Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		2.5
Audio		3.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.0

The Invisible Man vs. The Human Fly 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.

Considering its emphasis on characters who can shrink to insect size to achieve their (in some cases villainous) goals, The Invisible Man vs. The Human Fly might have just as well be named The Invisible Man vs. Ant-Man (and, yes, that's a joke). In fact, the whole invisibility angle kind of takes a back seat to other elements in this film, which is unrelated to The Invisible Man Appears. There are instead some rather interesting subtexts woven into what is in essence almost a police procedural, as the good guys chase after a seemingly invisible mad murderer who appears out of nowhere (with a mysterious buzzing sound), strikes his victims down, and then disappears just as readily. In case anyone is wondering, that villain is not the invisible man of the film's title, but rather its human fly.

This 1957 film seems more willing to get into some kind of subtle sociopolitical issues, including overt references to radiation poisoning and perceived war crimes, that place it securely in an era of Japan coming out from under the ostensible thumb of American involvement in the wake of World War II. There are relatively few of the "reveal" effects that made both the 1933 Universal film and even The Invisible Man Appears crackle with some energy, but as weird as it may sound from its ridiculous title, The Invisible Man vs. The Human Fly actually has a bit more on its mind than might initially be, um, apparent.

The Invisible Man vs. The Human Fly Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Invisible Man vs. The Human Fly is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.37:1. 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.

This film looks considerably better and more consistent than The Invisible Man Appears, though there are still some source based issues. This presentation offers generally better looking contrast, even in some of the effects sequences, and detail levels are also noticeably better throughout, though understandably limited at times due to the smaller format source element. Close-ups in particular often look surprisingly good. There is still quite a bit of damage that can be spotted, including expected issues like dirt, scratches and reel change markers. My score is 2.75.

The Invisible Man vs. The Human Fly Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Invisible Man vs. The Human Fly features an LPCM Mono track in the original Japanese. As with the video side of things, audio is at least marginally improved here when compared to The Invisible Man Appears. This film has a rather interesting mix of scoring and sound effects, and I for one am going to try to find out more about composer Tokujiro Okubo, since this film seems to offer some proto-electronic effects as well as what might either be a Theremin or a good Yma Sumac impersonator. The score, which tends to traffic in the upper registers, can sound a little too bright at times, but the overall effect is interesting. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly. Optional English subtitles are available.

The Invisible Man vs. The Human Fly 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 vs. The Human Fly Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

There are a number of things in this film that just kind of made me laugh at times, including one character I nicknamed "Man Looking Up Guy", since he repeatedly stumbles across victims and then gazes skyward to try to find out who did the murdering (while emitting grunt like dialogue insisting the dying victims identify their killer). This film's out of nowhere musical sequence is also kind of delightful. But as mentioned above, there are actually some surprisingly nuanced elements at play just beneath the surface of The Invisible Man vs. The Human Fly, at least for those willing to look for them. Video is not optimal, as Arrow's own disclaimer mentions, but is better than on the first film in this set, and audio is similarly also at least marginally better. The Kim Newman supplement is also enjoyable, for those who are considering a purchase.