The Invisible Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

The Invisible Blu-ray Movie Review

An interesting film that never reaches its full potential

Reviewed by Brandon A. DuHamel October 29, 2007

Going into the viewing of this film having only recently been made aware by our very own Lindsay Mayer (thanks Lindsay) that it was based on a Swedish film of the same name (Den Osynlige), which in turn was loosely based on a novel of the same name by Swedish author Mats Wahl, I hadn’t the time to compare the original sources to this third-generation Hollywood production, but I wish I had because this version was a bit of a let down, so one can only hope that the previous versions were superior and therefore warranted a remake.

The Invisible, a dramatic thriller of sorts, is the story of high school senior Nick Powell (Justin Chatwin), a talented writer no one truly understands who is brutally beaten and left for dead by a gang of school outcasts, led by Annie Newton (Margarita Levieva).

Annie speaks for Nick

Nick, stuck in a limbo of sorts between life and death comes back to Annie. No one can see him, but Annie can sense his presence and eventually hear him as well. In an ironic twist, she is the only one who can bring him back. In the course of their somewhat otherworldly relationship, the two come to realize that each of them has had their true self “invisible” to the world.

It is a quiet film, heavy on dialogue, with an interesting premise that never fully reaches its potential, but for the first three-quarters of it, I was willing to go along with everything. It is the last quarter of the film where the plot goes awry, and things become a bit silly.

In retrospect, the entire film may have been saved by the brilliant cinematography of Gabriel Beristain, which helps to evoke a solemn, sullen, and dark landscape, especially in the rainy night scenes, and by the surprisingly studied direction of David S. Goyer (Blade: Trinity).

The Invisible Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio in high definition 1080p and encoded with the AVC/MPEG-4 codec for this Blu-ray Disc release, the overall look of The Invisible is de-saturated with very deep blacks and high contrasts, where certain colors will pop off the screen such as the green of the trees or the cerulean blue of the day sky.

Disney's transfer - sharp as a tack - does an excellent job at capturing the look of the film. Fine detail, both background and foreground, come through with amazing clarity. One scene in particular that stands out in my mind comes at around the 58 min. mark, where Pete (Chris Marquette) and Marcus (Alex O'Loughlin) are heading into the woods on a rainy night to move Nick's body – every drop of rain is clearly visible in the moonlit scene as the light shines through the trees and the green of the leaves, though slight, bursts off the screen.

The Invisible Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

For this Blu-ray Disc release, Disney have provided an English 5.1 uncompressed PCM mix (48kHz/24-bit), and English, French, and Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 mixes.

I listened to the uncompressed PCM 5.1 mix and its sound was pleasing although the mix itself was subtle. Placement of sounds in the front three channels was well done and dialogue had a clean, strong presence. There was a warm, smooth ambient sound throughout the mix that held everything together well, and the subwoofer was used subtly, but effectively. There was not much in the way of discrete placement of sounds in the rear channels, but I do not believe that a lot of motion in the rear channels would have worked to good effect with a film as quiet and dialogue driven as The Invisible. The musical soundtrack and score used throughout the film came through with great clarity and balance, though at times it jarred with the rather still, hushed mix.

Overall, I would have to rate the uncompressed PCM soundtrack for this disc relatively highly, for it was easy on the ears and well suited to the material.

The Invisible Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The supplements for this release are sparse, but decent. There are 11 deleted scenes with optional audio commentary (high definition; 2.35:1), 2 music videos for songs featured on the film's soundtrack: 30 Seconds to Mars – "The Kill" (standard definition; 4:3 window-boxed) and Sparta – "Taking Back Control" (standard definition; 4:3 window-boxed). There are also two audio commentaries for the main feature, one by Director David S. Goyen and Writer Christine Roum, and one by Writer Mick Davis.

Also on the disc are a few high definition trailers for current and future Blu-ray Disc releases:

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
Wild Hogs
Déjà Vu

The Invisible Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Invisible is a film with a good premise that ultimately fell short of its potential on screen. It left me wondering how well done the original Swedish novel and film from which it was taken are. What saves The Invisible is mostly the incredible cinematography by Gabriel Beristain. This high definition Blu-ray Disc release has a typically superb encoding from Disney, and a well done uncompressed PCM 5.1 soundtrack that make it at the very least worthy of a rental.