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Directed by Leigh Whannell, The Invisible Man documents Cecilia Kass’ (Elisabeth Moss) attempted escape and recovery from her abusive and manipulative boyfriend, Adrian Griffin (Oliver Jackson-Cohen). After she flees the mansion, Adrian stages his own suicide before using his advanced technology to turn himself into the titular monster. From there he slowly but surely sabotages Cecilia’s mental recovery and turns her world against her.

One of the best parts of The Invisible Man is analyzing Cecilia’s psychological state throughout the film. Elisabeth Moss flawlessly pulls off a woman attempting to put her life back together after an incredibly abusive relationship. Moss’ performance captures every step forward and back for Cecilia.

Right from the beginning, The Invisible Man has a lot going for it. Of course the title alone produces a great deal of dramatic irony for at least the first act of the film. This results in a built-in well of tension The Invisible Man can draw from right out of the gate. Shots holding on empty space for an uncomfortably long time invite the audience to search the frame for what we know is there. Long shots through hallways create an additional sense of voyeurism. Without explicitly showing anything, The Invisible Man successfully instills fear from the opening scene.

Unfortunately, this driving force of tension falters during the climax of the film. While turning up the action and violence, The Invisible Man tosses aside the paranoia it has so meticulously cultivated. Up until this point there are only a few scenes requiring suspension of disbelief (think security cameras), but here it decides to do away with the whole concept of working in the shadows. Thankfully the film manages to course correct afterwards, but this blip significantly neuters The Invisible Man’s ability to use its bag of psychological tricks.

Another issue attached to later moments is it visually stumbles a bit with the CGI heavy scenes. The budget just is not there to deal with the extended use of the advanced technology they are going for. It is never so bad that it becomes cheesy, but it is noticeable.

Overall, The Invisible Man is a great story of overcoming mental abuse and gaslighting. The ending may not present 100% explicit answers, but it asks us to trust the victim and not fall into the trap of (extremely weak) plausible deniability; ring any bells? Indulge yourself with The Invisible Man this coronavirus quarantine season, for it is a true psychological horror treat.

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Usually, studios provide theaters with roughly 90 days of exclusivity before releasing films through other means. With Universal Pictures now defying that norm, this could potentially lead to long term issues for theaters. Will moviegoers want to give up the convenience of their own home? After all, home theater set-ups have improved substantially and it seems harder and harder to find a venue with patrons not on their phones or talking to one another.

After a few months of social distancing, new habits will form. Once loyal theatergoers may begin to shun going out for the latest films and embrace a simpler and more personal experience. Home set-ups may never truly match the screen and sound quality of a decent theater, but how good is good enough? Is the pure spectacle of it all still a strong draw? Or are Universal’s actions another nail in the traditional theater system’s coffin?

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