Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		2.0
Audio		2.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.0

The Invisible Man Appears Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman April 5, 2021

Note: This film is available on Blu-ray as part of The Invisible Man Appears / The Invisible Man vs The Human Fly.

For all of the frankly awe inspiring magic that modern day CGI has brought to the film world, there’s really nothing to match the wonder that is generated by watching an older movie like Universal’s 1933 The Invisible Man (and its many follow ups, as aggregated in The Invisible Man: Complete Legacy Collection). With decades of special effects brilliance having occurred in the interim, from our 21st century vantage point, it’s still absolutely remarkable to think that the often mind boggling effects featured in the first Universal film built around the H.G. Wells classic came only four years after the advent of talkies! There are a number of fascinating sources those interested can consult to find out how some of the more memorable effects were created, but the bottom line is, even after reading about the techniques utilized, the resultant effects are still generally gobsmacking (to use an appropriately British term, given Wells' country of origin), especially when considering the still nascent technologies available to technicians of the early 1930s. The Invisible Man was a major hit for Universal, and it has of course spawned a litany of imitators through the years (including Universal’s own 2020 The Invisible Man), but even diehard film fans may be unaware of the two Japanese entries Arrow has collected in this new release. The cheekily titled The Invisible Man Appears from 1949 and the kind of bizarrely titled The Invisible Man vs. The Human Fly from 1957 may in fact have no connection other than their titular references to a largely unseen focal character, but they prove that the special effects wizards in Japan had obviously studied Universal’s groundbreaking modes of making the invisible, well, visible.

The Invisible Man Appears both riffs on and departs from the 1933 Universal opus. In this adaptation, there are actually several scientists working on various invisibility formulas, but Professor Nakazato (Chizuru Kitagawa) has the upper (unseen?) hand, despite valiant attempts by two of his acolytes, both of whom have an interest in his pretty daughter. In fact, the whole opening act of The Invisible Man Appears actually spends more time on some of the interpersonal dynamics than on any special effects, other than a hamster or gerbil that Nakazato makes disappear as a kind of parlor trick for an acquaintance of his, who of course turns out to have nefarious motives for using the invisibility serum.

The main thrust of the plot involves Nakazato and his "secret sauce" getting taken by jewel thieves, who want to steal a priceless diamond necklace under their cloak of invisibility. That then involves one of Nakazato's assistants, who becomes the first human to try the drug, which, as in the original Universal adaptation, has no antidote and which tends to lead to madness. There's perhaps a bit less of a feeling of human tragedy in this version, but several of the "reveal" sequences could have been lifted more or less directly from the James Whale film. That includes an "unwrapping" sequence that is almost a carbon copy of what takes place in the Universal feature, as well as other effects, like magically appearing footprints (in this case, pawprints from a cat) which are obviously aping things seen in the 1933 feature. There are other elements here, though, that are more or less sui generis, like a little detour through a music hall performance (the other film in this set also has a musical sequence that just kind of, well, appears out of nowhere).

There are some passing attempts at moralizing here, including an opening piece of text which basically states that science is neither good nor bad, but can be used toward either purpose depending on the motivations of either scientists or those who utilize their knowledge. That said, the real philosophical content is probably better featured in the other film Arrow has collected in this double feature, The Invisible Man vs. The Human Fly.

The Invisible Man Appears Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Invisible Man Appears is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.33:1. The film begins with the following disclaimer (which can be seen in the sixth screenshot included in the The Invisible Man Appears / The Invisible Man vs The Human Fly Blu-ray review):

The Invisible Man Appears and The Invisible Man vs. The Human Fly are presented from the best surviving film elements, which in both cases are 16mm exhibition prints. As a result, both transfers feature anomalies like picture weaving, scratches and exposed film edges that we felt could not be effectively repaired without further compromising the integrity of the original image.

We sincerely hope these issues do not affect your enjoyment of these two rare pieces of tokusatsu history, available outside Japan for the first time.

Arrow is obviously aware that this is a less than optimal presentation, and it's probably also inarguable that The Invisible Man Appears is the less fortunate of the two generally problematic presentations in this double feature set. As evidenced by Arrow's own disclaimer, The Invisible Man Appears is afflicted with recurrent wobble, a lot of damage, including some significant scratching, as well as a kind of fuzzy, mottled overall look. A generally "dupey" look is only exacerbated in the effects sequences featuring "reveals" of the invisible man, which are pretty rough looking, with anemic blacks which tend toward gray, and some wonky looking contrast.

The Invisible Man Appears Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Invisible Man Appears features a sometimes harsh sounding LPCM Mono track in the original Japanese. While dialogue is generally well rendered, some scoring and sound effects are pretty bright and brash at times, with perhaps overamped higher frequencies. That said, there's surprisingly little damage here, at least when compared to the general shape of the video side of things. Optional English subtitles are available.

The Invisible Man Appears Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Arrow has packaged both films together on one BD-50, with the following supplemental features:

• Transparent Terrors (HD; 24:40) is another enjoyable discussion by Kim Newman, who offers a (sub?)genre wide examination of various Invisible Man adaptations.


• The Invisible Man Appears Theatrical Trailer (HD; 2:38)


• Image Galleries

  The Invisible Man Appears (HD; 4:00)

  
  

  The Invisible Man vs. The Human Fly (HD; 2:50)

Additionally, Arrow includes its typically well appointed insert booklet, this one with three really interesting essays, Invisible Man in Japan by Keith Allison, Invisible Men: Ghosts of the Post-War Era by Hayley Scanlon, and Eiji Tsuburaya: The Special Effects Man Appears by Tom Vincent. Cast and crew information as well as an "about the transfers" round out the contents.

The Invisible Man Appears Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Invisible Man Appears is kind of goofy fun, though the whole criminal enterprise angle probably only ends up distracting from the main focus on the sad fate of the "volunteer" for the invisibility serum. There are some laugh out loud funny moments here, including the bizarre musical performance and little touches like superimposing the diamond necklace on the eyes of one of the villains, just to make his psychology overt. Per Arrow's own warning text, video quality here is compromised, and audio has some issues as well, but the Kim Newman featurette in particular is enjoyable, for those who are considering a purchase.