The Invisible Man - 2020

IMDb

The Invisible Man - 2020

In 2020, Leigh Whannell wrote and directed The Invisible Man, a science fiction horror film. The movie follows the story of a woman who believes her abusive and wealthy boyfriend is stalking her even after his apparent suicide, only to eventually realize that he has acquired the ability to become invisible. The film stars Elisabeth Moss, Aldis Hodge, Storm Reid, Harriet Dyer, Michael Dorman, and Oliver Jackson-Cohen, and is an international co-production between the United States and Australia.

The concept for a film based on H.G. Wells' 1897 book had been in development as early as 2006, but it was later revived in 2016 as part of Universal's shared cinematic universe that was planned to feature classic monsters, with Johnny Depp set to star in the title role. However, after the critical and financial failure of The Mummy in 2017, development was halted for all projects. In early 2019, the studio shifted their plans towards individualized storytelling, leading to the project's re-entry into development. Principal photography took place from July to September 2019 in Sydney, Australia.

The Invisible Man was released in the United States by Universal Pictures on February 28, 2020, and received positive reviews from critics. The film was praised for its modernization of the novel's plot, Moss' performance, and the way it combined scares with a smart narrative about harmful relationships and manipulation towards women. The movie grossed $126.1 million worldwide, making it the fifth highest-grossing film of 2020, despite its $7 million budget. Due to the coronavirus pandemic in 2019-2020, theaters across the world were closed, which led Universal to announce the film's availability for digital rental just four weeks after its theatrical release.

Plot

Cecilia Kass is trapped in a violent and controlling relationship with her wealthy boyfriend, Adrian Griffin, who is an optics engineer and businessman. In an attempt to escape, Cecilia drugs Adrian with Diazepam and runs away into the nearby woods to meet her sister, Emily. Adrian almost catches them, but they manage to escape. Cecilia seeks refuge with her childhood friend, Detective James Lanier, and his daughter, Sydney. Two weeks later, Adrian seemingly commits suicide and leaves Cecilia $5 million in his will, which is organized by his lawyer brother, Tom.

After Adrian's death, Cecilia experiences unexplained events that make her suspect that he faked his death and is tormenting her as an invisible presence in her home. She tries to convince Tom and James of her theory, but they dismiss her. Her sister also refuses to acknowledge her after receiving an email from Cecilia's account saying she never wants to see her again. Sydney comforts Cecilia, but she is hit by an unseen force, and James assumes Cecilia is responsible. Cecilia tries to catch the invisible figure and eventually finds evidence in Adrian's lab that confirms her suspicions.

Cecilia contacts Emily to meet and tell her what she found, but the invisible figure kills Emily and frames Cecilia for the murder. Cecilia is remanded to a mental hospital while she awaits trial, where she discovers she is pregnant. Tom visits her and offers to get her charges dropped if she agrees to raise the child with him, implying that Adrian tampered with her birth control to ensure she became pregnant. Cecilia refuses and pretends to commit suicide to draw the invisible figure out.

When the figure tries to stop her, she stabs him repeatedly, causing the suit to malfunction. The security team arrives, but the invisible figure violently incapacitates them before fleeing the hospital. Cecilia races to James' house, where she finds the invisible figure attacking him and Sydney. She manages to shoot the figure after spraying him with a fire extinguisher, but when she unmasks him, she finds Tom in the suit. The police find Adrian alive at his house, tied up in his basement and claiming Tom held him prisoner.

In an attempt to get Adrian to confess, Cecilia meets him at his house and agrees to mend their relationship if he confesses to being the invisible figure. Adrian insists Tom kidnapped him, but Cecilia realizes that they shared the suit, with Adrian sending Tom to the house knowing what would happen. Adrian alludes to former abuse using similar phrasing to that of the invisible figure, and Cecilia departs to use the restroom. Moments later, the security camera captures Adrian seemingly committing suicide. Cecilia returns and calls the police, but out of the camera's sight, she silently taunts Adrian and retrieves the spare suit to kill him.

James spots the suit in Cecilia's bag but accepts her story and allows her to leave. Cecilia leaves the house with the suit, relieved to finally be free from Adrian.