BJ At the Movies Reviews “Invisible Man”

B and J (Buzz and Joanna) go to the movies about once a month and then share what they thought about it. This week, it was BJ at….”The Invisible Man”.

It’s really good! This is more of a “suspense” movie than it is a “horror” movie and, mister, the suspense is TAUT! “Invisible Man” doesn’t rely on “jump scares”, extreme gore or other horror genre short-cuts. It really takes it’s time setting the tone, but not in a boring way. When the horror action finally starts about 1/3 of the way in the viewer is really on tenterhooks. This is because of the stylistic sense of dread that has been cultivated leading up to it. There’s a shocking, unexpected moment in the second act that makes you realize how effective this dramatic tension has been. It’s the kind of mood-setting that Hitchcock and other masters had to do because of what the Hays Code allowed on the screen at the time. It’s great to see it be done to such effect in 2020.

The movie is about abusive relationships and how abuser are able to isolate their victims. It’s also about “gas lighting”…making the object of torture question their own sanity and causing their motives to be questioned by others. I don’t know if I’d call this film “a masterpiece” but it is a damn fine piece of film-making.

Here are a few more B&J non-spoiler notes.

Joanna: There are some really cool nods to the 1930’s Universal “Invisible Man” (watch for the guy in the hospital wrapped in head-to-toe bandages).

Buzz: Elizabeth Moss was the only actor I knew well. She was amazing but so were the rest of the supporting cast.

Joanna: There’s also a Jigsaw Easter Egg in there for people who are interested.

Buzz: If you’re interested in how invisibility might someday be “science” rather than “science fiction” you might be interested in spending 10 minutes watching this video: