Invisible Man - The Legacy Collection (The Invisible Man/Invisible Man Returns/Invisible Agent/Invisible Woman/Invisible Man's Revenge)

Rating:
Summary: The Invisible Man: One of the Best Films of the 30s
Review: Between directing the original "Frankenstein" in 1931 and his masterpiece "Bride of Frankenstein" in 1935, James Whale put out a little gem called "The Invisible Man" in 1933. In some ways I rate "The Invisible Man" above "Frankenstein." For one thing "The Invisible Man" has a great musical score which heightens the drama in many scenes and helps to speed the pace of the film. The original "Frankenstein" had no musical score (strange one was never added for re-release as it would have improved an already great film tremendously) as musical scores weren't commonplace until a few years later. I also think that Whale had developed greatly as a director between 1931 and 1933. "Frankenstein" has many scenes that seem to be stagey and lack the finesse of Whale's later films.

In many ways "The Invisible Man" is Universal's most horrific horror film of the 1930s. Dracula was a vampire who killed to sustain his own existence, Frankenstein's Monster was a misunderstood and sympathetic creature who killed out of fear or anger, while The Invisible Man is a man driven mad by an illicit drug who kills out of shear pleasure. He commits mass murder during the film on a scale much greater than any other Universal picture. We also have to remember he is at his core a man not a monster.

Claude Rains gives a magnificent performance, in his US film debut, in the title role. Rains, who's face was only seen on screen briefly at the end of the film, had a deep distinctive voice which was perfect for a role that was more about voice than body. This role was the start of a long and very successful film career for Rains who played costarring and supporting roles in classic films from the 1930s through the 1960s.

Also in the cast are Henry Travers, Gloria Stuart and Una O'Connor. Travers was a talented character actor who may be most recognized to film fans as Clarence the inept angel in the holiday classic "It's A Wonderful Life." Stuart, who as a starlet in the 30s appeared in dozens of films before retiring from the screen, had a career resurrection in recent years when she was cast as "old Rose" in the mega-hit "Titanic." O'Connor, supplying comic relief as a busybody inn keeper's wife, played numerous supporting roles in Hollywood's golden age including a the role of Minnie in Whale's "Bride of Frankenstein."

Of course, by 21st century standards "The Invisible Man" is antiquated. The special effects, undoubtedly cutting edge for their time, are not very impressive in the age of computer technology. Having said that, I must admit this film is still entertaining and exciting to watch. The performances, especially Claude Rains, still hold up and the direction by Whale remains spot on. If you sit back and imagine yourself as a moviegoer in the 1930s, having never seen special effects like this before, it's easy to see how stunning this film must have been to audiences more than 70 years ago.

The $20 price tag is well worth it just to own "The Invisible Man" but in this Legacy Collection you also receive ALL of the Universal "Invisible" films (minus "Abbot & Costello Meet The Invisible Man"). It could be argued that "The Invisible Man Returns" and "The Invisible Man's Revenge" are the only true sequels as they follow the adventures of Jack Griffin's (Claude Rains' character in the original) brother. "... Returns" is distinguished by Vincent Price in the title role. These two films are pleasant B-movie efforts by Universal and part of the second horror cycle of the 1940s. "The Invisible Woman" is more comedy than horror and features John Barrymore in the twilight of his career. "The Invisible Agent" was a wartime adventure featuring Universal's top action hero of the 40s, Jon Hall, using invisibility to fight Nazis.

Having added The Invisible Man, The Mummy and The Creature to its series of Legacy Collections, I sincerely hope Universal continues with the balance of its horror titles of the 30s and 40s. I hope to see a release of the films that teamed Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi ("The Black Cat," "The Raven," "The Invisible Ray," and "Black Friday"), a release of the Inner Sanctum series starring Lon Chaney and a set with all the one-off horror films ("Murders in the Rue Morgue," the 1943 "Phantom of the Opera," "Man-Made Monster," "The Mad Ghoul," etc.) of Universal's Golden Age.

Rating:
Summary: More classic stuff!!!
Review: OK, it's no secret to monster fans that 1) the Invisible Man never reached the pinnacle of popularity (alliteration unintended) of Dracula, Frankenstein or the Mummy and 2) That the title film far outdistances this set's other offerings as far as acting, plot,etc. Still, make this set a must-own for yourself. The Invisible Man alone is worth the price of admission. The special effects are still VERY cool, 70 years after the fact. They had to have been the absolute pinnacle of cutting edge back then, and, unbelieveably, look real enough today to remain convincing. But beyond that, Rains' acting, the character actors, Whale's touches, the camera work, all combine to make for an excellent, entertaining film. The others are, again, not nearly as good (though it's interesting to see -- or hear -- a young Vincent Price in Return, and Woman has its moments), but still a lot of fun to watch. The new material is interesting, but could've gone into a little more depth. Still, you won't regret buying this.

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Summary: Invisibly Yours...
Review: THE INVISIBLE MAN- Claude Rains is awesome as the man whose invisibility serum slowly rots his brain. Hunted by police, he sets out to cure himself and get revenge on the man who betrayed him. Excellent stuff! Check out the running pair of pants scene! THE INVISIBLE MAN RETURNS- has Vincent Price as a man on death row, framed for a murder he did not commit. He gets some help in the form of the invisibilty serum and simply walks out of prison! Can he prove his innocense and find the real killer before te serum drives him mad? Great sequel! THE INVISIBLE WOMAN- This one is strictly for laughs. A scientist (John Barrymore) invents an invisibility machine with his assistant (Margaret "Wicked Witch Of The West" Hamilton). A young woman volunteers to be turned invisible and the slapstick begins. A gang of thugs wants the machine for obvious criminal reasons. The gang even includes a stooge (Shemp Howard)! Worth a look. THE INVISIBLE AGENT- Jon Hall is the title character, dropped behind enemy lines during WW II. Can he foil the nefarious plans of the nazis? Sir Cedrick Hardwicke is head of the gestapo and Peter Lorre is an evil japanese spy. Not bad at all! INVISIBLE MAN'S REVENGE- Jon Hall is back as the invisible man. This time out, cheated and betrayed by old "friends", he seeks vengeance at all cost. He encounters a scientist (John Carradine) who has been turning animals invisible with his secret serum, and you can guess the result! Very good! This collection is yet another goldmine from universal's creaky vaults! Add it to your monster list...

Rating:
Summary: The Trials and Tribulations of Invisibility
Review: The movie Van Helsing may have been pretty awful, but it did do one good thing in giving Universal a reason to release a lot of its old monster movies. The Invisible Man boxed set is the second best in the bunch, behind only Frankenstein but ahead of Dracula, the Wolf Man and the Mummy. (I have not viewed the Creature boxed set).

The strength in this set is due to two things: the high caliber of the original movie and the fact that all five movies have unique stories. Compare this with the Mummy boxed set in which the four sequels to the original movie all have essentially the same plot.

The original movie is top quality, principally due to the direction of James Whale, clearly the best of the monster movie directors (his other works include the excellent Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein). Claude Rains plays the title character, initially sympathetic but eventually a villain as madness accompanies his invisibility. For those familiar with Gloria Stuart only from her Titanic role as the older version of the main character, this is an opportunity to see her as a much younger woman.

The other movies are generally decent, albeit lesser in quality. In the Invisible Man Returns, the protagonist - played by Vincent Price - is out to clear his name of murder before going insane himself. The Invisible Woman is a light comedy unrelated to the other movies in the set. Invisible Agent has a descendant of the original character going behind enemy lines to fight the Axis in World War II. In the Invisible Man's Revenge - perhaps the weakest in the bunch - has the main character using invisibility to feed his own greed and anger; although he has the name Griffin (the name of the original movie's protagonist), this is only a semi-sequel, as he needs to go to another character to become invisible.

With the numerous ways that the invisibility is played up in these movies - for horror, for suspense and for comedy - and the heavier emphasis on special effects (which are actually pretty good for the time: you rarely see the strings), this is one of the best of these old monster movie sets and well worth the viewing for fans of the genre.


Rating:
Summary: ICONIC. I LOVE THE GOGGLES!
Review: The opening scene of "The Invisible Man," is visually stunning. The moment when Rains brushes the snow off the sign to when he opens the Inn door is burned in my mind forever. The coat, googles and bandages create a great retro style.

Rating:
Summary: GREAT SET OF LESSER KNOWN FILMS
Review: The problem with the Invisible man is that no one actor is associated with playing the part the way Karloff was with Frankenstein, Lugosi with Dracula, and Chaney Jr. with the Wolfman.

I think that's part of the reason why the Invisible man never acheived the same status of the above mentioned characters. This latest Legacy collection provides five films but beyond the first two, the rest are little known.

The first and undeniably greatest of these movies, The "Invisible Man", proves that it is justly admired. Among its other distinctive qualities, such as James Whale's direction, the film benefits immeasurably from the mellifluous voice and acting talent of Claude Rains as the title character. Although he wasn't the first choice for the role, it's no wonder that Rains became the Invisible Man even though his only previous film experience had been a supporting role in a silent movie. His voice is so distinctive: husky yet musical, cultured yet warm, able to suggest both sly humor and seething malevolence.

The Invisible Man Returns, one of two 1940 follow-up films, is an enjoyable variation on the invisibility plot: Because the hero is a fugitive seeking to establish his innocence of murder before the drug makes him insane, the story has a strong sense of urgency that increases as the film progresses. Young Vincent Price, not yet established as a major star (let alone a horror star), brings his beautiful voice and characteristic sense of relish to his performance. He is excellent at establishing Radcliffe as an amiable, fundamentally likable young man whose personality alters under the influence of the drug to take on a new arrogance and lust for power.

The Invisible Woman is more of a comedy than a horror really. An eccentric scientist (John Barrymore) has come up with a technique to grant invisibility, but when he advertises for a volunteer to test his discovery, he's astonished when his guinea pig turns out to be a woman.

Invisible Agent - As World War II approaches, foreign powers begin to interest themselves in Frank Griffin (Jon Hall), a seemingly ordinary guy who is actually the grandson of a doctor whose work with an invisibility formula is still remembered in certain quarters. Griffin puts his legacy to work for the Allies, becoming an invisible spy.

Invisible Man's Revenge - The last in the series and probably least known. Jon Hall back as the Invisible man returns to England to get Revenge on the partners who left him for dead in Africa.

The Set comes with a new documentary hosted by film historian Rudy Behlmer. Behlmer also provides a commentary on "The Invisible Man"

While the Invisible man never really achieved the classic status of Frankenstein, Dracula or the Wolfman, this is still a great set!

Rating:
Summary: Comparison of new vs old release
Review: The sole purpose of this review is to compare "The Invisible Man" in this collection to the older DVD release.

EXCELLENT. Dramatic improvement - much better contrast and detail. It appears that a different source print was used, and it's much better than that which was used for the older DVD. This is unquestionably worth the upgrade, regardless of all the added benefits.

You can view screen capture comparisons on my website.

Rating:
Summary: LOUSY PRODUCTION
Review: These are fine films and I raced out to buy them the day they arrived. But like the first batch of Universal Legacy collection DVDs, one disk was defective. It stuck, froze, locked, and shut down my DVD player. What the hell is wrong with Universal? Can't they even produce a decent DVD without quality control issues? I have decided NOT to purchase DAWN OF THE DEAD next week as it is yet another Universal product and probably defective.

Rating:
Summary: Great classics for a bargain price!
Review: This is the first of Universal's horror legacy dvds that I've bought & I must say I'm amazed by the picture quality. "The Invisible Man" is over 70 years old but the picture quality is great. Aside from that classic you also get "The Invisible Man Returns", "The Invisible Woman", "Invisible Agent", & "The Invisible Man's Revenge", plus a documentary that mainly focuses on the director of "The Invisible Man". I grew up watching all the classic Universal horror movies & I plan to buy all of the new legacy dvd collections. Although all 5 movies in this collection are very entertaining, my favorite is of course "The Invisible Man" with Claude Rains' amazing performance. These aren't scary but they're simply clean entertainment for the whole family.