisco — the Golden Gate Bridge and city have are almost completely devoid of color. This isn’t a big deal by any means, just know the HDR on this disc is not to enhance the color, but to enhance the darkness.
Something that you can lock in is the fact that this is a very detailed and sharp UHD, especially in the close-ups. You’ll be able to discern small details like freckles, beard stubble, blemishes, pores, sweat, cuts — the works. I can’t say that this is dazzling disc in sharpness and HDR, but it’s rock solid, near-reference material through and through.
When it comes to the special features, you will get a deeper dive into the film! Not only do you get deleted scenes and commentary from the director, but you get Elisabeth Moss describing the physical and emotional challenges she faced while shooting, the directors journey through principal photography, an in-depth analysis of each character, how they re-imagined the character and more. If you were looking for more, you will get it!
In conclusion —
There are two main highlights I enjoyed the most about this film; Elisabeth Moss and the way this movie was shot. Moss absolutely nails the role of Cecilia, she sells so much of this portrayal not only with her acting, but with her eyes — you can feel her pain and suffering both physically and emotionally. Her acting range is unbelievable! Now on to the way it was shot, the majority of this film takes place in the shadows with a secondary character that’s actually “invisible.” The camera work and the way the shots were framed gave a unique perspective that heightened the tension — you knew someone was there, but was anyone there?
Something I just mentioned in a recent review of The Lodge is my newfound love for phycological and atmospheric horror. The Invisible Man isn’t as dark in tone as The Lodge is because this movie can be viewed with anyone that can deal with a little suspense and fright. I wouldn’t recommend The Lodge to anyone, but everyone needs to see this movie.
These new horror films don’t just rely on jump scares and blood to be frightened, sometimes it’s the unknown that can stick with you long after the film ends. The movie that can get into your head is undefeated, it will win every time. On the jump scare note (since there were still a few), there was one particular scene in this film that got me good — the framing was perfect and I think part of my soul left my body it hit me so hard! I think you might know which scene I’m talking about. Yikes.
Taking everything I’ve said into account, Invisible Man gets my recommendation for an automatic day one purchase. Not only is this a great film, but it’s also a solid UHD release. The tension is constant and you will be on the edge of your seat time and time again. I hope we can get new takes on classic Hollywood horror in the future. This movie only cost $7 million to make and it grossed $126 million at the box office (and that’s before rent and physical media sales). With money like that there has to be more in the works, I can only hope. Do yourself a favor, grab a copy at your local retailer when it releases on 4K UHD May 26th.
Are you a fan of Invisible Man? Will you be picking it up to own? Let me know what you think in the comments below.
Cheers,
Matt.
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