7.8 | / 10 |
Users | 5.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
A scientist finds a way of becoming invisible, but in doing so, he becomes murderously insane.
Starring: Claude Rains, Gloria Stuart, William Harrigan, Henry Travers, Una O'ConnorHorror | 100% |
Sci-Fi | 7% |
Drama | 5% |
Thriller | 1% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.37:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
French: DTS 2.0 Mono
English SDH, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Take a moment and imagine what modern horror would be without Universal Pictures. Without founder Carl Laemmle and his vision for the future of cinema, or his son Carl Laemmle Jr., who inherited the keys to the studio kingdom in 1928, when talkies were rapidly displacing silent films and promising groundbreaking new strides in moviemaking and the movie-going experience. Without early horror pioneers like Tod Browning, James Whale, Karl Freund, George Waggner or Jack Arnold. Without iconic creature actors Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff, Claude Rains, Lon Chaney, Jr., Elsa Lanchester or Ben Chapman. Without Dracula, the indispensable 1931 classic that left a more lasting mark on vampire movies and lore than any other vampire film before or after (save Nosferatu). Or Frankenstein, which pushed boundaries, shocked audiences and has been received with overwhelming enthusiasm ever since. The Mummy, bold in its atmosphere and unforgettable in its tragic romance. The Invisible Man, which features some of the most astonishing special effects and perhaps one of the most unnerving depictions of mounting madness of the era. The Bride of Frankenstein, a complex, wickedly funny, altogether unpredictable sequel that in many regards surpasses its predecessor. The Wolf Man, a once-chilling character drama that examines the frailty of man and the beast within. Phantom of the Opera, though more a twisted love story than a traditional horror picture, a film that nevertheless caused some theaters to stock smelling salts in in the event that a moviegoer fainted upon the removal of the Phantom's mask. Or Creature from the Black Lagoon, which frightened audiences above the water and below with a scaly monster unlike any they had seen before. Needless to say, modern horror, and really the genre in whole, would be completely different than what we know.
In many ways, The Invisible Man looks every bit as good as some of the other films included in the Classic Monsters collection. But look a bit closer and you'll begin to see all is not well with its 1080p/AVC-encoded video transfer. Grain is present but sometimes ungainly, giving way to faint artifacting (watch the backgrounds for the most obvious examples, watch cheeks, brows and suit coats for more subtle instances). Gray tones play host to numerous anomalies, each one fairly negligible on its own, but piling atop one another to create a minor but mounting distraction. And print blemishes, though kept to a notable minimum, creep into the image; lines, specks, fluctuations and other inconsistencies. Fortunately, the rest of the presentation impresses. Soft shots are just that: soft. Nothing more sinister. Noise management software and other cleanup techniques have been utilized, but responsibly and judiciously, with the integrity of the film ever at the forefront. Black levels are deep, fine detail is terrific in many a scene, edges are neatly defined, contrast is on point and... well, let's just say The Invisible Man constantly defies its age. Truth be told, there are plenty of shots and sequences that beg for a higher score. Some will disagree with my assessment outright. Keep your eyes peeled, though, and you'll start spotting the initially invisible beasties that knock the presentation down a notch.
The Invisible Man's two-channel DTS-HD Master Audio Mono mix isn't prone to as many problems as its video presentation. Dialogue is reasonably clean and clear for a film rapidly approaching its 80th anniversary, muffled voices are a factor every now and then but are generally handled as well as can be expected, and sound effects are rarely misprioritized or distorted. Substantial hiss isn't an issue either, and the noise floor that rests beneath the soundscape isn't nearly as intrusive or off-putting as it could be. Of course, LFE output and rear speaker activity don't enter into the equation, even though two options -- a Master Audio Mono track and a lossless 5.1 remix -- would have provided horror fans, new and old, with the best of both worlds. All in all, Universal's restoration of the original audio elements doesn't result in the creation of a unbridled lossless monster, but it's effective enough to raise the hair on the back of your neck. I, for one, was pleased.
The Invisible Man may get overlooked by some, its creature may be more twisted man than classic monster, but that doesn't mean it belongs elsewhere. As essential and influential to the Universal horror canon as any other, it just might sneak up and surprise you. Alas, it's a bit too easy to spot the problems with its Blu-ray debut. While its DTS-HD Master Audio Mono track satisfies, its video transfer has a few too many flaws and its supplemental package is on the anemic side of the Universal Classic Monsters Collection.
1933
w/ Glow in the Dark Art
1933
1933
1933
1935
1931
1941
Includes "Drácula"
1931
1954
1932
1939
1944
1931
1969
2019
The Vanishing Body
1934
1956
1955
1945
1943
1935
2019
2015
1959