Susan Granger’s review of “The Invisible” (Hollywood Pictures)
In this supernatural thriller, a teenager finds himself trapped between the worlds of the living and the deceased.
Nick Powell (Justin Chatwin) is a sensitive, poetry-writing high school senior with plans to study in London until, in a tragic case of mistaken identity, he is brutally attacked by a cruel, tough-talking classmate, Annie Newton (Margarita Levieva), and left for dead in the remote woods. Hovering in limbo, his battered spirit can only watch as his icily controlling, perfectionist widowed mother (Marcia Gay Harden) and the cops search frantically for him. No matter how desperately he tries to communicate with the living, they cannot see him or hear him. Somehow he must figure out why this terrible thing happened to him.
Based on a 2002 Swedish film, “Den Osynlige,” which was based on a novel by Mats Wahl, Mick Davis’s script reveals everything from the getgo so the audience simply waits for the culprit to be found. That leaves David S. Groyer (“Blade: Trinity”) directing a cast of moody characters who are wallowing in teary emotionality.
Justin Chatwin (“War of the Worlds”) plays angst-ridden and dour again, while Margarita Levieva struggles to summon the necessary inner anger. The audience knows it’s only a matter of time until she doffs that dirty black wool beanie, sheathes her 12-inch blade and seeks some kind of ironic redemption.
Of course, on a deeper level, particularly for teens, it’s all about alienation – trying to be seen, literally and figuratively, when those around you don’t perceive who you really are. All this ruminating on mortality is emphasized by Marco Beltrami’s loud rock music and Gabriel Beristain’s cinematography. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “The Invisible” is a dreary, forgettable 4. Watch it disappear soon.
