ReviewThe Invisible Man film review: Elisabeth Moss shines as abuse victim in effective sci-fi thriller

Writer-director Leigh Whannell reinvents H.G. Wells’ The Invisible Man as an abusive relationship and makes it a rallying cry for the #MeToo era

Its successful blend of science fiction and horror results in a creeping escalation of tension

2-MIN READ2-MIN

Elisabeth Moss in a scene from The Invisible Man (category: IIB), directed by Leigh Whannell. Starring Moss and Oliver Jackson-Cohen. Photo: Mark Rogers

Published: 1:00pm, 27 Feb 2020Updated: 9:32pm, 28 Feb 2020

3.5/5 stars

Transforming author H.G. Wells’ mad scientist into the controlling force in an abusive relationship, writer-director Leigh Whannell reinvents The Invisible Man as a rallying cry for the #MeToo era. In the film, Elisabeth Moss plays a young woman fleeing from her violent, controlling lover, who struggles to convince those around her that she is in danger from an unseen tormentor.

After the failure of 2017’s reboot of The Mummy , and the subsequent collapse of Universal’s proposed Dark Universe of interconnected monster movies, the studio has teamed up with indie outfit Blumhouse to develop smaller, stand-alone films showcasing their cadre of classic creatures. Whannell, creator of the Saw and Insidious franchises, looks to recapture the blend of science fiction and horror that made James Whale’s 1933 film a studio classic.

As the film opens, Cecilia (Moss) mounts a daring night-time escape from a hi-tech, ultra-secure facility. We learn that this is the home of Adrian Griffin (Oliver Jackson-Cohen), a wealthy innovator in the field of optics. He is also violent and controlling, and Cecilia wants out.

Soon after her escape, she learns that Adrian has committed suicide, and left her a small fortune in his will. No sooner has she started to rebuild her life, with the help of sister Alice (Harriet Dyer), friend James (Aldis Hodge), and his daughter Sydney (Storm Reid), Cecilia begins to suspect Adrian is still alive and, somehow, invisibly stalking her.