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Invisible, The
Hollywood Pictures

5.0 based on 15 reviews Read critic reviews How did we calculate this? based on 38 votes Read user comments Rate this movie

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MPAA RATING: PG-13 for violence, criminality, sensuality and language - all involving teens

Starring Justin Chatwin, Margarita Levieva, Marcia Gay Harden, Chris Marquette, Alex O'Loughlin, Callum Keith Rennie, Michelle Harrison, and Ryan Kennedy

A supernatural thriller about a teenager who finds himself trapped between the worlds of the living and the deceased. (Hollywood Pictures)

GENRE(S):	Drama  |  Fantasy  |  Mystery  |  Suspense/Thriller
WRITTEN BY:	Mick Davis Christine Roum Mats Wahl (novel Den Osynlige)
DIRECTED BY:	David S. Goyer
RELEASE DATE:	DVD: October 16, 2007  Theatrical: April 27, 2007
RUNNING TIME:	97 minutes, Color
ORIGIN:	USA

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

75

Boston Globe Ty Burr

A fully felt, decently crafted teen B-movie melodrama, plenty preposterous in places but alive to the vibrant miseries of being young and misunderstood.

50

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Liam Lacey

The Invisible isn't the formulaic horror film that the studio is selling it as but surely it wasn't supposed to be an accidental comedy either.

50

San Francisco Chronicle Peter Hartlaub

The Invisible is, at its core, a character study, albeit one with a Patrick Swayze-in-"Ghost" paranormal edge. But it's definitely not mindless trash. If anything, the movie is too introspective, to the point that it doesn't build enough conflict or tension.

50

The Onion (A.V. Club) Scott Tobias

The film disappoints on its own terms, failing to drum up any sympathy for a self-pitying rich kid who can't pry his eyes from his navel.

50

Variety Peter Debruge

That rare mystery in which auds know everything upfront and the characters, rather than investigating, simply wait for the culprit to turn herself in. Previously adapted as Swedish thriller "Den Osynlige," Mick Davis' script brings out director David S. Goyer's emo side.

50

Chicago Reader Jonathan Rosenbaum

Originality and even a certain amount of obscurity are more appealing than formula. This doesn't work, but I was never bored.

40

The Hollywood Reporter Kirk Honeycutt

The drama never comes together in a smart, meaningful way; indeed, most revelations border on the banal.

40

The New York Times Jeannette Catsoulis

This latest recycling of foreign-grown frights shows less interest in horror than in healing.

40

Austin Chronicle Marc Savlov

This may be a remake of a Swedish film from 2002 (itself based on a novel), but unspooling in the cineplex it feels more akin to one of emo godhead Conor Oberst's more emotionally mopey musical diversions.

38

New York Post Kyle Smith

A 12th-grade "Sixth Sense" with a third-rate plot.

30

Los Angeles Times Carina Chocano

Little more than an extended excuse for a soundtrack.

30

LA Weekly Luke Y. Thompson

And yes, you are supposed to take this all extremely seriously; it probably sounded layered and complex when the writers were stoned.

25

Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman

Chatwin comes off as prickly and annoyed -- they should have called this "Perturbia."

25

New York Daily News Jack Mathews

What might work as a narrative device in a novel - the spirit guiding readers through Nick's revelations - is just plain ridiculous in a movie.

25

TV Guide Maitland McDonagh

A textbook illustration of the American movie industry's ability to take an offbeat foreign film and systematically alter or soften every provocative and original thing about it.

The average user rating for this movie is 5.0 (out of 10) based on 38 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Jessica N. gave it a9:
I thought this movie was very good. It really caught my attention and kept me hooked through the end. The fact that it didnt have a "Happy Ending" gives the movie extra points. Everyone expects Annie and Nick to end up together but this movie isnt "that kind of movie". Its good that it ends on a good/sad note.

Z S gave it an8:
This movie is poorly advertised, but a good film. It is not in any way a horror movie. It is a drama about perspective and the consequences that result from lack of conscientiousness in young adults. Moments of this movie are melodramatic, especially the end, but the realistically flawed characters and (somewhat predictable) reversals make up for it. It is worth seeing. The message of the movie is meant to be taken seriously; the spiritual medium is more of a device.

Tawd M. gave it a1:
Seems like a broken down vehicle for teenage angst, but so many plotholes and moments of "do they really expect me to buy that?'. Its like they make up the paranormal rules as they go, which leads to a very frustrating and almost laughable experience.

Jared C. gave it a0:
The preview looked so cool, until now the movie was so lame and pathetic.

Vikky H. gave it a10:
I thought that this movie was very good. I thought it was full of exciting events and i was never bored during any part of it.

Kevin R. gave it a1:
Must have given lots of extra work to violinists and cellists with its soppy string arrangements which continually swell to alert us that something melodramatic is happening. This story of the poor little pretty boy whose mom won't let him do whatever he wants and the beauty queen disguised as a delinquent (gee with that wool cap on she looks so emo) never gets at anything meaningful but often seems to think it does.

Chad S. gave it a6:
To my utter amazement, "The Invisible" isn't another lame horror movie; what's even more amazing, it's not even lame. I know absolutely nothing about "Den Onsynlige", but the American version of this Swedish import resembles "La Femme Nikita" meets "Ghost". Annie(Margarita Levieva) is a blonde, so technically speaking, "The Invisible" is "Point of no Return"(with Bridget Fonda, a blonde, taking over for Anne Parillaud, a brunette) meets "Ghost". Annie is such a petulant, hateful speciment of a girl, audiences will be taken aback because this is the sort of role that's usually filled by an African-American or Latino actress. Annie is like a cheerleader gone bad. To my surprise, "The Invisible" contains only one flat-out stupid moment: The person who calls the police should be the last person to do so. Otherwise, there's really nothing else to howl(too loudly) about. How "The Invisible" riffs on "Ghost" is sort of fun: Pete(Chris Marquette) stabs Nick in the back(like Carl stabbed Sam Wheat) and causes his "death", but he didn't mean his friend any harm; and Annie(who looks nothing like Whoopie Goldberg) is used as a conduit to deliver a message to the living just like the fortune teller. "The Invisible" also earns extra points for not ending on an entirely happy note.

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