A Look at ‘The Invisible Man’

Photo courtesy of: shando/ flickr

Claude Rains posing in his iconic face mask costume from the 1933 original. Stemming from the book by H.G. Wells, the iconic story is being rebooted for a modern audience, this time played by Oliver Jackson-Cohen.

On Feb. 28, Universal will be releasing its reboot of the 1933 horror classic, The Invisible Man. Starring Elizabeth Moss, the film focuses on the “suicide” of an abusive boyfriend who left his mark on Cecilia (Moss) in a different way than most: turning himself invisible and haunting her.

This film is taking certain liberties with the film it is based off of, along with the novel by H.G. Wells. Instead of making the Invisible Man a scientist who accidentally goes insane from the invisibility process, he is already deranged and only uses the invisibility as a cover for his dark scheme. 

The original gives the audience a chance to feel sympathetic for the original Invisible Man, who is only insane because of the drug he is trying to reverse it with. From the trailers for the reboot, it looks like the version presented (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) will have no redeeming qualities, as it looks like the audience will get a glimpse into his previous life as only an abuser and just a bad person.

In a recent interview, producer Jason Blum said that this was a deliberate choice for the time period this movie is premiering in, with the importance of the #MeToo movement, but he also wants an audience of anyone to walk away liking the movie. 

“What really drew it to me was that it was an, I think, super fun, compelling story. Not that, ‘oh this fits with the headlines of the time, so we’re gonna do that movie,’” Blum said. “What I want people to take away from the movie is that it’s a fun, great ride.”

The Invisible Man opens Feb. 28, 2020. It currently has a 92 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and is looking to make at least $20 million opening weekend.