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The Invisible (film)
Encyclopedia
The Invisible is a 2007 American supernatural thriller teen film
starring Justin Chatwin
, Margarita Levieva
, Chris Marquette, Marcia Gay Harden
, and Callum Keith Rennie
. The movie was released in theaters on April 27, 2007 and on DVD
and Blu-ray Disc
on October 16, 2007.
The Invisible is a remake
of the Swedish
film, Den Osynlige
, which was based on the novel of the same name by Mats Wahl
. The Invisible was shot mostly in and around Vancouver
.
) plans to skip his graduation and fly to London for a writing program, despite the plans his controlling mother, Diane (Marcia Gay Harden
), has for him. While he is a top performer in school and cares deeply for creative writing, his mother often pressures him to succeed past his abilities and remains emotionally distant. A few years prior, Nick's father died unexpectedly and the two have maintained a strained relationship in silence.
Nick's best friend, Pete Egan (Chris Marquette), confides in him that he is bullied by Annie Newton (Margarita Levieva
), a troubled teen. Nick attempts to step in on one such occasion, only for it to escalate into a physical confrontation. Annie's closest friends are a few violent thieves, and her boyfriend, Marcus (Alex O'Loughlin
), is on parole for similar violations.
Later in the day, Nick tells Pete about his plans to leave for London and the writing program there, and they share a bitter-sweet goodbye. The same evening, Annie impulsively decides to rob a jewellery store across the street from where Marcus is stealing a car. Marcus reprimands her, and later tries to take the jewels for himself, but Annie keeps them and defiantly pushes him to try and stop her. Believing Annie to be out of control, Marcus tips off the cops. Annie is arrested and assumes that Pete is responsible because he saw her load the merchandise into her locker at school.
She later attempts to beat a confession out of Pete. When Annie doesn't believe his innocence, Pete reluctantly gives up Nick's name in order to stop his beating, thinking that Nick will be on a plane to London already. He does not know that Nick's flight schedule had changed and that he gave his ticket to a girl at a party, deciding last minute not to go. Annie and her crew find Nick walking home from a party. They run him off the road and beat him mercilessly. Annie goes too far, and believes she killed Nick. They dump his body in a nearby sewer.
The next morning Nick goes to school to find that no one can see or hear him. He returns to his home to find his mother making a missing person report with the police. After a while, Nick thinks that maybe he may be alive but unconscious. As Nick comes to realize that he's having an out-of-body experience
, he attempts to reach out to Annie and Pete in a desperate bid to save his life.
Detective Larson seems close to putting together the whole truth, and implies that once he finds Annie he will be able to put the robberies and murder on Marcus. Since Marcus is still on parole, Detective Larson adds the pressure that even associating or participating in a felony could send him back to prison. Marcus decides to get involved, so he kidnaps Pete and forces him to lead him to Nick's body so they can move it together to another location. He then conspires to kill Annie and arranges to meet with her. Annie calls Pete to the meeting place also, who is under surveillance by the police. As Annie flees from both Marcus and the police, Nick yells at her and for the first time she turns back and responds.
The two cannot hold a conversation, and Annie cannot see Nick, but she hears some of his voice in her head and has the sense that his presence is following her around. From this association, Annie begins to feel the effects of her actions on her conscience, and stops to visit Nick's room to get a better sense of who he is. The two realize the tragedy of their lives was that they were so similar that given different choices and events, the two could have been close. Diane catches Annie in his room, and she flees. She returns to the woods to find Nick's body, only to see that it has been moved. She confronts Pete, and then Marcus trying to learn the location of the body. Marcus tells her, but shoots her in the belly as she leaves. She shoots Marcus in return, then calls the police to tell them where to find Nick. Nick is saved just in time, but Annie succumbs to her wound after visiting him in the hospital.
Nick visits Victor during his play with his airplane.
", of which The Invisible is a remake
, "Niklas" (Nick Powell) does not regain consciousness, and "Annelie" (Annie Newton) does not end up being shot nor does she die, but instead turns herself in after her confession and apology. Also, in the original, Pete dies after his suicide attempt.
Neither version is true to the novel where the "Annie" character is a neo-nazi. She never regrets anything in the novel and is not displayed in a sympathetic light. Also, in the novel, all the teens are 14-15, "Nick's" girlfriend is pregnant, and "Nick's" mother is not excessively controlling.
with $7.7 million at 2,019 locations. In its second week the film had a 57.7% drop-off, staying at #4. The film grossed $20.1 million domestically and $4.0 million in foreign countries making a total of $24.1 million worldwide. The movie received mostly negative reviews. The site Rotten Tomatoes
report that 20% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 54 reviews.
and standard DVD
October 16, 2007 by Hollywood Pictures Home Entertainment.
Teen film
Teen films is a film genre targeted at teenagers and young adults in which the plot is based upon the special interests of teenagers, such as coming of age, first love, rebellion, conflict with parents, teen angst, and alienation...
starring Justin Chatwin
Justin Chatwin
Justin Chatwin is a Canadian film actor. He played the son of Tom Cruise's character in the Steven Spielberg-directed War of the Worlds, a leading role in the 2007 mystery/thriller The Invisible, and Goku in Dragonball Evolution...
, Margarita Levieva
Margarita Levieva
Margarita Levieva is an American actress. Born in the Soviet Union, she was a professional gymnast before going on to star in the films The Invisible, Adventureland and Spread.-Personal life:...
, Chris Marquette, Marcia Gay Harden
Marcia Gay Harden
Marcia Gay Harden is an American film and theatre actress. Harden's breakthrough role was in Miller's Crossing and then The First Wives Club which was followed by several roles which gained her wider fame including the hit comedy Flubber and Meet Joe Black...
, and Callum Keith Rennie
Callum Keith Rennie
Callum Keith Rennie is a British-born Canadian television and film actor. He started his career in Canadian film and television projects, where his portrayal of Stanley Raymond Kowalski in the TV series Due South was his first international success...
. The movie was released in theaters on April 27, 2007 and on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
and Blu-ray Disc
Blu-ray Disc
Blu-ray Disc is an optical disc storage medium designed to supersede the DVD format. The plastic disc is 120 mm in diameter and 1.2 mm thick, the same size as DVDs and CDs. Blu-ray Discs contain 25 GB per layer, with dual layer discs being the norm for feature-length video discs...
on October 16, 2007.
The Invisible is a remake
Remake
A remake is a piece of media based primarily on an earlier work of the same medium.-Film:The term "remake" is generally used in reference to a movie which uses an earlier movie as the main source material, rather than in reference to a second, later movie based on the same source...
of the Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
film, Den Osynlige
Den Osynlige
Den osynlige is a 2002 Swedish film directed by Joel Bergvalland Simon Sandquist, and based on Mats Wahl's book of the same name. The film follows Niklas, a young and quiet man who falls short of his mother's expectations, and then finds himself attacked by a neglected young girl Annelie and left...
, which was based on the novel of the same name by Mats Wahl
Mats Wahl
Mats Wahl is a Swedish author. He has published 43 books but also written several plays for the theatre, TV programs, novels and movies...
. The Invisible was shot mostly in and around Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
.
Plot
High school senior Nick Powell (Justin ChatwinJustin Chatwin
Justin Chatwin is a Canadian film actor. He played the son of Tom Cruise's character in the Steven Spielberg-directed War of the Worlds, a leading role in the 2007 mystery/thriller The Invisible, and Goku in Dragonball Evolution...
) plans to skip his graduation and fly to London for a writing program, despite the plans his controlling mother, Diane (Marcia Gay Harden
Marcia Gay Harden
Marcia Gay Harden is an American film and theatre actress. Harden's breakthrough role was in Miller's Crossing and then The First Wives Club which was followed by several roles which gained her wider fame including the hit comedy Flubber and Meet Joe Black...
), has for him. While he is a top performer in school and cares deeply for creative writing, his mother often pressures him to succeed past his abilities and remains emotionally distant. A few years prior, Nick's father died unexpectedly and the two have maintained a strained relationship in silence.
Nick's best friend, Pete Egan (Chris Marquette), confides in him that he is bullied by Annie Newton (Margarita Levieva
Margarita Levieva
Margarita Levieva is an American actress. Born in the Soviet Union, she was a professional gymnast before going on to star in the films The Invisible, Adventureland and Spread.-Personal life:...
), a troubled teen. Nick attempts to step in on one such occasion, only for it to escalate into a physical confrontation. Annie's closest friends are a few violent thieves, and her boyfriend, Marcus (Alex O'Loughlin
Alex O'Loughlin
Alex O'Loughlin is an Australian actor, currently starring in CBS's Hawaii Five-0 as Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett. His best known earlier roles include Kevin Hiatt in The Shield, Mick St. John in Moonlight, Dr. Andy Yablonski in Three Rivers, and Stan in The Back-up Plan...
), is on parole for similar violations.
Later in the day, Nick tells Pete about his plans to leave for London and the writing program there, and they share a bitter-sweet goodbye. The same evening, Annie impulsively decides to rob a jewellery store across the street from where Marcus is stealing a car. Marcus reprimands her, and later tries to take the jewels for himself, but Annie keeps them and defiantly pushes him to try and stop her. Believing Annie to be out of control, Marcus tips off the cops. Annie is arrested and assumes that Pete is responsible because he saw her load the merchandise into her locker at school.
She later attempts to beat a confession out of Pete. When Annie doesn't believe his innocence, Pete reluctantly gives up Nick's name in order to stop his beating, thinking that Nick will be on a plane to London already. He does not know that Nick's flight schedule had changed and that he gave his ticket to a girl at a party, deciding last minute not to go. Annie and her crew find Nick walking home from a party. They run him off the road and beat him mercilessly. Annie goes too far, and believes she killed Nick. They dump his body in a nearby sewer.
The next morning Nick goes to school to find that no one can see or hear him. He returns to his home to find his mother making a missing person report with the police. After a while, Nick thinks that maybe he may be alive but unconscious. As Nick comes to realize that he's having an out-of-body experience
Out-of-body experience
An out-of-body experience is an experience that typically involves a sensation of floating outside of one's body and, in some cases, perceiving one's physical body from a place outside one's body ....
, he attempts to reach out to Annie and Pete in a desperate bid to save his life.
Detective Larson seems close to putting together the whole truth, and implies that once he finds Annie he will be able to put the robberies and murder on Marcus. Since Marcus is still on parole, Detective Larson adds the pressure that even associating or participating in a felony could send him back to prison. Marcus decides to get involved, so he kidnaps Pete and forces him to lead him to Nick's body so they can move it together to another location. He then conspires to kill Annie and arranges to meet with her. Annie calls Pete to the meeting place also, who is under surveillance by the police. As Annie flees from both Marcus and the police, Nick yells at her and for the first time she turns back and responds.
The two cannot hold a conversation, and Annie cannot see Nick, but she hears some of his voice in her head and has the sense that his presence is following her around. From this association, Annie begins to feel the effects of her actions on her conscience, and stops to visit Nick's room to get a better sense of who he is. The two realize the tragedy of their lives was that they were so similar that given different choices and events, the two could have been close. Diane catches Annie in his room, and she flees. She returns to the woods to find Nick's body, only to see that it has been moved. She confronts Pete, and then Marcus trying to learn the location of the body. Marcus tells her, but shoots her in the belly as she leaves. She shoots Marcus in return, then calls the police to tell them where to find Nick. Nick is saved just in time, but Annie succumbs to her wound after visiting him in the hospital.
Nick visits Victor during his play with his airplane.
Plot Differences Between Remake and Original
In the Swedish film "Den OsynligeDen Osynlige
Den osynlige is a 2002 Swedish film directed by Joel Bergvalland Simon Sandquist, and based on Mats Wahl's book of the same name. The film follows Niklas, a young and quiet man who falls short of his mother's expectations, and then finds himself attacked by a neglected young girl Annelie and left...
", of which The Invisible is a remake
Remake
A remake is a piece of media based primarily on an earlier work of the same medium.-Film:The term "remake" is generally used in reference to a movie which uses an earlier movie as the main source material, rather than in reference to a second, later movie based on the same source...
, "Niklas" (Nick Powell) does not regain consciousness, and "Annelie" (Annie Newton) does not end up being shot nor does she die, but instead turns herself in after her confession and apology. Also, in the original, Pete dies after his suicide attempt.
Neither version is true to the novel where the "Annie" character is a neo-nazi. She never regrets anything in the novel and is not displayed in a sympathetic light. Also, in the novel, all the teens are 14-15, "Nick's" girlfriend is pregnant, and "Nick's" mother is not excessively controlling.
Cast
- Justin ChatwinJustin ChatwinJustin Chatwin is a Canadian film actor. He played the son of Tom Cruise's character in the Steven Spielberg-directed War of the Worlds, a leading role in the 2007 mystery/thriller The Invisible, and Goku in Dragonball Evolution...
as Nick Powell - Margarita LevievaMargarita LevievaMargarita Levieva is an American actress. Born in the Soviet Union, she was a professional gymnast before going on to star in the films The Invisible, Adventureland and Spread.-Personal life:...
as Annie Newton - Marcia Gay HardenMarcia Gay HardenMarcia Gay Harden is an American film and theatre actress. Harden's breakthrough role was in Miller's Crossing and then The First Wives Club which was followed by several roles which gained her wider fame including the hit comedy Flubber and Meet Joe Black...
as Diane Powell - Chris Marquette as Pete Egan
- Alex O'LoughlinAlex O'LoughlinAlex O'Loughlin is an Australian actor, currently starring in CBS's Hawaii Five-0 as Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett. His best known earlier roles include Kevin Hiatt in The Shield, Mick St. John in Moonlight, Dr. Andy Yablonski in Three Rivers, and Stan in The Back-up Plan...
as Marcus Bohem - Callum Keith RennieCallum Keith RennieCallum Keith Rennie is a British-born Canadian television and film actor. He started his career in Canadian film and television projects, where his portrayal of Stanley Raymond Kowalski in the TV series Due South was his first international success...
as Detective Brian Larson - Michelle HarrisonMichelle HarrisonMichelle Harrison is a British author, whose debut novel, The 13 Treasures won the Waterstone's Children's Book Prize and has been sold for translation in 16 countries...
as Detective Kate Tunney - Ryan KennedyRyan KennedyRyan Kennedy is an Canadian actor. He is best known for his role "Travis Hollier" in the 2006 TV series Whistler and "Jake Harrow" in The CW 2010 TV series Hellcats.-Personal life:...
as Matty - Andrew FrancisAndrew FrancisAndrew Francis is an actor and voice artist from Vancouver, British Columbia. He has appeared in many television shows including Poltergeist, Dark Angel, Twilight Zone, The L Word, Smallville and Kyle XY...
as Dean - Maggie MaMaggie MaMaggie Ma is a Chinese-Canadian film actress. She is best known for playing the role of Perry in Final Destination 3.-Trivia:...
as Danielle - P. Lynn Johnson as Sharon Egan
- Serge HoudeSerge HoudeSerge Houde is a Canadian film & television character actor. He is best known for his starring role in Jon Cassar's Emmy nominated miniseries The Kennedys playing the notorious Chicago mafia boss Sam Giancana opposite Tom Wilkinson and Barry Pepper.Houde began acting at age 35 and has made a...
as Martin Egan - Cory MonteithCory MonteithCory Allan Monteith is a Canadian actor and musician, best known for his role of Finn Hudson on the Fox television series Glee.-Early life:...
as Jimmy
Filming locations
- The setting of the film is in Burnaby, Washington, a fictitious suburb of Seattle, Washington, United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. "Seattle" is printed on Nick's plane ticket to "LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
"; and Detective Larson's business card bears the logo of the "Burnaby Police Department as well as its Washington address, however, most of the film was shot on location in and around VancouverVancouverVancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, British ColumbiaBritish ColumbiaBritish Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, including suburb Burnaby, British ColumbiaBritish ColumbiaBritish Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, to coincide with director David S. GoyerDavid S. GoyerDavid Samuel Goyer is an American screenwriter, film director and comic book writer.-Early life:Goyer was born and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He attended Hebrew school and has described himself as "half Jewish"...
's busy filming schedule [director's commentary]. Despite the subtle disguises to the contrary, however, Vancouver is clearly depicted in the establishing shot of the landscape in the first scene, in which the famous Harbour CentreHarbour CentreHarbour Centre is a notable skyscraper in the central business district of Downtown Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The "Lookout" tower atop the office building makes it one of the tallest structures in Vancouver and a prominent landmark on the city's skyline...
building can be seen just left of the middle of the cityscape. Additional scenes showcase Vancouver's SkyTrainSkyTrainSkyTrain or Skytrain may refer to:In mass transit:* SkyTrain , a partly elevated rapid transit system in Vancouver, Canada* BTS Skytrain, an elevated rapid transit system in Bangkok, Thailand...
running through a suburb and the seawallSeawallA seawall is a form of coastal defence constructed where the sea, and associated coastal processes, impact directly upon the landforms of the coast. The purpose of a seawall is to protect areas of human habitation, conservation and leisure activities from the action of tides and waves...
bordering Stanley ParkStanley ParkStanley Park is a 404.9 hectare urban park bordering downtown Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It was opened in 1888 by David Oppenheimer in the name of Lord Stanley of Preston, the Governor-General of Canada....
. - The high school scenes in this movie were filmed at Burnaby Mountain Secondary SchoolBurnaby Mountain Secondary SchoolBurnaby Mountain Secondary School is a school that serves grades 8 to 12, in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. It is three stories tall and located at 8800 Eastlake Drive, at the intersection with Beaverbrook Drive. It is named after nearby Burnaby Mountain, which is also home to Simon Fraser...
in Burnaby, British ColumbiaBritish ColumbiaBritish Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
(the name of the school remains unchanged in the film, however the mascot and its logo were changed to suit the director's taste [director's commentary]). Classrooms were digitally edited with multiple classrooms mixed in. Students of the school were not allowed to be extras.
Criticism and ratings
The Invisible opened at #2 in its first week at the box office below DisturbiaDisturbia (film)
Disturbia is a 2007 American thriller film directed by D. J. Caruso and executive produced by Ivan Reitman. It is an updated version of Alfred Hitchcock's classic film Rear Window...
with $7.7 million at 2,019 locations. In its second week the film had a 57.7% drop-off, staying at #4. The film grossed $20.1 million domestically and $4.0 million in foreign countries making a total of $24.1 million worldwide. The movie received mostly negative reviews. The site Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
report that 20% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 54 reviews.
Blu-ray Disc & DVD release
This film was released on Blu-ray DiscBlu-ray Disc
Blu-ray Disc is an optical disc storage medium designed to supersede the DVD format. The plastic disc is 120 mm in diameter and 1.2 mm thick, the same size as DVDs and CDs. Blu-ray Discs contain 25 GB per layer, with dual layer discs being the norm for feature-length video discs...
and standard DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
October 16, 2007 by Hollywood Pictures Home Entertainment.
- Audio commentaryAudio commentaryOn disc-based video formats, an audio commentary is an additional audio track consisting of a lecture or comments by one or more speakers, that plays in real time with video...
by director David S. GoyerDavid S. GoyerDavid Samuel Goyer is an American screenwriter, film director and comic book writer.-Early life:Goyer was born and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He attended Hebrew school and has described himself as "half Jewish"...
and writers Christine Roum and Mick Davis - Deleted sceneDeleted sceneIn Entertainment, especially the film and television industry, Deleted scenes are parts of a film removed or censored from or replaced by another scene in the final "cut", or version, of a film...
s - Music videos:
- The KillThe Kill"The Kill" is a song by 30 Seconds to Mars, the song was released as the second single from their second album, A Beautiful Lie...
- 30 Seconds to Mars30 Seconds to Mars30 Seconds to Mars is an American rock band from Los Angeles, formed in 1998. Since 2007, the band has consisted of actor Jared Leto , Shannon Leto and Tomo Miličević... - Taking Back ControlTaking Back Control"Taking Back Control" is a single by the rock band Sparta. It is one of their well known hits and the first single from the album Threes. The song peaked at #25 on the US Modern Rock Tracks chart and #24 on the US Mainstream Rock Tracks chart....
- SpartaSparta (band)Sparta is an American band from El Paso, Texas, formed in 2001. Founding members Jim Ward and Tony Hajjar are former members of post-hardcore group At the Drive-In...
External links
- The Invisible at MetacriticMetacriticMetacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...