The Invisible Man is one of the lesser known monster/horror movies of the 1930s. Released in 1933, it's just in the middle of Universal Studios' prime, but was vastly overlooked by other classic then, like Frankenstein. Either way, it's an unusual classic, but it isn't very memorable either.The film stars Claude Rains, who plays a scientist who has found the way to become invisible, but while almost finding the formula to change back, the hotel he stays at does not let him stay long enough. He then heavily wounds one of the people working there, and soon goes on a murderous rampage. Soon enough, he is notorious across Britain and becomes a dangerous killer, who no one can stop due to being invisible.
The Invisible Man has probably some of the worst acting in movie history, which adds to why this movie is somewhat famous. For example, the police officer, once he sees the Invisible Man, has no legitimately "scared" reaction, which slightly takes away from the scary factor of the character. There is also some psychotic woman who works at the hotel he stays at, and she gives one of the most scary, hysterical performances given.Fortunately, Claude Rains gives the best performance and has a very enjoyable performance as the lead. He is exciting, haunting, funny, and you even root for him at parts. His friend, who eventually held as his assistant, Dr. Kemp (William Harrigan) also does very well in the supporting part. The other main supporting parts are also solid, but very generic and you may not remember them as much.
All in all, this movie does not have much to say. It is a very fun 71 minutes and is the perfect movie to watch at 3 o' clock in the morning. The story is creative, and is incredibly unique for the time. Unfortunately, it doesn't hold up as much compared to what you see today. There are other monster movies that are done so much better, even at the time. The film in 1933 would receive a good 2.5/4, but nowadays it just gets a 1.5/4. Either way, despite the score, you should see this movie. It's so bad it's great. Also you get to see one of Claude Rains' most underrated performances before Casablanca.
