The Invisible Man
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Movie Reviews of The Invisible Man
Movie Review: Masterly vintage science fiction movie
Summary: 4 Stars
I would argue that nowhere in the history of the movies has there been an odder movie debut than that of the great Claude Rains in The Invisible Man .He is seen only briefly in the final scene and the vast majority of his " appearance " in this effective adaptation of Wells is a voice only one .
The movie opens with a scientist , Jim Griffin , ( Rains ) arriving at a remote English village inn ,during a snowstorm .He is heavily swathed in bandages and buried beneath many layers of heavy winter clothing and so we catch not a glimpse of his face or features .He takes a room at the inn ,brusquely demanding privacy .His manner so alienates the landlady that he is asked to leave and the police called in .It is then he reveals his secret -he is invisible when removing his clothing ,and has been frantically but futilely searching for an antidote
He has been experimenting in invisibilty using a drug called "monocaine" which does render him invisible but it also makes him unstable and sends him teetering over the edge into full blown madness .
He returns to London and makes contact with a former colleague Doctor Kemp and terrorises him into compliance with his insane scheme to turn his powers of invisibility into world domination but Kemp advises the police and Griffin flees with the forces of the law hot on his trail
There is some wonderful dialogue here as for example Rains ruminating on carrying out his plans " We'll start with a few murders .Small men .Great men .Just to show we make no distinction " .The inconvenience of invisibility is deftly touched on -its hard to walk downstairs when you cannot see your feet .Indeed ,in its depiction of the pains and perils of being different this is a companion piece to the same director's movie Frankenstein .
Full of memorable scecenes -the first removal of the bandages to reveal nothing lies beneath them ;the final scenes as the police close in on Griffin ,this is a classic that has mostly worn well.The scenes with the villagers - especially the permanently screeching Una O'Connor as the landlady -are tiresome but represent a minor blot on the escutcheon of an exceptional and humane movie
Movie Review: Another masterpiece from director Whale
Summary: 5 Stars
This adaptation of HG Wells's novella has everything: A great script by RC Sherriff; an exemplary cast headed up by then-unknown Rains in the title role, who has the perfect vocal presence for the part; some irresistibly funny humour; thrills and suspense; and fairly impressive special effects for its era. Whale generates just the right atmosphere from the opening shots, and the story's English setting is a delight in his capable hands.Movie Review: One of the Greatest Science Fiction Horror Movies
Summary: 5 Stars
Is it any wonder that people are frequently afraid of science when the unknown is exploited the way it is in "The Invisible Man?" Claude Rains powerfully and effectively fills the role of Dr. Griffen, the man who conducted experiments with a drug that was so dangerous that it was no longer produced. In the course of experimenting with the drug he managed to turn himself invisible. Naturally the excitement of being invisible wears off after a while and Dr. Griffen decides he would like to return to the world of the visible. There are only two minor problems with his return. First, he has no idea how to return. Second, the drug he used has the minor side effect of making the user insane.
Two aspects of this movie make it incredibly effective. First is Claude Rains outstanding voiceover. For many parts of the movie Dr. Griffen is invisible, moving through rooms and about town unseen. As Dr. Griffen does various things while invisible Claude Rains provides wonderfully emotional dialogue to support his actions. Rains manages to fill the invisible character of Dr. Griffen with incredible menace alternating with exasperation and even something pathos.
The other aspect is the fantastic special effects. There are a few glitches and inconsistencies, but the special effects in this 1933 film were phenomenal then and still impressive now. Sometimes you can guess how some of the items were moved though wires were not apparent. In other cases, such as when the bicycle is thrown at a crowd, the effect is wonderful and indiscernible. The special effects in combination with Claude Rains' performance create a classic science fiction based horror movie that is a classic for all ages.
Other actors may seem familiar to some. Gloria Stuart played the elderly Rose in the movie "Titanic." Henry Travers also played the angel Clarence in the movie "It's a Wonderful Life," a classic in its own right. Walter Brennan and John Carradine also make appearances. John Carradine would later be featured in many more horror movies.
Science fiction based horror movies continued to degrade soon after this classic film, leading to some incredibly cheesy films in the 50s and 60s and causing an aversion to science fiction horror. However, as this classic film shows, the genre had an outstanding beginning available to today's audience on DVD and VHS.
Movie Review: "The Invisible Man"...Looks and Sounds Great on DVD
Summary: 5 Stars
This review refers to "The Invisible Man"(1933) from the Universal Classic Monster Collection editions....
Not too many years before this "talkie" was made, movie stars had to convey the essence of the story, with body langauge, without words, as it was the era of the silent film. In this film, the star would act with only his words, his voice, to convey this frightening character, as he was...well...invisible through 99% of the film. So who better then a stage actor, one with a voice that gets our attention, to better portray "The Invisible Man".
The man with the voice and no body... the very distinguished Claude Rains(making his film debut). A voice that brought the brillant but megalomanical Dr. Griffen to life. Sometimes wrapped up in bandages, sometimes just a shirt, dancing around and taunting his victims, other times completely invisible, Rains is wonderful at scaring up a good time with this film. Not able to find a cure for himself, he goes insane and leaves a number of dead bodies in his wake.
So just how do you go about catching an invisible killer? Director James Whale("Frankenstein") makes the hunt fun. He includes great character actors like Una O'Connor who adds great comic relief as she runs around doing some great screams.
Even the police are humorous in their efforts to thwart the invisible one as he outfoxes them at nearly every turn. Other wonderful actors of the era included in the great cast are, Gloria Stuart(now famous again as the old Rose in James Cameron's "Titanic"), and Henry Travers("Clarence, the angel from "It's A Wonderful Life"). The screenplay based on H.G Wells' novel was given a fabulous treatment by R.C. Sherriff.
And just how does "The Invisible Man" LOOK on DVD?...He Looks fabulous! The film itself has quite a bit of scratches, but the picture is clear, the black and white images, sharp and bright, and the sound in Dolby Dig(2.0 mono) is great. All dialouge is crisp and clear in this 70 year old film. The DVD includes the very entertaining and insightful featurette, "Now You See Him: The Invisible Man Revealed". It's a lengthy look at everything about the film. The actors, the writer, the director, and best of all, how this technologically advanced film of the time, created all the wonderful special effects. Other features include commentary and production notes. The film may be viewed with English captions, and in Spanish and French languages(also with subtitles).
Get the popcorn ready.. Filmbuffs... add this one to your Monster Film Fest for Halloween...and Enjoy....Laurie
Movie Review: One of the only times they bring a book to screen RIGHT
Summary: 5 Stars
Now I'm not saying this is better than the book, i'm just saying that this is how I would have done it! Griffen( I know that's spelled wrong) has turned himself invisble. So what the big deal? Well, he can't turn back, making him a freak. After a group of people ruined an exsperiment that could have turned him back, he goes crazy and goes on a killing spree. Some of this kills are really disturbing( like the seen were he kills his so called "partner") and has just as good as an effect on scarying you then most mordern day horror flicks. Let's give a bid round of applause to everyone invoulved. This ones a classic.