The Invisible (2007)

Director:

David S. Goyer

Writers (WGA):

Mick Davis (screenplay) and
Christine Roum (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

27 April 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Fantasy | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Life, death and something in between.

Plot:

After an attack leaves him in limbo -- invisible to the living and also near death -- a teenager discovers the only person who might be able help him is his attacker. |

Plot Keywords:

Remake Of Swedish Film | Wilhelm Scream | Murder | Teenage Boy | American Northwest

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Justin Chatwin	...	Nick Powell
Margarita Levieva	...	Annie Newton
Marcia Gay Harden	...	Diane Powell
Chris Marquette	...	Pete Egan
Alex O'Loughlin	...	Marcus Bohem
Callum Keith Rennie	...	Detective Brian Larson
Michelle Harrison	...	Detective Kate Tunney
Ryan Kennedy	...	Matty
Andrew Francis	...	Dean
P. Lynn Johnson	...	Sharon Egan
Serge Houde	...	Martin Egan
Desiree Zurowski	...	Lindy Newton
Mark Houghton	...	Jack Newton
Alex Ferris	...	Victor Newton
Tania Saulnier	...	Suzie

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for violence, criminality, sensuality and language - all involving teens.

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS | SDDS

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16 | Canada:PG (British Columbia/Ontario) | Malaysia:18PL | Canada:14A (Alberta/Manitoba) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Portugal:M/12 | Australia:M | UK:12A | Germany:12 | Argentina:13 | USA:PG-13 (certificate #42920)

Filming Locations:

Burnaby Mountain Secondary School, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

Hollywood Pictures

Trivia:

A subplot was removed involving drug smugglers. It was feared this would give it an R-rating and wasn't necessary to the plot.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The car hot wired outside the jewlery store is a Mercedes Benz with an ignition system that cannot be started in any way at all without the electronic key. This system is called DAS, Drive Authorization System. There is no way they could have started that car without the key to 'authorize' the starting of the vehicle.

Quotes:

Nick Powell: Pete! This isn't the way out! If you die, I die! God, Pete, you're my last hope!

Movie Connections:

Remake of Osynlige, Den (2002)

Soundtrack:

Weak and Powerless

Save your money...

'The Invisible,' directed by 'Batman Begins' screenwriter David S. Goyer, starts out on an interesting premise: After suffering a horrific attack, Nick Powell (Justin Chatwin) is forced to wander the world in a state of limbo in an attempt to save himself. After realizing his time is limited, Nick must put his life in the hands of the one person who may be able to hear what he's saying.

Nick is the main character, who is a pretty likable kid. A skilled writer who considers attending a writing course in London, and changing his mind turns out to be the worst decision of his life. He has a loving relationship with his mother, though it seems strained at times, not partly due to the death of Nick's father. Annie (Margarita Levieva) is a girl Nick's age in school, who is both his potential doom and potential savior at the same time. Nick's best friend is Pete, played by Chris Marquette. Pete is another character who makes the wrong decision with near-fatal consequences, although it isn't his life he puts in danger.

The potential of 'The Invisible' quickly goes sour, though. The Annie character is a perfect example of a cliché in cinema. Annie instigates the savage beating on Nick, and throughout the film consistently does things that simply make the viewer not care about her. She is the archetype school bully, and a petty criminal. Director Goyer constantly shoves it down our throats that we should feel sorry for Annie. What he fails to explain however, is why. She clearly has a difficult relationship with her father, even at one point threatening his life. This is yet another 'why' that eludes us though, as throughout the movie, he is never once seen as a bad father. He never abuses her in any way, even taking Annie's side in an argument with his girlfriend, and only raises his voice to her once he sees that she is a murder suspect. 'The Invisible' also shows us that this town has what have to be the most inept police officers in the history of film. Annie is a #1 suspect in Nick's disappearance, and is being sought after by every cop in the city, yet is for some reason able to travel anywhere she wants undetected, including Nick's bedroom. The icing on this cake is an escape from certain arrest that makes Billy the Kid's in 'Young Guns' seem realistic. The change in relationship between Nick and Annie as the movie goes on is equally forced and in no way enjoyable.

'The Invisible' is not without its positives though. Despite bad storytelling, Goyer does draw good performances out of his actors. Levieva is by no means a bad actress, but a good actress playing a bad character. Also of note is Chris Marquette, who through this film, 'Girl Next Door' and 'Alpha Dog,' seems to have perfected both the role of friend and helpless bystander. Levieva and Chatwin do a good job as two people who each see how their lives could have been, if only one thing had gone differently. These things though, are not enough to save very weak directing and character/plot development.

Overall, 'The Invisible' is not worth paying money to see. The fact that it begins with such promise only makes the decline in story that much more disappointing.