Anybody who runs away from someone at 3:42 AM does not need to provide a backstory for us to imagine how miserable life must’ve been that it forces someone to walk on their tiptoes in the early hours let alone judge the same individual for making the choice. The question is, what happens next after the long-planned escape? Will the fear for life disappear or it will open the door for an unimaginable nightmare?
Cecilia Kass (Elisabeth Moss) thinks that she has finally left her abusive boyfriend, Adrian Griffin (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) behind. After executing her perfect plan to liberate herself from him, weeks later, her sister Emily (Harriet Dyer) delivers the news that stuns the woman – Adrian takes his own life for good. However, when Cecilia starts noticing that someone is following her, she believes it could be her manipulative ex who’s supposed to be dead. Of course, with all the proof she has about him being deceased, who is it going after her? Or it is all just the figment of her desperate imagination?
When the film opens, we find both Adrian and Cecilia sleeping in the same bed when, suddenly, she opens her eyes and gets up quietly to ensure he doesn’t hear her steps or even her breath. We do not know much what happened before or what lead to such a drastic decision of hers. However, by seeing the fear in her face and the image of hell in her eyes, we already begin realizing how important it’s for her to run as fast as she can. By switching the camera on sleeping Adrian, the woman leaves his high-tech house where her sister meets her.
After finding refuge at James’ (Aldis Hodge) house who lives with his teenage daughter, Sydney (Storm Reid), the woman barely can leave the house due to her growing fear that Adrian would have never let her leave him just like that. It is then we slowly learn that he is not only wealthy but also a brilliant man who became a groundbreaker in the optics field. In fact, when the shocking news was delivered to Cecilia about his suicide, his brother Tom (Michael Dorman) shocks our heroine further by announcing that his deceased brother has left his fortune to her with a few conditions.
Seemingly now when peace has finally arrived in Cecilia’s life, strange events begins to occur. As we slowly see that there’s indeed someone who follows her which nobody, except Cecilia’s and our eyes can spot. Even though we understand that whoever or whatever it is going after Cecilia, nobody believes her insane findings that Adrian, perhaps, faked his death to make her life miserable. However, the word miserable or the hell he unleashed on her become synonymous, as the woman strongly believes she is been haunted by someone nobody can see. The whole problem is that she’s yet to prove it to the rest of the world.
Based on the novel by H.G. Wells and adapted onto the silver screen by Leigh Whannell, “The Invisible Man” offers a thrilling and suspenseful story that will keep you on the edge of your seat. In certain scenes you will find yourself, same as the entire audience, gasping profusely. An intelligent premise with the excellent Elisabeth Moss will offer a roller coaster of emotions you will try to escape along with Moss’ Cecilia. As soon as the film starts, there is no doubt about what it intends to do while Whannell assuringly captures every message and emotion Moss conveys through the emotionally rich character she portrays.
That said, “The Invisible Man” is indeed the most satisfying horror film from the Blumhouse. It takes the best concept of stalking and spices it up with the genres such as sci-fi, mystery, and horror to turn it into a thrilling ride. Not many directors can achieve what Whannell does with his film. Not only the script, but his direction is also impeccable which helps Moss to shine throughout while we grow worried for Cecilia’s well being. The film forces the audience to become a part of it and experience everything from the start to end. And by the time it’s over, you will, no doubt about that, continue discussing and agree with many on one thing – “The Invisible Man” is the year’s finest film so far and one not to be missed.