Sandy Kenyon reviews 'The Invisible Man,' best of the year so far
This year's best movie so far is also one of the scariest, and I don't like to be scared, so frankly I never expected to like "The Invisible Man" as much as I did.
We meet Cecilia, played by Elizabeth Moss, as an abused wife of a rich guy.
"He was a sociopath," she said. "He said I could never leave him."
We see her trying to sneak out of her own home, and she get away with her sister's help. But when she gets in the car, her husband attacks.
She escapes, and within minutes, we are told the husband has taken his own life. We breathe a sigh of relief -- along with those who love her -- but soon enough, her estranged husband makes his presence felt.
"He has found a way to be invisible," she concludes.
Those in the home where she has taken refuge don't believe there could be an invisible man, and when the unseen assailant attacks a 15-year-old girl, Cecilia shoulders the blame for hitting her.
It's a horror show, but what made the experience so thrilling for me were the long build-ups to each frightening moment.
The way the man becomes visible and invisible makes no more sense now than it did when the character was invented for a 19th century novel, but this is a great movie for the 21st century.
And that is in part because it becomes a terrifying parable: a way to dramatize the very real scourge of domestic violence.
The picture is brought home by a star who earns her spot above the title.
To get some added perspective, I took a fan of "The Invisible Man" along with me to see this one.
Angel Alvira has enjoyed the adventures of the guy you can't see ever since he was a teenager, and he calls this new version "great," adding that it kept him on the edge of his seat.
"You do not know what is coming next," he said.
Some critics didn't like the movie as much as we did, but as usual, I don't care.
I had a great time at "The Invisible Man," and I think you will, too.
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