The Invisible Man 2020

Originally intended to be part of Universal's Dark Universe, a cinematic universe focusing on their classic monsters such as Dracula and the Wolf Man, the failure of 2017's The Mummy led to The Invisible Man 2020 to become a standalone and telling its own story. A remake of the 1933 film and also based on the H.G. Wells novel, Leigh Whannell writes and directs this superb suspenseful horror with Jason Blum's gift of able to produce on very small budgets even if they don't look it. Elisabeth Moss stars as Cecilia Kass, a woman trapped in a violent and abusive relationship with a wealthy optics scientist, Adrian Griffin. After she manages to escape with the help of her sister, Cecilia fears that one day Adrian will find her and hurt everyone she cares about. When she is informed of his possible suicide and the inheritance Adrian left behind for her, Cecilia initially starts to live her life again. However, things start to go wrong for her again when she is haunted by an invisible force that Cecilia suspects is actually Griffin. This is a horror film that perfectly keeps you wondering and guessing at what actually is going on without constantly using cheap jump scares every few minutes. Whenever something does happen involving the use of invisibility it's used sparingly and quick, otherwise it would be hard to believe that no one believes Cecilia. Whannell masters suspense by having the camera move around and stop at certain places to make us think that something is about to happen. When something doesn't happen, it becomes more surprising and suspenseful when something does happen. It's amazing how well the effects are considering its very small budget of just seven million dollars, thus emphasizing how much and when the invisibility is used. The entire cast, and especially Moss, all deliver strong and powerful performances as the writing helps us get to know them while also making their situations believable. Adding to the writing is how intense and realistic Cecilia's situation is, especially with certain moments early on that show the emotional and psychological trauma that domestic abuse can cause. With the combination of a haunting score, brisk cinematography, and methodically paced editing you get a truly well made horror film that keeps you wondering when something will happen. If there are any complaints it would be with the invisibility suit, a nice change from the original using a drug but leads to a lot of questions. The suit is a great idea, but the way it actually looks is a bit silly as well as the fact that whoever wears it doesn't make a lot of noise and gives them super strength. It's never explained whether that's something the suit is able to do or the person who wears it does that themselves. The Invisible Man 2020 is a science fiction horror movie that tackles serious subject matter while also giving its audience a well told and terrifying story. Over all: 100%
2020 top list so far:
1. The Invisible Man 2020
2. The Gentlemen
3. Birds of Prey
4. Bad Boys for Life
5. The Call of the Wild 2020
6. Sonic the Hedgehog