Blu Release – 3/5
The Invisible Man Appears
Director(s) – Shinsei Adachi and Shigehiro Fukushima
Starring – Chizuru Kitagawa (Foul Play, Hell’s Windmill), Takiko Mizunoe (Men vs. Women, Turning Point), and Daijiro Natsukawa (Praying at Dawn, Poppy)
Release Date – 1949
Rating – 3/5
When most people think of the classic Universal Monster movies they typically think of the iconic Wolfman, Dracula, or Frankenstein and for good reason. These films are absolutely amazing and have inspired genre fans for decades. However, I often find myself drawn to The Invisible Man. Don’t get me wrong, I love the other classic monster movies but The Invisible Man has always been my favorite. Maybe it’s from teenage daydreaming of being invisible from my peers. Regardless, The Invisible Man has always been one of my favorite Universal properties.
However, Universal was not the only company to take a stab are the unseen. In the late 1940’s Japan got in on the action with The Invisible Man Appears. This is one I had never seen before or was even aware that it existed until MVD sent over a review copy of Arrow Video’s new blu release. I want to thank MVD and Arrow for hooking me up!
**Spoiler Alert** The film follows a scientist who has created a serum that can turn the living invisible. He has successfully tested it on animals but has not moved to humans yet. However, a jewel thief discovers the serum and uses it on himself in order to help steal some expensive jewels. What he doesn’t know is that the scientist that created the serum has not created a cure yet. Being invisible begins to wear on him mentally and he becomes unstable. **Spoiler Alert**
The Invisible Man Appears is one I was not familiar with. However, once the film started I quickly realized that it was going to be a fun one. The movie has that old Universal feel mixed with the Japanese cinema charm. It was a fun and very unique experience that I greatly enjoyed.
The acting in this one is very enjoyable. The cast brings to life some unconventional characters for the time along with some extremely bland characters. The cast does a great job for the most part but some do deliver better performances than others.
The story for this one is the original Invisible Man with some aspects added to it. The film follows a man who becomes seriously unstable once he becomes invisible, much like the original film, but this version spins a crime angle with it when they toss in the jewel thieves. It works and has that Japanese crime drama feel that would become popular in the coming decade. It was fun and worked very well. With that being said, a lot of the scenes feel repetitive. The film could have trimmed some of the fat down so to speak and still tell the same story.
Finally, this is not a bloody or gory flick for those of you looking for one. We do get some classic camera tricks and gags to pull off the invisible aspect. Most of which are very impressive. I had to pause the film a few times just to see how they pulled off some of the gags. Overall, The Invisible Man Appears was a fun experience. I liked it and how it was able to build on the original story. It is a bit too long and repetitive at times but it’s still fun. The blu from Arrow looks absolutely stunning especially if you consider the film’s age. I highly recommend checking this one out.
The Invisible Man vs. The Human Fly
Director – Mitsuo Murayama (Special Investigation Unit, Medal from the Devil)
Starring – Ryuji Shinagawa (The Last True Yakuza, Ghost Music of Shamisen), Yoshiro Kitahara (Kamen Rider, Gamera: The Giant Monster), and Junko Kano (Typhoon Reporter, Black Test Car)
Release Date – 1957
Rating – 2/5
When Arrow Video sent over their Invisible Man Appears blu I had no idea that it was actually a double feature. I was really fucking excited to see the first film but when I tossed it in the player I was surprised to see a second film on the set. I did a quick look and discovered that the second film, The Invisible Man vs. The Human Fly, was a sequel in spirit only but it really peaked my interest.
**Spoiler Alert** The film follows a police force as they attempt to hunt down a serial killer that seems to be hunting down people that served in the army sometime ago. The police uncover a sceientist is able to shrink humans. In order to combat this they turn one of their own invisible to fight the fly menace. **Spoiler Alert**
I went into this one a little more excited than I was the first one. A film following mad scientists, a serial killer, and the Invisible Man…what could go wrong? Well, a lot actually. The characters are not that likable, the story is not as wild as it sounds, and the pacing is all wrong.
The acting in this one is not bad. The cast really tries to get into their roles but the characters, regardless of who they are, are just not likable. It’s not the cast’s fault but I just didn’t care for the characters. The story for this one has so much potential especially for a mid-50s sci-fi flick. It has a lot of elements that I could really enjoy but the way everything is put together is very underwhelming. I love the mad scientist approach to the film but the scenes, dialogue, and pacing of the film is absolutely all wrong. I found myself waiting for the film to end than I was actually wanting to watch the film.
Finally, the film has some of those classic invisible man moments that make the other films so much fun along with some other cheesy visual effects of the time. However, if you are looking for blood and gore you will be very disappointed. Overall, The Invisible Man vs The Human Fly was a huge disappointment. It doesn’t have the same charm as the first film and the story is an absolute mess.
Special Features:
High Definition (1080p) transfers of both films on one Blu-ray disc
Original lossless Japanese mono audio on both films
Optional English subtitles for both films
Transparent Terrors, a newly filmed interview with critic and genre scholar Kim Newman on the history of ”Invisible Man” in cinema
Theatrical trailer for The Invisible Man Appears
Image galleries for both films
Reversible sleeve featuring new and original artwork by Graham Humphreys
