But after reading that the studio was instead making them as individual stories instead of a franchise, as well as Leigh Whannell taking the reigns, that was a big hook for me.
Plus, I was surprised Elizabeth Moss was now part of this project. So that gave me curiosity that this might have some legs and make it worth my time, and not be a pointless re-make on a classic.
Strong early buzz had me excited to see what all the fuss is about this being seen as the first hit of 2020, and I was pretty impressed by the end of it.
It has an effective opening that prepares you for the tone and what the directors intentions are. After that, everything else fell into place and the revelation I had on the themes they were covering really surprised me. There were constant mind games that were brilliantly executed that reminded me a lot of Gone Girl.
All of what I have mentioned just made the tension and scares work to best of its abilities, and made the ending all the more satisfying.
In terms of the performances, this is all about Elizabeth Moss. Her talent and screen presence sees her totally control this film in all of its aspects. That genuine look of terror throughout really made this work the longer the film went. It reminded me a lot of Linda Hamilton in the first two Terminator films.
Everyone was pretty much a minor role. I thought Oliver Jackson-Cohen did a good job in delivering a character that we only heard about for the majority of the film. He managed to match that description with devastating effect.
Michael Dorman added to the film well with his characters creepiness, and Aldis Hodge and Storm Reid did a fine job in supporting Moss.
Along with Moss, the strength of its technical aspects are the main recipes for its success. The cinematography by Stefan Duscio who Whannell used for Upgrade, showed a similar style here. With the additional camerawork putting you on the edge by panning around to make you believe that there is a presence in the room during particular scenes just added to the effectiveness of the scares.
Also, the score by Benjamin Wallfisch played its part well and certainly had pieces that I would listen to again.
This an early contender for surprise of the year, and I am really pleased to see Universal Studios make the right choices with its failed franchise. This gave us a memorable piece of work that made me want to revisit it instantly.
Making you believe that this world can have a realistic invisible man is a tough task to achieve in this day and age. They managed to make it look effortless.
Whannell and his team made some really smart decisions with this project. There is a very clever twist on the themes that especially relate to domestic abuse. Giving it that relatable modern day edge surprised me and had me give Whannell much more respect in wanting to do something different and effective with it. If you feel the same way in regards to the themes, then I would recommend checking out the 1944 classic Gaslight, as that would make a strong companion piece.
Along with this and Upgrade, Whannell seems to have found his style after over 10 years as a writer. It's certainly a style I can get on board with, and he is certainly on course on being the horror director of this generation. While we look forward to his next installment, lets give this the credit it deserves.
Rating: 8/10
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