The Invisible Man 1933
I bought a box set of six Universal Studios classic monster movies and have very slowly been watching them. There is no excuse for how long this has taken since the movies aren't even that long, The Invisible Man weighing in at only 70 minutes. They weren't going for artistry, just something to scare viewers. The story is similar to Frankenstein maybe where a misguided scientist creates a monster, though this time the monster is the scientist, in invisible form, which also affects his mind. For 1933, the camera effects are decent as they realistically show an invisible person in a visible shirt or pair of pants. Other, practical effects are just things moving by themselves which usually looks obvious: in the case of a bicycle you can even see the wire pulling the bike. Claude Rains, who would go on to bigger and better movies, is barely seen, either invisible or covered in bandages for most of the movie. His character isn't that well developed and he becomes a mass murderer out of the blue. Invisibility is a little scary as it causes a panic among the police and townspeople about how you actually apprehend someone you can't see. The movie is supposed to have a humorous side to it, but it often doesn't work that well, with one fear-stricken woman screaming endlessly. A girlfriend is also thrown in whose main job is to show that somebody actually liked this guy at one time, but her role is as one dimensional as the screaming townswoman. The main draw to the movie is the special effects work and maybe the discusion of some of the implications of invisibility, both strengths and weaknesses. That probably makes it worth watching, but this has to be one of the weaker entries among the classics.
Written: 21 Oct 2023
Owned on: Blu-ray, Digital