PIC of the Week – The Invisible Man & The Hunt
Article series by Ray Schillaci
This double hitter from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment will have you gasping from the intense thrills. The Invisible Man has as many twists and turns as writer/director Leigh Whannell gave us in the original Saw movie. Of course, Leigh did not direct Saw, but he would go onto sharpening his horror teeth writing with the directors on the following two Saw movies, an Insidious trilogy, and the horror comedy Cooties. Universal finally lent him the reigns to take the wild horses and run with them on his latest film.
At nearly the same (home video) release time, The Hunt a little obscure film that was getting tons of recognition for its outrageous social commentary coupled with insane violence and laughs was side swiped into obscurity with its September theatrical release due to a cancelation by a timid Universal because of mass shootings at the time, and scrutiny from conservative media and tweets by President Trump suggesting the film was “made in order…to inflame and cause chaos.” In my humble opinion, if Fight Club, Taxi Driver and A Clockwork Orange did not cause chaos, then there was no chance for this film to raise tensions except perhaps for the illiterates out there. It is daring in its depiction of both sides of the outrageousness of both the far left and far right, and outright smart and entertaining.
I was blown away by both films this week, and I had no choice but to declare a toss up. The Invisible Man for its outright thrills and beautifully well played reimagining of the classic Universal monster. While The Hunt was yet another nod to the timeless tale of The Most Dangerous Game that has been told time and time again from the original 1932 version to 1965’s The Naked Prey, Open Season (’74), Jean-Claude van Damme vehicle in Hard Target (’93), and all the way up to 2019’s delightful Ready or Not along with countless other films in between.
First off, let’s talk about the big U’s attempt to resurrect its monster franchise. How many shocking moments can one film have and still keep a great narrative? Most of the time, it’s one or two; the final scene in Wait Until Dark, the shower sequence in Hitchcock’s Psycho, the ending of Brian De Palma’s version of Stephen King’s Carrie. Well, the Universal 4K/Blu release of Leigh Whannell’s The Invisible Man has about four that not only had me blurting out expletives in the comfort of my living room, but also kept my entire body tensed throughout its entirety. This is largely due to three people: writer/director Leigh Whannell, actress Elizabeth Moss most notably from hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale, and the best suspenseful impending music score since Jaws by composer Benjamin Wallfisch.
They are the terrifying trio of this suspense ridden tale of stalking, empowerment, and a completely successful reboot of the classic James Whale movie of the same name. Universal has been trying to reboot their monster franchise for many years and has failed miserably. First in 2010 with the poorly paced, less than exciting The Wolfman, then Dracula Untold, a total misstep into a fantasy realm that the vamp had no business in, and eventually Tom Cruise was called to the rescue for 2017’s The Mummy. This had disaster written all over it.
Somewhere in the “Black Tower” at Comcast Universal, someone finally decided that bigger was not necessarily better, and the man that chilled us with the original Saw movie and creeped us out with Insidious was asked to be the taskmaster of an invisible man reimagining. Whannell has gone beyond expectations. His story of a woman beaten down in every way by an abusive relationship, finally taking charge and getting the hell out of it is a timely tale that so many are familiar with. Couple this with the mysterious suicide that follows, and said woman may or may not be the subject of stalking, leading many to believe it’s all in her head.
This is what makes Elizabeth’s Moss performance so key in this film. She delivers one of the best performances of the year. From meek and timid to shockingly crazed. After what she is put through, it does not come as a surprise, but the film goes beyond what we can imagine as how much we are able to endure through her harrowing journey.
I do not want to discount the other supporting players or the rest of the production crew that delivers in spades, but Moss’ performance is like watching jet fuel ignite. The rest of the cast is great and add credence to this very intense story. Also, what makes Whannell’s The Invisible Man so different from anything else Universal has come up with over the years and failed is that the effects do not overshadow the story. Whannell has the special effects as a supporting character that blends into the story and makes the whole idea very realistic.
Then there is the sound design and Wallfisch’s score. It’s absolutely chilling. Both the sound and the score keep us on edge, and has us jump at several key moments always keeping our adrenalin pumping until the very end. On a personal note, my wife was ready to walk out of the room because she could not take anymore of the tension.
The native 4K 2160p/Dolby Vision UHD is a vast improvement over the 1080p Blu version. Leigh Whannell’s film is a dark brooding piece. Several scenes will be too dark for Blu owners. But, the 4K version improves on that, and delivers a much more enhanced depth with the black levels along with the sharpness to objects in very low lighting.
This is one film experience definitely enhanced if you turn the lights out at home. There are plenty of brighter scenes that are really a striking contrast to the mood, but make just as much as an impact making one never feeling safe no matter where they are. I’m not saying that the Blu purchase would be a waste of time. I realize some people do not have the budget for the upgrade while others may have UHD, but are not fortunate to have the latest upgrade of Dolby Vision. The Blu is a good presentation, but compared to the UHD version there is no competition.
The Dolby ATMOS soundtrack rocks from the very beginning of the film, displaying a power rarely heard with such distinction. The bass is used to extreme effect punching you right in the gut, making your heart race and hoping there will be a moment we can catch some air. The attention to detail is remarkable with every subtle sound making us uneasy and second guessing where this invisible fiend may be. Dialogue does not get drowned out so the use of subtitles is not necessary.
Thankfully, Universal is not stingy on the bonuses for this film. We get a nearly tight and informative hard hour of deleted scenes and making of. Although, I wish there was more, that also included a gag reel. Love those, and this film really cries out for one. Bonuses are as follows:
• Deleted Scenes: Included are Annie, Changing Room Montage, Blow It Up. Make It Rain. Out to Sea., Daisies, Where’s My Phone?, Butt Chug, There’s Someone Sitting In That Chair, I Can Do This, and Insanity Defense.
• Moss Manifested: A look at protagonist characterization and Moss’ performance at the dramatic and physical levels.
• Director’s Journal with Leigh Whannell
• The Players: A closer look at the ensemble cast and the characters portrayed.
• Timeless Terror: Story’s updating without bowing fully to its predecessors, the story’s victim perspective, Whannell’s writing process, and more.
• Audio Commentary: Writer/Director Leigh Whannell
Now, onto The Hunt. A film that is daring, funny, and brutally violent while attacking the movements of the far right and the far left while circling around the theme of George Orwell’s Animal Farm. Sounds too high minded and good to be true. Yes, but you take some very talented people like director Craig Zobel, known for his controversial and deep topical films Compliance and Z for Zachariah and have him work off material from writers Nick Cuse of HBO’s Watchmen, The Leftovers, and Netflix’s Maniac, and Damon Lindelof, best known for HBO’s Watchmen, The Leftovers and Lost, and let them loose on something very unique, and what some may deem dangerous, material and you have the makings of a built in cult film for the ages.
Cuse and Lindelof have taken the high road with this familiar story about hunting humans and have made it not only their own, but have created something so topical and incendiary that it could easily rile up both extremists of the political spectrum. Zobel’s execution (pun intended) of this is like watching a ballet of violence that we have not seen since Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange.
A dozen rednecks primarily leaning towards the far right have been dropped off in the middle of a forest, bound and gagged. They have no idea where they are or how they got there. They are suddenly presented with a cache of weapons. But, no sooner do they pick their poison, then the lot are picked off one-by-one by unknown assailants. Later, it’s revealed that the other side happens to be of an extreme left wing movement that strongly feel as if their prey turned them into victims of society, and they are now exacting their revenge. The only hitch, one on the far right may not be who everyone thinks they are.
What Zobel, Cuse and Lindelof add to this mix to make it all the more interesting is the off-beat dark humor that runs rampant throughout, and the notion that no one is safe. We are in the dark for at least the first twenty minutes or so as to who the main character may be. Like the original movie, Alien, no one had a clue that Ripley would end up being a balls-to-the-walls action hero. This make The Hunt a hundred more times interesting than any of its predecessors, and had me cheering for the one redeeming character.
Sad news, Universal has cheaped out on bonuses and a 4K presentation. This is unfortunate. But, the good news is that the Blu 1080p presentation is crystal clear and razor sharp. The attention to detail goes without saying. Colors are spot on while that may leave some gagging with some of the grosser sequences. There is a purpose to the color presentation with warm and cool representing mood, and it’s captured to full effect. The action is beautifully staged and never blurs. This is a big plus for action film fans.
The DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 is pulse pounding. Every little snap, crackle, and BOOM is brought to maximum effect. Dialogue is essential for this particular action film due to the outrageous humor, and it never skips a beat with this clear presentation. Surround effects are never overused, giving us jolts where they should be with no cheap cheat moments.
As mentioned, I cried foul when it came to the supplemental material. There is just so little here for this kind of film that commands a much broader look into its inception. We don’t even get a commentary. What the heck?! What we’re left with is…
• Crafting The Hunt
• Death Scene Breakdowns
• Athena vs. Crystal: Hunter or Hunted?
I strongly recommend seeing The Hunt. A somewhat anarchistic film with an important message for this day and age that states the lines of division have been drawn so ridiculously deep that it’s going to take some drastic action to settle everyone down. I place the film right up there with the previous films mentioned: Fight Club, A Clockwork Orange, Taxi Driver and V for Vendetta.
Lowest Price: The Invisible Man – $22.99 – Target and Amazon
The Hunt – $21.95 – Amazon
Visit Ray’s blog at themonsterinmyhead.com
