Universal has released a Super Bowl 2020 TV spot for The Invisible Man. After multiple failed attempts to reboot its classic monster movie universe, the studio has decided to take it one film at a time, instead. Up first is The Invisible Man, a loose re-imagining of the 1933 sci-fi horror film and the 1897 H.G. Wells novel that inspired it. Written and directed by Saw and Insidious co-creator Leigh Whannell, the movie stars Elisabeth Moss opposite Harriet Dyer, Aldis Hodge, and Oliver Jackson-Cohen (The Haunting of Hill House).
The Invisible Man's marketing kicked off last November with a full-length trailer, teasing a very different take on the story of a mad scientist who finds a way to make himself invisible to the human eye. The film has already made waves thanks to its #MeToo-era appropriate plot and many horror fans rank it among their most anticipated movies of 2020. With its release date just a few weeks away, Universal is giving The Invisible Man an extra boost by premiering a new promo for Super Bowl LIV.
Universal has now gone and released its The Invisible Man Super Bowl TV spot online, for everyone to see. You can check it out, below.
Story-wise, the Super Bowl spot focuses on Cecilia Kass' (Moss) relationship with her wealthy - but also controlling and abusive - scientist boyfriend, Adrian Griffin (Jackson-Cohen). Even before she realizes he faked his death, Cecilia is haunted by Adrian and his thinly-veiled threats from when they were still together. It seems Whannell's reboot reimagines The Invisible Man as a parable about the horror of abuse both physical and psychological, as opposed to the original story about a man who turns invisible and loses his sense of morality. However, unlike a figurative specter, the invisible Adrian can still hurt Cecilia literally as much as emotionally. But that also means he has weaknesses, which Cecilia begins to exploit near the end of this TV spot.
After a rough start in January, Universal is hoping The Invisible Man will start to turn things around for the studio in 2020. Last month's Dolittle and The Turning were both critical and commercial duds, with Dolittle likely to go down as one of the most expensive flops of the entire year. Fortunately, with a $9 million budget, The Invisible Man should have little trouble making back its costs. Should it prove a success, that will only further encourage Universal to carry its director-driven low-budget approach over to its other developing monster movie reboots. Indeed, third time may yet prove to be the charm for their attempt to launch a Dark Universe.
Source: Universal
