THE INVISIBLE MAN
****
Dir: Leigh Whannell (15, 100 mins)
A reimagining of the classic novel by H.G. Wells, this stalker thriller rachets up the tension with Elisabeth Moss anchoring the horror brilliantly. She plays Cecilia Kass, a woman trapped in a controlling, abusive relationship with her scientist husband. When she finally decides to leave him, she is told that he has killed himself and she has inherited $5 million if she can prove she is mentally competent. Weird things start happening – objects moving, a feeling of someone in the room – and it ultimately leads to the realisation that her husband can make himself invisible. Naturally, no-one believes her, and her sanity is called into question. Then the abuse steps up and people start getting killed. From the writer of the original Saw Leigh Whannell (who also directs), this is a brisk, efficient thriller that Moss totally sells, battling against doubts about her own mental stability and the disbelief of others. This is the treatment of the old Universal monster movies that feels relevant today; it lifts the genre with a gutsy performance and uses the source material to make a comment on the #MeToo movement and the uphill battle to get allegations of domestic abuse believed. A horror film with a solid point amidst the enjoyable schlock.
Opens Feb 28
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