Invisible Man [2020] (4 Stars)

This is the third film in the Universal Studios rebooted horror franchise, which it calls the Dark Universe. The idea behind it is to make films about all of the classic characters from the 1930's and 1940's horror films, first individual films, then progressing to team up films. Hasn't Universal forgotten that the original team up films, like "House of Frankenstein" and "House of Dracula", were flops? As is often said, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it".

The first two films in the Dark Universe were "Dracula Untold" (2014) and "The Mummy" (2017). Universal Studios has promised that one film will be released every year. Oops. They're doing their best. If they're trying to match the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, they're still years behind. "The Mummy" contained teasers for upcoming films about Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, but "Invisible Man" can be considered a standalone film.

The new version goes in a completely different direction to the original version. The two films share some of the same names, such as Dr. Griffin, but they're so far apart that the new version can barely be called a remake.

The film follows a woman called Cecilia Kass, whose life is being controlled by her abusive husband Dr. Adrian Griffin. He's forcing her to live in a scientific compound against her will. Her only resort is to flee at night. She climbs over the wall, and she's picked up by her sister.

She goes to live with her friend James, a policeman. She suffers from paranoia, constantly fearing that Adrian will find her and take her back. She's happy when she reads a report that he's committed suicide in his lab, but her relief is short-lived. She has the feeling that somebody is in the house watching her, somebody that she can't see.

The film is very well made. The suspense is spine-tingling. After a slow start the energy increases in leaps and bounds. There are the (almost obligatory) plot twists towards the end, one of which I predicted. Unfortunately, some questions are left unanswered. That's deliberate, but I found it unsatisfying. Some areas are left vague, and while discussing the film afterwards with a member of the film group I realised that we had interpreted some things differently.

I'd like to watch it again, but not too soon. Maybe next year.