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Movies / On DVD / The Invisible Man
The Invisible Man

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The Invisible Man (1933)

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Reviews Counted:29

Fresh:29

Rotten:0

Average Rating:8.4/10

Consensus: James Whale's classic The Invisible Man features still-sharp special effects, loads of tension, a goofy sense of humor, and a memorable debut from Claude Rains.

Runtime: 72 mins

Genre: Science-Fiction/Fantasy

Synopsis: With THE INVISIBLE MAN (the first film in a series), James Whale (FRANKENSTEIN) provides another stylish, blackly comic entry in the popular Universal horror cycle of the 1930s. When a mysterious... With THE INVISIBLE MAN (the first film in a series), James Whale (FRANKENSTEIN) provides another stylish, blackly comic entry in the popular Universal horror cycle of the 1930s. When a mysterious man, face wrapped in bandages and wearing dark goggles, arrives in a small English village one snowy night, things start to go awry. Jack Griffin (Claude Rains), a chemist who has discovered an invisibility formula, wants desperately to find the antidote, but a side effect of the drug is driving him insane. Becoming gradually more unhinged, Griffin strips off his nose, bandages, and clothes before the stunned villagers and sets about terrorizing the countryside. When he progresses from mayhem to murder, Griffin's beloved Flora (Gloria Stuart) and colleague Dr. Kemp (William Harrigan) work with police to try to capture the elusive Invisible Man. It is a race against time to stop Griffin's plans to make the world "grovel" at his feet. Watch for the stunning special effects during the snowy climax to this gripping, atmospheric horror classic. [More]

Starring: Claude Rains, Gloria Stuart, William Harrigan, Una O'Connor

Starring: Claude Rains, Gloria Stuart, William Harrigan, Una O'Connor, Henry Travers, Forrester Harvey, Holmes Herbert, E.E. Clive, Dudley Digges, Harry Stubbs, Donald Stuart

Director: James Whale

Director: James Whale
Producer: Carl Laemmle Jr.
Screenwriter: R.C. Sherriff

[See More Credits]

Reviews for The Invisible Man

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

Rains, with his silky, slightly superior-sounding voice, emerges as pathetic not grandiose, and the film clips along with boundless energy.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
04/27/09
Channel 4 Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Rains, with his clear, sensitively inflected voice, was lucky: it made him a star.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Geoff Andrew
Geoff Andrew
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The strangest character yet created by the screen [from the novel by H.G. Wells] roams through The Invisible Man.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
11/06/08
Variety Staff
Variety Staff
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

No review available.

comment Comment
12/02/07
Cole Smithey
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com

James Whale's 1933 film plays more like a British folk comedy than a horror movie; it's full of the same deft character twists that made his Bride of Frankenstein a classic.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
06/04/07
Dave Kehr
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader

No review available.

comment Comment
01/30/07
John A. Nesbit
John A. Nesbit
Old School Reviews

It is hardly necessary to dwell upon the performances of the cast beyond saying that they all rise to the demands of their parts. As for the settings, they seem very real, and the direction and acting of the uniformed police force are unusually good.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
01/28/06
Mordaunt Hall
Mordaunt Hall
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

No review available.

comment Comment
06/26/05
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

No review available.

comment Comment
06/25/05
Moriarty
Moriarty
Ain't It Cool Movie Reviews

Overacted but holds on pretty well though.

Full Review Source: sbs.is | comment Comment
05/10/05
Stefan Birgir Stefansson
Stefan Birgir Stefansson
sbs.is

Terrific entry in the James Whale horror canon

comment Comment
12/28/04
Jay Antani
Jay Antani
Los Angeles Alternative

No review available.

comment Comment
08/24/04
Eric Melin
Eric Melin
Lawrence.com

No review available.

comment Comment
02/08/04
Daniel M. Kimmel
Daniel M. Kimmel
Worcester Telegram & Gazette

Great black & white fantasy film.

comment Comment
10/24/03
Gerry Shamray
Gerry Shamray
Sun Newspapers of Cleveland

No review available.

comment Comment
10/08/03
Nell Minow
Nell Minow
Movie Mom at Yahoo! Movies

By turns hilarious, haunting and horrific.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
07/30/03
TV Guide's Movie Guide
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Repleto de momentos deliciosamente bem-humorados (obra de James Whale), o filme tem bons efeitos visuais - mesmo para os padrões atuais – e uma performance marcante, mesmo que “invisível”, de Claude Rains.

comment Comment
07/20/03
Pablo Villaca
Pablo Villaca
Cinema em Cena

The story is one of those great mad scientist tales in which the potion invented with the best intentions for its enhancement of human life becomes instead an evil force bent on its destruction.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
03/10/03
Marjorie Baumgarten
Marjorie Baumgarten
Austin Chronicle

No review available.

comment Comment
01/07/03
Philip Martin
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

The special effects hold up surprisingly well, and the story is as compelling as ever.

comment Comment
12/30/02
Rob Vaux
Rob Vaux
Flipside Movie Emporium
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
all

Latest News for The Invisible Man

November 29, 2009: James Whale: Still Passing Strange Opens in new window
He was never entirely comfortable with his success as a director of horror films, but in spite of his ambivalence, James Whale made some true classics of the genre -- and a... More...

August 30, 2007: Goyer Talks Magneto, Super Max, and Others
Some of his projects have been more warmly received than others (The Invisible, anyone?), but there's no arguing the fact that David S. Goyer is a person of great interest to... More...

June 17, 2007: Get Ready for a New "Invisible Man"
This year the always-busy David S. Goyer gave us "The Invisible." Next year he'll be offering a new rendition of H.G. Wells' "The Invisible Man." More...

June 15, 2007: The Weekly Ketchup: An Early "Transformers" Reaction, "Thor" To Hit The Big Screen, The Charming New "Saw 4" Poster, And More!
In this week's Ketchup, an Aussie reviewer gave an enthusiastic review after an advance screening of "Transformers," that Norse god known as "Thor" will be... More...

See All

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