The Invisible Man had a tumultuous production. The movie was originally going to star Johnny Depp and be a part of Universal's Dark Universe, with other horror classics like the Bride of Frankenstein, the Mummy, and Dracula.
However, after the Mummy's box office and critical failure, Universal halted all production on the Dark Universe. They then co-produced The Invisible Man with horror studio Blumhouse and moved forward with the project without Johnny Depp as the titular Invisible Man. The movie was released to critical acclaim, with the film receiving 90% on Rotten Tomatoes.
This article will list 5 things fans loved about the Invisible Man and 5 things fans hated.
Be aware of many spoilers below.
Loved: Call Back To Classic Invisible Man
While this may have only been a subtle easter egg, it was still loved by fans, both for its scare factor and for its history. The style of the original Invisible Man is one of the most iconic in horror movie history, with the character typically pictured wearing a trench coat, hat, and bandaged face.
The 2020 movie called back to this iconic design by having Cecelia be scared by a manikin wearing a similar costume in Sydney's bedroom.
Didn't: How Many Suits Were There?
This isn't really an issue with the plot, rather it is an issue with the lack of clarity surrounding the plot. Throughout the film, we're led to believe that it is Adrian who is stalking Cecelia in the invisible suit. However, after Cecelia stabs and fends off an invisible man in the psychiatric institution, leaving his suit malfunctioning, Cecelia runs to James' house to protect Sydney.
Cecelia shoots the Invisible Man, but it is revealed to be Adrian's brother, Tom. This means that both Adrian and his brother had been in on the plot with Cecelia, however, it raises the question of how many suits there are. The film seems to imply that there are only two, yet this clearly is not the case.
Loved: Subtle Scares
Blumhouse is a mixed bag when it comes to producing horror movies. While some of their movies are undoubtedly fantastic, others rely heavily on jump scares and cheap horror set-pieces. The Invisible Man, however, used subtlety to its advantage very well.
The film showed subtle hints that the Invisible Man was there, but did not overplay it. The clearest example of this was the breath scene in which Cecelia steps outside into the cold. We could see her breaths due to the cold, but we could also see another breath standing next to her.
Didn't: Lack Of A Tormented Invisible Man
One of the main character traits of the Invisible Man is his tormented existence. While he may at first appear to have an enviable ability to turn invisible, this is shown to be more than a curse than a blessing due to the fact that social interaction becomes extremely difficult, if not impossible.
This movie, while thrilling, did not give this side of the character due to the fact that the Invisible Man is able to just take off the suit and become visible.
Loved: Psychological Thriller
The movie is less of a traditional horror movie and more of a psychological thriller. While we do see some scares, most notably during the first half of the movie, the rest of the movie is dedicated to the character of Cecelia and how her mental state is deteriorating due to the Invisible Man.
We see the impact of the Invisible Man's plan and how he separates her from her friends and family, both emotionally and physically and the effect this has on Cecelia.
Didn't: Cecelia Didn't Grieve Her Sister
One of the most shocking elements of the movie was the death of Cecelia's sister. Not only was the murder brutal and bloody, but it was also brilliantly reacted to by Elizabeth Moss, showing us just how much her mental state was suffering from the torment of the Invisible Man.
That being said, despite the fact that her sister had just been murdered, she did not grieve for a particularly long time. Further, there was very little mention of her death later in the film.
Loved: The Framing Of Cecelia
One of the best elements of the movie was the emotional torment that Cecelia went through and the genuine shock and horror we all felt while watching her struggle against the Invisible Man. This was first shown when the Invisible Man slapped Sydney, tricking her into thinking Cecelia had hit her.
However, this would only be a precursor to the rest of the plot. After arranging to meet her sister in a restaurant and telling her about the Invisible Man, we see a knife seemingly float in front of Cecelia before then slicing open her sister's throat. This was a truly shocking moment and really threw Cecelia into the deep end.
Didn't: Silly Character Actions
While the way the Invisible Man manipulated the people around Cecelia and framed her was terrifying and stressful, there were also moments that were slightly unbelievable. Firstly, after Cecelia discovered the bottle of pills she dropped while escaping from Adrian's house, she did not describe how she found it in a believable way to the people around her. This just made her look even crazier and unbelievable.
Furthermore, when the Invisible Man slapped Sydney, framing Cecelia, Sydney should have realized that Cecelia was sat quite far away from her, certainly out of arm's reach.
Loved: Elizabeth Moss' Performance
By far, the best thing about the Invisible Man was Elizabeth Moss' performance as Cecelia. Her range is tested by this movie, yet Moss delivers in every possible aspect. We're truly drawn into Cecelia's mental state during the movie as Moss brilliantly captures the pain, confusion, and anger in the character.
Without this incredible performance by Moss, the movie would probably have just been 'another thriller', yet her masterful performance pushes the film into something greater.
Didn't: The Trailer
Trailers are often maligned for giving too much away about a movie and the trailer for the Invisible Man was no different. The trailer showed, essentially, that despite Elizabeth Moss' character appearing to be insane, she was actually perfectly sane and there was an invisible man.
While this didn't make the movie bad, it certainly removed an element of mystery from the story. We had no reason to doubt Moss' testimony because we already knew it to be true.