This article we’re breaking down The Invisible Man.
The Invisible Man seemed to give away pretty much the whole movie in its trailer but when you watch it you’ll see there’s a lot of things that it merely teases and overall the film takes a lot of unexpected turns.
Throughout this, we’re gonna be giving our full thoughts on the film and it’s ending.
There will be heavy spoilers here so if you haven’t had a chance to see it yet and don’t want to know what happens then I highly suggest that you turn off now.
With all that out the way, thanks for clicking this, now let’s get into our breakdown of The Invisible Man.
The Invisible Man Explained
The Invisible Man has been a character that has lasted for centuries, and for good reason. Created by HG Wells all the way back in 1897, the Invisible Man has left an imprint on society due to its study of human psychology and comments on what one could do if no one could see them.
There have been several reboots over the years on the classic character but few have really left their mark.
That’s where Blumhouse step in and from the off the film is by far one of the best depictions ever put to screen.
The Invisible Man really recaptures the horror element of the antagonist and is genuinely terrifying.
The Invisible Man Plot Recap
The film itself follows Cecilia Kass who in the dead of night manages to escape from her abusive boyfriend Adrian.
Adrian is a genius-level scientist that has accumulated a lot of wealth however he harbors a darker side to his personality that comes with the power.
Adrian has tormented Cecilia and pretty much trapped her in a toxic relationship that has lead to the character’s psyche being severely fractured.
From the off, there are clear themes of isolation and barricades around Cecilia, whether it’s Adrian sleeping with his arm around her or the huge walls that border the house.
Cecilia has to fight tooth and nail to get out of these and yet Adrian is able to break through them with ease as we see when he smashes his hand through the glass window on her ride out of there.
After breaking free from his grasp, Adrian apparently commits suicide and leaves her a large portion of his fortune. This indicates the financial control that abusers have over their victims. Whilst it could seem like she is finally free, something isn’t right and Cecilia is slowly haunted by something that she is unable to see.
When Did Cecilia Fall Pregnant?
She also discovers at one point in the film that she is pregnant with his child and ultimately the movie is about Adrian going to great lengths to get her to return to him with his prodigy.
Now one of the big questions I’ve seen on the film is when exactly did this happen?
Well, there are two ways that it could have which I’ll give my opinion on. Now Adrian as Tom implied, could have swapped out Cecilia’s birth control. The other alternative is that he forced himself upon her.
There is lip service to her being only a month along in the pregnancy and though we don’t know exactly when they last slept together it is very muddy when this happened.
Personally I am going with the latter theory as I can see it more fitting with the character and the personality that we see him possess in the movie. As mentioned earlier the financial control is enforced with this pregnancy and therefore it seems more likely to me that the conception had a sinister side to it.
You can decide for yourself but I tend to sit with the more twisted version.
Either way, it shows how manipulative that Adrian really is and armed with some incredible technology how dangerous he could be.
A Unique Adaptation
It’s an outstanding premise that not only makes it one of the most unique adaptations of the story but it also comments on modern-day abuse and how it can often be psychological as well as physical. Cecilia is clearly a broken woman and had we not had knowledge of the title and premise before going in, you could definitely second guess the character’s perception at certain points and think that she could just be imagining it all.
The men don’t really believe her and make excuses for Adrian and though James ultimately turns out to be an ally it shows how judgemental society can be.
Gaslighting is a big theme throughout and whether this is a more supernatural depiction of an abusive relationship or not, you can definitely take it and apply elements of it to the real world.
Horrors are at their best when they operate like this and it’s no surprise that The Invisible Man is receiving a lot of acclaim for it’s execution and social commentary.
It really shows how abusers work and the patterns that they employ to make sure that their victim really has nowhere to turn. The invisible man systematically cuts off those around Cecilia, makes her question herself and in the end tries to force her back into a relationship with him in an almost machiavellian manner.
It’s clear that Cecilia’s relationship with men has been forever damaged and it shows that abuse can severely affect someone for the rest of their life even if they manage to escape the situation that caused it.
It’s truly an inspired way to reinvent The Invisible Man and I have to say early on this quickly secured the spot of the best horror of the year for me. That isn’t really that hard right now, especially with The Boy 2, The Grudge and The Turning but I think this has set the bar very high in a way that will be difficult for the other entries outside of A Quiet Place 2 to live up to.
After things begin to ramp up and it becomes clear that Cecilia and those around her are being hunted by someone a big twist comes in the form of who the Invisible Man really is.
Who The Invisible Man Really Is
She discovers that The Invisible Man has been living in her attic and this reveal is enough to send chills up your spine. She slowly sets out on a journey to get proof and lots of the scenes are very chilling.
Here she discovers the invisibility machine and realizes that the man who has manipulated her also discovered a way to manipulate light.
Initially most, including myself assumed it was Adrian, however, we learn that it was apparently Tom, his brother, who carried out all of the attacks.
The Invisible Man killed Cecilia’s sister Emily and also framed her for murder.
After she manages to defeat him we learn that Adian has apparently been a victim too, locked in his own basement for weeks upon end.
Most buy it and it seems like Adrian’s ultimate endgame has worked with the entire plan that he has concocted meaning that Cecilia has to come back to him.
Adrian’s Dinner
However, Cecilia doesn’t buy it and she wears a wire and agrees to have dinner with him.
Whether he or Tom was carrying out most of the crimes we don’t know but personally I think Adrian manipulated Tom for this reveal and threw him under the bus knowing that at some point it would have to look like he was trapped in his home. So in my opinion, Adrian was pretty much behind it all of the time.
As with most abusers, he tries to suggest a fresh start whilst also refusing to admit that he has been behind everything the entire time. Cecilia insists that he tells the truth so that he will finally implicate himself and though he doesn’t out and out say it he discusses how their lives together will have a surprise which is a callback to earlier in the film when he also used the word to torment her.
It’s a truly chilling moment when you think you have it all figured out but the movie continues to throw curveballs as it heads into it’s final few scenes. Cecilia gets up and goes to the bedroom and Adrian seems very smug in his demeanor.
But something changes and Adrian stands up and appears to slit his own throat, similar to the manner that Emily was murdered.
Perhaps the guilt finally got to him right? Well, don’t bet on it.
The Invisible Man Ending Explained
We learn that it was actually Cecilia behind it all, using the invisible suit that she hid earlier in the movie and Adrian’s own CCTV against him. Adrian was so comfortable in his control over Cecilia and he was completely blindsided by this move and his ego really was his biggest downfall.
Never could he imagine that someone he believed was his slave could rise up against him and take over him but Cecilia delights in doing this.
Initially, it seemed as if Cecilia just wanted Adrian to confess but this move shows that she is far more intelligent than Adrian gave her credit for and using his own technology against him makes the revenge even sweeter.
We know that this was Cecilia’s ultimate goal and that she was always going to go through with this due to the scene in which she returned to the house and hid the suit.
The ending for me symbolises that victims of abuse can often believe that they are invisible but they’re not and they do have a voice and the ability to stand up to their abusers.
Though Cecilia has to go to incredible lengths to do this, in the process she gains independence and with the knowledge of all that she has gone through she will avoid abusive relationships in the future. The movie also showcases how abuse leads to further abuse, violence and revenge and it elevates the horror above most.
She calls the police to tell them that Adrian has killed himself and gives the performance of a lifetime to sell the story to the cops that show up.
Abuse victims often have to pretend that something happened when it didn’t such as they fell down the stairs and this ability to lie to those who look too deeply at what’s going on has become a weapon in her arsenal.
She leaves the house and goes off to start a new life for herself with The Invisible Suit which is the only thing that would be able to prove that she was complicit in Adrian’s death.
An Invisible Man Sequel
Going forward, though there have been people theorizing there will be a sequel, I think as a stand-alone piece that it works far better than anything we could get potentially showing what Cecilia could be doing in the future.
Now I have seen some people saying that Adrian could have been innocent and that Cecilia could have committed this murder mistakingly. However, I think that the themes of the film itself shut this down a lot as we ourselves when saying this are relegated to be the men that simply didn’t believe Cecilia even though we saw the things on screenplay out the way that they did.
It’s a genius move and overall it’s a reason why the film is such a well-made piece of work.
Invisible Man Review
Now as for my thoughts on the film, I’m sure you can guess that I absolutely loved it. Whether it was the pacing, subject matter or just the general turn of events that the film took, everything worked for me here.
It’s perfectly grounded by Elisabeth Moss’s performance and she is quickly becoming an actor to watch due to her abilities to paint out a vulnerable person that slowly overcomes the things that are thrown at her.
Not only is this the best horror movie of the year, in my opinion, it’s one of the best movies of the year and it’s a solid way to kick start the new direction of The Dark Universe.
I can’t wait to rewatch it and overall the movie was a blast, it gets a…
9/10
Your Thoughts
Now obviously I’d love to hear your thoughts on The Invisible Man and what you took from the movie. Comment below and let me know!
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