"Duh, it's a metaphor"
Written: Jul 12 '07 (Updated Jul 12 '07)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Bang For The Buck |
 |
|
|
Pros: They begin and end at Margarita Levieva
Cons: Over-dramatic, bountiful plot holes, all that good stuff
The Bottom Line: Maybe if it ever makes it to cable TV someday, but otherwise I can't recommend it
|
|
|
| smarterthan3's Full Review: The Invisible |
Unless your M. Night Shyamalan, maybe Bruce Willis and that Osment kid, you should not be taking credit for The Sixth Sense. Heck, I don't think anyone new should be popping up and using that "From the people that brought you The Sixth Sense" nowadays anyway. It's scary in the fact that this is the first film from these guys since "Sense" (I know that may not be the case but, when you refuse to use names and this is the first time I've heard that tag used [Obviously outside of the director and actors already mentioned], that's what I just naturally assume) but a relief because I'm not sure how I would react if I ever had to pay full-price to see another One Tree Hill (Minus the basketball element) meets any given PG-13 supernatural slush film you've been dramatically underwhelmed by.
Unless you're reading a trusted reviewer, do not accept what you read as the plot synopsis. I heard at least five versions of this film's foundation, and only one of them was spot on. Nick Powell (Justin Chatwin) was 13 years old when his dad died in an accident. 5 years later, he lives with an emotionally distant mom (Marcia Gay Harden), about to graduate high school (Aren't they always?) and is going to be running away to Paris within the week to take part in a writing class that his mother disapproves of. His best friend, Pete (Chris Marquette), owes money to the female bully on the block, Annie (Margarita Levieva), who has a callous home life and a boyfriend, Marcus, 6 months out on parole (Alex O'loughlin). Ready for the first domino to fall? While on a grand theft auto attempt, Annie risks getting caught for a handful or two of jewelry, and further conflicts with Marcus when she takes the stolen goods to school the next day. 'Fearing' she's out of control, Marcus snitches her out, and she gets a court date. But she also wants to get even (Although with who, she isn't 100% sure). Her first suspect is Pete, and he tells her Nick talked to the cops, acting on the knowledge that Nick was supposed to have left on a plane an hour or two previous. But Nick drank himself out of going (Yeah, I didn't really get it either), Annie and her goonies find him walking down a backroad and, thanks to a final blow dealt by Annie, is left for dead in the woods. But Nick shows up at school the next day, but no one can see him, hear him and he has not effect on the world (i.e. he can throw a book at a picture on the wall, the picture can crash and fall, but when he looks back a half-second later the picture remains displayed on the wall). He deducts that since his ghost/soul/whathaveya is still walking the earth, he must not be dead yet. So his mission becomes clear: Find Annie and hope he can somehow (Emphasis on the 'somehow') have her reveal his body and its whereabouts before he passes into...the beyond.
While it gets less appealing as the tale goes on, there was definitely some potential beneath The Invisible's surface. The surprisingly positive press it got upon it's release (Here on Eps, anyway) added some fuel to that fire. But whatever diamond was sprinkled in the rough is destroyed by the clumsy resurfacing process that the film's creators took. While the characters are quite full of themselves, place blame on their un-likeability on the writers and not the acting corp which features reliable, if rookie, faces. Justin Chatwin's character goes through several different ringers and he suffers because of it but, while I couldn't bring myself to like the character, his acting never stumbles. One person I did come to like is Margarita Levieva and her queen of darkness routine of her character Annie. Of course, that's because halfway through the film she sheds her pitch black beanie and equally morbid hoodie and produces a beautiful head of hair and evoke sadness from the viewer. Yeah, she's real good looking, even if it was a sell-out move for the writers to do and I think she just earned another fan. But, hey, it works. The rest of the acting crew are just there, really, because this is definitely Nick and Annie's story.
The film's most crippling problem is with major plot holes. **Complete Spoilers Ahead**From the picky (How did Annie fit so much hair under that tight beanie?) to the film's pivotal conclusion (How exactly did Annie's presence at the dying Nick's bedside allow him to live?). **End Spoiler** I'd say more, but it ould soon get mundane and would relate to only those who have seen the film. Which, judging by it's quick exit from most cinemas, wasn't too many.
Some would call it a 90-minute music video, since there isn't too often silence without a band like AFI or Death Cab For Cutie praying to the devil (Or whoeover is in control of death in the film's world, it's anyone's guess really) to join them with their lovers in death. Those who would call this an indirect sequel to the Sixth Sense just need to stop reading right now. And then there are the fans of this film who preach of the film's deep messages underlying a generally enjoyable film. And I 'got' those messages, I really did. I somewhat related to those messages. And I enjoyed watching Nick's realization of the emotionally freefalling woman behind Annie's sullen eyeliner. But it was delivered in such a package that the end wasn't justified by the means. A real shame too. But avoid this one at all costs.
Recommended:
No
Movie Mood: Teen-Flick
Worst Part of this Film: Script
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
smarterthan3
|
|
Member: Jim
Reviews written: 194
Trusted by: 52 members
About Me:
If I was worth dying for, this God is worth living for
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.