A few years ago Universal Pictures decided to enter the world of shared universe films. It sounded like a good idea at the time. Especially since the characters they were bringing back were some of Hollywood’s legendary monsters. They called it, Dark Universe. They (Universal) even signed some pretty big names for this universe too. Names like Javier Bardem, Russell Crowe, and even Johnny Depp, who would play the Invisible Man. Then came their first offering, The Mummy, starring Tom Cruise… and it failed miserably.
Just like that, the Dark Universe was done… thanks, Tom
Jump forward a couple of years and now the reigns of the Dark Universe have been handed to Blumhouse Productions. Since they’re a horror-based production company this seemed like it was the best way to go, if there was any chance of getting to see these characters brought back to life, correctly.
With that said, say hello to The Invisible Man, 2020. No big box office giants in this one. No millions of dollars worth of CGI action sequences. Just some good old fashioned story telling with a lead performer who you might recognize but probably don’t even know her name… Elisabeth Moss.
This version of The Invisible Man, did what scary movies should do. That’s keeping you on the edge of your seat. With it’s slow pace, it gave you plenty of time to let your anxiety grow. And every now and then they got you with a really good jump scare. So when we got to the main course in the final act, you were not disappointed at all.
Kudos to director Leigh Whannell for this one. His focusing on not the Invisible Man himself, but instead choosing to focus on his victim was a great decision. Of course, Elisabeth Moss, was outstanding. I don’t think it’s the easiest thing to do, play the role of a Not Crazy, Crazy, Person. If it weren’t for her performance, this wouldn’t have worked at all.
Hopefully, if this is to be the real relaunch of the Dark Universe, then I’m already sold and excited to see what’s coming next…