Despite the multi-contrasting reviews of both professional and consumer sites on the movie The Invisible, it took the word of cult author Kim Newman to make me finally pick up the DVD that had been collecting dust for several months on my shelf and see for myself what the movie was all about.

Nick Powell (Justin Chatwick) is the good kid in class, good grades, loads of friends; but something inside of him occasionally makes him snap. When his best friend is being bullied by school thug Annie (Margarita Levieva) he decides to try and get to the bottom of this troubled individual. All Nick's attempts however fail, and he gives up his mission. But unaware to him Annie's bullying on his friend is happening again after she finds herself arrested for various offences (most notably drug related); in the heat of the moment and knowing that Nick is about to depart for London, his friend sites Nick as the source of the police information. During a late night walk home Nick is attacked by Annie and her group of thugs, with one violent kick too many Nick's body is dumped by the gang. Rising from the ground Nick heads for school, only to discover that he is not really there, he is apparently the ghost of himself, now set with the challenge of trying to save his own life when nobody can see, hear or touch him.

I can't say the idea of The Invisible appealed to me in any way shape or form, it all seemed a little old hat to me, I mean I'm sure there are similar movies out there. I suspect this was the reason I left watching the movie for so long, and honestly after months of consideration I wish I had left the DVD on the shelf. I found The Invisible dull, meaningless, and ultimately incredibly boring.

The casting choices are pretty awful a couple of little known characters are trying to carry a movie on their backs, if known stars even someone of the standard of James Marsden I think it might have given the movie a little more momentum, this is a movie that needs a name to become accepted. While I don't dispute Marcia Gay Harden as a known actress I did not feel she had enough involvement with the story, and as a forth hand character would not have had the required input to have any effect on the piece.

Rather like a bird pecking away at a bit of tree, the story jabs along jab, jab, jab, jab; at the same old thing time and time again, I found it almost unbearable. "For god's sake I shouted", on the inside of course "Get on with it"; but the movie does not it just keeps on dragging along as if it's in no hurry to go anywhere. When eventually something does happen my only response was "So what!" The Invisible is very much the case of being a too little too late movie, having had to endure vast sections of nothingness the end fails to amuse, or at least bring any level of satisfaction.

The Invisible is bland to the most drastic extreme, with lifeless actors, a tired plot, and an apparent music score (claimed to be something truly special) that I never even noticed. I frequently suggest that certain movies are probably best left for viewing on television; I can't even find a reason to suggest that here. I found The Invisible so dull it actually annoyed me, movies are meant for the most part to be an escape; and while I appreciate that I have never been beaten up and dumped in the woods, left for dead, then had an out of body experience; this movie is just too much like plain dull life for my liking.

As a final insult I note with every bit of publicity regarding the movie they make a big thing about Nick going to London, like it adds glamour to the piece. Those expecting to see any of London will be sure to be disappointed, as if the film were not disappointing enough.

Learn more about this author, Spencer Hawken.
Click here to send author comments or questions.

---

Add your voice

Know something about Movie reviews: The Invisible?
We want to hear your view. Write now!