Byron Brubaker (hypathio7)

Even on the special features for the original Invisible Man movies it was admitted that the theme of invisibility has always dealt with nudity. The invisible person strips and in order to walk around undetectable they must not be wearing clothes. Plus voyeurism without being caught is an obvious fantasy. Then any legit adapter of H.G. Wells' original concept knows that invisibility leads to megalomania, so it makes sense that violence would follow. Verhoeven is not afraid of either. The effects, particularly of the gorilla becoming visible again and Bacon becoming invisible layer by layer, are amazing. However, Verhoeven is not as good as he thinks he is at telling a story and developing characters and relationships we care about. Though the effects are not cheap, the thrills feel cheap.

Vincent Price takes over for Rains as the lead, and in the end, I liked this story a bit better than the original. I agree with what someone else here on Flixster said about this movie being more of a film-noir style mystery than a horror picture.

Sutton plays the original invisible man's brother, Dr. Frank Griffin. He understands the danger of the drug since it made his brother go mad, but he gives it to his friend Radcliffe who needs to escape his death sentence. Radcliffe has a better relationship with his fiance and he is well liked by the factory workers who work for him at his mining operation. He's basically a good guy, not a monster, not a villain. True, he does begin to go mad with power, while Dr. Griffin rushes against the clock to find an antidote that will make him visible again. But, Radcliffe uses the madness, the urge to seek revenge, to find who framed him for murder. I like that it doesn't play like a comedy, that it takes itself more seriously, that the invisible man is doing some good by seeking justice.

This was made almost seven years later and there are some improvements to the effects. Except I have to make one exception. The wires are visible more often on the props, but this may just be because Universal didn't spend as much time remastering or improving these sequels as the original. I don't know. Still the props are used realistically. And Vincent Price's voice is just as expressive or maybe more so in acting when you can't see him. Oh, and Curt Siodmak contributed to the script on this one.

I've read all the books, and even though it takes liberties with a few things, I still love it. In this most well-known adaptation, the special effects for the time, the technicolor, the quotable lines, and the simple values of brain, heart, courage, and home are what make it great. It'll always be my favorite!

This was a Disney after-school TV series, but the first few (to-be-continued) episodes were edited together to make this feature length video. It's not what you'd expect from a Disney cartoon- it's darker, more dramatic, a great mix of sci-fi and fantasy, with mythical and Shakespearian characters, and many Star Trek actors providing voices. I stand by my 5-star rating for the story of these heroes!