When Cecilia's abusive ex takes his own life and leaves her his fortune, she suspects his death was a hoax. As a series of coincidences turn lethal, Cecilia works to prove that she is being hunted by someone nobody can see.
Universal really screwed up when they tried to create their Dark Cinematic Universe, to connect all of their monsters on the big screen. They were so narrow-minded in their focus on making sure that 2017's The Mummy set up the franchise that they forgot the most important parts of creating a film. Make the story good, and the character likeable. Sure you can work around those two aspects, but for the majority of things (and especially if you want a cinematic franchise), you need to focus on the titular character (NOT Tom Cruise or Russell Crowe's S.H.I.E.L.D copycat, Prodigium, an organisation so bland that I had to Google the film to find the name).
I'm rambling about a different film because I want to remind everyone about The Mummy film that didn't star Brendan Fraser, and completely bombed, destroying a franchise before it even moved beyond a single film. Perhaps it is a sign of the times, where audiences don't want to wait for films, so studios are churning out franchise films all in different stages of production simultaneously to try and meet that demand. Nevertheless, Universal appears to have taken the criticism's of the Dark Universe to heart, and started from square one with an almost indie-level budget, standalone horror film. And it does it well.
Australian screenwriter, actor, producer, director, and birthday buddy of mine, Leigh Whannell, is a name you really need to keep an eye out for if you have a hankering for horror. He wrote the screenplays for the first three Saw films (before they got overly dramatic and convoluted), as well as Dead Silence, the whole Insidious franchise, and more recently, Upgrade. His latest release--which he has written, produced, and directed--is The Invisible Man, and he takes everything that worked well in Upgrade, strips it back to the bare essentials while turning the tension up to 11. What Whannell continually gets right is strong character development and a powerful and cohesive narrative.
The story goes back to the science-fiction roots of the character of The Invisible Man, and as such really grounds the story in reality. It forces every instance of violence, concern, and paranoia, to mean so much more to the audience. Placing our protagonist (played superbly by Elisabeth Moss) in the role of an emotionally and physically abused woman creates a strong sense of empathy and sympathy. The psychological effects of such abuse can certainly affect one's judgement, and it adds layers upon layers of uncertainty when you are dealing with the concept of a patient, invisible assailant.
I cannot overstate how well Moss' performance is. This isn't a "full face of make-up, running away from the bad guys in a wet, skin-tight shirt and heels" role. This is a hauntingly realistic portrayal of an abused woman trying to escape, that has been pushed to the brink of insanity. As the film progresses, the toll on Moss' character is visible to see from the bags under her eyes when she cannot sleep, to the increasingly erratic behaviour as she starts to question her own reality. A stunning performance.
The cinematography from Stefan Duscio is also really well-executed. Framing is an important part of filmmaking, and as certain styles become the norm, they can be exploited. Purposefully not framing the protagonist in the centre of the frame, will give the impression that there is someone else in the room. If the camera is panning and suddenly it stops on a chair, you instinctively start to second-guess whether there is a person there or not. Adding in a mix of perspectives that aren't that of our protagonist, and the audience start succumbing to the paranoia themselves. With every piece of empty space potentially leading to an attack.
It is important to note that this is not an action-thriller; this is a psychological horror, and the pacing in the first two acts is very measured and deliberate. From the opening scenes where we watch Moss making her way through a variety of obstacles for several minutes, uttering barely a word, Whannell has made it clear, that loud noises and explosions are not the source of tension; it's the silence. The pacing does pick up in the final act and has a satisfying climax to it.
If this is the creative freedoms that future Dark Universe standalone titles will be getting, I cannot wait for the next one. The Invisible Man is dark, tense, and keeps you on edge throughout the entire runtime. The cinemas are closed at the moment, but see if you find a way to stream it online. it's well worth supporting.