While The Invisible falls into the general category of supernatural thriller, and although a couple of the people involved were also involved in the classic standard-bearer of this genre, no one will be confusing The Invisible with The Sixth Sense any time soon.
The Invisible tells a bit of an implausible tale of a young writer, Nick Powell, who is brutally attacked and left for dead. Next thing he knows, Nick’s a ghost but only the gal primarily responsible for his murder can see him. Then Nick finds out his body’s still alive and if he can get someone to find it in time, he still has a chance to live. That, unfortunately, means having to deal with the street-hardened young woman who put him in the whole predicament in the first place.
The implausibility of a potential murderer helping to save her victim is glossed over by a rather contrived romantic connection the two develop as he haunts her. Which is explained by the idea that they used to be friends in elementary school. Or something like that. It gets a bit too convoluted for most viewers if you let the details of the plot matter much to you.
What this all boils down to is that screenwriter Mick Davis isn’t quite in the same league as M. Night Shyamalan as a storyteller. That said, a cast made up predominantly of unknowns does as well as they can with the material at hand and manage to keep the film watchable. Veteran director David S. Goyer performs well but, like Davis, does not fare well in comparison to Shyamalan. Still, give the man a Rolex Submariner for a decent effort that ultimately falls short of its goal.
The Blu-Ray package is sharp, offering the full 1080p experience for those who are equipped to take full advantage; however, the Blu-Ray package isn’t exactly taken advantage of by the studio, as it features only the exact same special features as the regular DVD, just in 1080p rather than standard definition. It would be nice, just once, to see some studio take advantage of all the extra storage space on a Blu-Ray disc to load up on a bunch of extra features the standard DVD lacks or needs a second DVD in order to include it.
All in all, it’s a decent package, but unless you’re planning on getting a 1080p system, or already have one, the standard-edition DVD is a bit less expensive. Fans of supernatural thrillers will probably enjoy this film, although it’s unlikely to convert those who only like this sort of film once in a while into a fan of the genre. Most folks with want to rent before they buy.
