Written and Directed by Leigh Whannell
Based on the novel by H.G. Wells
Cast: Elisabeth Moss, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Aldis Hodge, Storm Reid, Harriet Dyer, Michael Dorman, Benedict Hardie,
Anthony Brandon Wong
Soundtrack: Benjamin Wallfisch
One of the joys of seeing as many films as I do is that every so often a movie will come along from an as yet unknown filmmaker, and after seeing it I get to say to myself, “I can’t wait to see what’s next.”
In the spring of 2018, one such experience was Upgrade, written and directed by Leigh Whannell.
Thanks to Universal’s scuttling of its “Dark Universe” after just one movie (or was it two?), and going the smarter route of individual films with modest budgets and young auteurs at the helm (rather than trying to turn a bunch of monsters into The Goth Avengers or whatever), Whannell got the the opportunity to turn H.G. Wells’ classic story into a 21st century thriller.
Now, based on Upgrade, I would have been perfectly happy if his Invisible Man was a lean, mean, 90-minute piece of genre cinema, and certainly the spine of the movie is very much that (it does have a similar visual flair as well), but he also lets it breathe in a way that I wasn’t expecting, but is totally right for the story he tells.
Obviously with a smaller budget comes a smaller cast, and the need for everybody to be on their game, which they are, especially Elisabeth Moss, on whom the bulk of the movie rests. From the very beginning it’s her story, and she certainly gets put through the wringer emotionally. It’s a heck of a performance, and thankfully the movie is worthy of it.
Of course, this being a sci-fi-horror-thriller, you’d think the music would play an important role, and it does. It’s not necessarily the most ground-breaking thing I’ve ever heard, but Benjamin Wallflisch’s score unquestionably contributes to the breathless tension that makes up much of the film.
Having said all that though, The Invisible Man is still Leigh Whannell’s baby, and I have to give him due credit. As early in the year as it may be, it’s the best 2020 film I’ve seen so far, and despite the modest budget it’s worth seeing on the biggest screen.
Check it out.
Rating: ★★★★☆