"Surprise"...And What A Surprise The Invisible Man Was! 4/5 Stars

The best part about going to a movie with a friend is that you get pumped about the movie even more than you do when going solo. You're whispering back and forth, and it makes the experience oh so satisfying. And that's why I decided to make this review the first on my official blog.

It's no surprise that horror movies have been getting a pretty bad rap lately (and for good reason, too). But thankfully, we've hit a goldmine with #TheInvisibleMan (well, not exactly but it still won a ton of gold stars from me anyway)!

This movie is the most relevant and chilling movie of the horror genre--wait, is it horror or thriller? Screw it, let's just say horror--that I have watched in a while. It captures a lot of what one of my fav movies of all time--The Others (2001) starring Nicole Kidman--mastered eloquently: the most terrifying thing for any of us is the unknown.

Utilizing a real-life trauma like domestic violence and the repercussions that come from living through such an ordeal was a brilliant choice when trying to revitalize the classic monster made into a horror icon by both Universal Pictures and H.G Wells. The film managed to tell a story about what real DV survivors go through without being too preachy, while capturing the terrifying imagination of the viewer and what it would feel like to be haunted by someone who you are the only one can see.

Not only was the camera work for this film brilliant in leaving us on the edge of our seats without the cringey use of jump scares, but the way the actors involved in this film really captured the terror of being in a situation that more people than anyone truly realize suffer to this day is what really brought it full circle. Adrian (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) didn't have to be some demon from the black lagoon to become the demon of our nightmares. There didn't have to be some out of the box magic to explain some of the incidents when we have the real possibility of science inventing a way for us to be invisible to scare the shit out of us. And all the camera had to do was remain on a wide-shot of a room to tap into the deathly fear of the unknown element around us, even if it was--at the time--just an empty chair. Reality is the truest fear of our lives and this film just made that even more clear. The only gripe I had with this film is how poorly marketed it was. The theater me and my friend were in was bare as fuck!

Anyways, now that I'm done salivating all over my keyboard, let's talk about the #TheInvisiblemanshall we. Oh, and just so you all know: SPOOOOOOILLLERR WARNING!

The opening scene of the waves crashing against the rocks with that gorgeous house (like a picture right off my Pinterest boards 🤤🤤) looming in the background against a dark backdrop sky was very appropriate and engaging for the tone of the scene. The following moments watching Cecelia (Elisabeth Moss) escape amidst dozens of creepy cameras and tripping over dog bowls while that eerie score was blaring was also a really great way to draw the viewer in. And side note: one thing that I really appreciate about this movie was the representation of Adrian--the Invisible man.

In the first scenes, the only times we see him are via grainy images and shadows. My friend brought this up to me later in the film when I became curious about how Adrian amassed his fortune and what his scientific inventions were: the film deliberately made Adrian as enigmatic as possible in order to enforce the little humanity he possesses. Cecelia describes him as a "narcissistic sociopath", which is pretty much the epitome of a human monster. By making Adrian this barely-visible entity, the viewers subsequently invent the monster in our own heads, thereby making him even more terrifying. The worst type of monsters are the ones without a face after all.

I really love the themes that this movie plays with regarding the horrors of real-life trauma and the concept of monstrous human beings. It's something where a lot of Hollywood horror films are missing the mark and does explain why we've been getting so many hot messes in the last few years.

Anyways, as the movie goes on we see Cecelia dealing with the aftermath of being in an abusive, toxic environment and what that inevitably has done to her mental and emotional stability. The fact that this guy had her afraid to even use a laptop with a webcam is really telling. Sheesh!

All the pieces gradually--but still well-paced--start falling into place when Cecelia and her sister (whose name I'm embarrassed to admit I can barely remember because she was really underdeveloped) get the news that Adrian has killed himself. When we meet Adrian's lawyer brother, Tom (Michael Dorman), his character brings up a very interesting and horrible concept of the cycles of abuse that I don't believe is as discussed as it should be. After years of dealing with his abusive, sociopathic brother, Tom succumbs to the unfortunate reality of those who are abused can become the abusers themselves i.e. a "jellyfish" version of his brother. Product of environment and all that. A 2017 article by the Guardian even discusses the legacy of abuse and violence and methods of breaking the cycle.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/sep/17/breaking-the-cycle-of-abuse

The way that movie ends with Cecelia herself becoming the "Invisible man" (or woman, as the case may be) to defeat the monster who brutalized her really reinforces this message regarding abusers and abusees. Not that any of us felt particularly sorry for the bastard, but still, that eerie smile on her lips as the camera focused on her face did make me and my friend pause and think.

There's something else that I wanted to touch on before I go. I cannot be the only one who was screaming with joy that the black people in the movie survived! We all know the way black people have a bad historical tendency of being treated like fodder in the horror/thriller genre so it's always refreshing when not only do the black people get to live, but they also get to be treated like people.

Cecelia's cop-friend, James (Aldis Hodge) and his daughter Sydney (Storm Reid), I wish could've been developed a bit more, but the time that we do spend with them was enough to make me care whether they made it out alive. I love Sydney's goals for herself regarding college were established and treated as important by more than just her, and that James personality as a supportive friend (without being the black best friend) were in a good enough balance with his concerns as a single father.

With all this praise, you'd think there wasn't anything wrong with this movie. Well...there's a reason I gave 4/5 stars.

I kind of wish that the gaslighting Adrian was inflicting upon Cecelia was a bit more than just taking her design sketches or sending awful emails to her sister under her account. I get that the true horror element of this movie was about the psychological more than blood and gore, and I felt like that was appropriate for this movie, but at the same time his true menace didn't really start showing itself until later in the film. I kind of wish we became introduced to the true mind-fucker that is Adrian Griffin earlier to get a scarier picture of this monster. But that may just be me. I'm going to see it again today, so maybe I'll be able to assess if minimizing Adrian's brutality until later on was the best choice.

Whelp, I think this was the perfect place to start off my new blog. I'm hoping I get to do it again real soon! As long as the movies get better and better this year and the marketing is done appropriately. I'm still surprised by how empty that theater was last night.