From the makers of "Batman Begins" (2005) comes "The Invisible," one of the most mediocre films this year. Don't be fooled by the seemingly intriguing trailer; despite the appealing idea of high school golden boys prancing around haunting folks, "The Invisible" has no positive attributes.
Suffice to say that it is at least somewhat entertaining, even though the acting is appalling, the plot is full of holes, and the development is as mature as a high school romantic comedy.
What makes "The Invisible" possible to live through is the vaguely interesting premise. Nick Powell (Justin Chatwin) is outwardly hard working, charming and well-liked, but behind the scenes he is constantly (and ever-so-dramatically) oppressed and suffocated by his overprotective mother, Diane Powell (Marcia Gay Harden). In order to finance his own secret attempts at independence, Powell sells essays to kids either too lazy or too stupid to do their own work. On the other side of the cafeteria is Annie Newton (Margarita Levieva), a troubled girl neglected by her financially struggling family who resorted to selling various stolen goods to kids at school - see the subtle connection yet?
After a deal goes sour with Nick's friend Pete (Chris Marquette), events are set into motion, which later leads to Annie assulting Nick in a forest near his home, throwing his body into a storm sewer and leaving him for dead - or so she thought. Moments after, Nick leaves the forest without a scratch on him; however, he soon discovers that he's not dead and he's not alive - he's invisible. This apparently is a characteristic that people (and evidently animals as well) acquire if they are dangerously close to death. For some reason never really asserted, it turns out Annie is the only one that can hear him speaking to her (insert clever emotionally deep implications here).
The plot possibly could have been developed into something better, but it is the entire cast that brings this one down. The acting across the board is absolutely appalling. Justin Chatwin joins Margarita Levieva to make up the cheesiest pair to grace the silver screen. Their relationship seems completely contrived, whether loving or hating each other, and their "good" and "bad" sides are so blatant that neither character has a glimpse of depth or complexity.
It probably has something to do with career maturity level. Neither actor has much reputable experience to speak of, but both have dabbled in television here and there. Ironically, "The Invisible" has a style very reminiscent of a high school TV show. It's full of elongated drama that never gets fully explained or really resolved, the acting is wretched, and the plotline revolves around characters that are completely stereotypical.
Marcia Gay Harden, despite a history of involvement with acclaimed films, has made a Hilary Swank-esque ("The Reaping" [2007]) bad career move with this one. As Nick's mother, she plays the stereotypical overbearing widow, left to raise a teenage boy on her own. Her character is as annoying as it is vapid, but at least her presence provides for some banal family drama throughout, indicating that no one is as perfect as they appear. How's that for an original moral message?
Harden really has no excuse since her other recent endeavours, "The Hoax" (2006) and "Canvas" (2006), proved she wasn't just desperate for a job. It seems that these days, the surreal thrillers just reel in the big name actors and then spit them out on the other side in the absolutely horrid end product.
"The Invisible" is truly nothing extraordinary; it wouldn't even make for a good guilty pleasure. Anyone with half a brain can see in the first five minutes that the entire film is an underdeveloped ploy to reach emotional depth. Looks like it's time to hold out until the summer in hopes for a good ole Blockbuster or two, but in the meantime make sure you don't see "The Invisible."
