![]() Just like Cecilia, the audience begins to hunt for sounds, anything which may indicate danger. Like most of the film, the opening is largely without composer Benjamin Wallfisch’s ( It: Chapter One) suffocating score, only the sound of the waves from the water beating onto the shore just outside their cliff-side home. ![]() In the opening, Cecilia puts into action her escape from her husband, requiring her to move smoothly and quietly out of bed, to her go bag, change her clothes, and get out of the highly secured home - all without waking Adrian. In terms of setting the tone for his film, Whannell’s opening speaks volumes even though dialogue is minimal and immediately lets the audience know from where the tension will come: anywhere and everywhere. Oliver Jackson-Cohen as Adrian Griffin in THE INVISIBLE MAN. There may have been an actual yelp and air-punch during the climatic fight. Though the conclusion of the film possesses some ethically grey aspects, everything leading up to that moment is deeply gratifying. An abuser rarely makes it plain to others that the abuse is happening except to the victim, and once the abuser has a hold of someone, escape is nigh impossible. ![]() So often the response to hearing of a man’s mistreatment of a women is to say something along the lines of “I never saw it,” when that’s exactly the point. Instead, by focusing on Cecilia, Whannell’s script uses the experience of untold women to communicate the “invisible” violence heaped upon them in the form of disbelief, verbal control, removal of physical autonomy, and more. Most impressively, it’s not executed cheaply as to exploit trauma for the sake of entertainment. Rather than depict the protagonist as a scientist dealing with an error in the lab or a lapse in judgement, it’s addressing the very real issues of violence which occur to women across the globe. Though not the first review to claim this, Whannell’s approach to the Invisible Man story is pitch perfect for the modern era. L-R: Aldis Hodge as James Lanier, Elisabeth Moss as Cecilia Kass, and Sam Smith as Detective Reckley in THE INVISIBLE MAN. The truth is, we own nothing but ourselves and it’s that which serves as a glorious jumping off point for writer/director Leigh Whannell’s The Invisible Man remake, now available on home video. ![]() But that’s what happens to us all when we think we own something, possess something that we cherish. All of this is a roundabout way of saying that the rush to judgement on an announced work without seeing it first tends to lead to ruin. Most recently, the announcement that director Luca Guadagnino ( Call Me By Your Name/ Susperia) would direct a new version of Scarface with a script by the Coen brothers was met with similar rancor despite the ’83 film from Brian de Palma being a remake of a ’32 film from Howard Hawks. Along these cries of “you’re destroying my childhood!” often comes a strange forgetfulness that a new version doesn’t erase the old. When the words “remake” or “reboot” get thrown out, the reaction online is often filled with a great deal of righteous indignation. Surprise, Leigh Whannell’s “The Invisible Man” is a masterwork of tension. Home › Recommendation › Films To Watch › Surprise, Leigh Whannell’s “The Invisible Man” is a masterwork of tension.
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