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Collider Says the New Invisible Man film fits in the #metoo era

GV82

Member
Now that Universal’s Dark Universe has completely collapsed, the studio has wisely decided to entrust at least one of their monster-related properties to Blumhouse with Leigh Whannell (Upgrade) adapting The Invisible Man. However, details have been scarce on what this new take will entail. Thankfully, ComingSoon has a brief synopsis on how Whannell’s version will differ from the 1933 classic:
The film centers on Cecilia Kass (Elisabeth Moss), a woman trapped in a violent, controlling relationship with a wealthy and brilliant scientist. She escapes in the dead of night and disappears into hiding, aided by her sister (Harriet Dyer), their childhood friend (Aldis Hodge) and his teenage daughter (Storm Reid). But when Cecilia’s abusive ex (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) commits suicide and leaves her a generous portion of his vast fortune, Cecilia suspects his death was a hoax. As a series of eerie coincidences turn lethal, threatening the lives of those she loves, Cecilia’s sanity begins to unravel as she desperately tries to prove that she is being hunted by someone nobody can see.
says Collider - The subject matter is sharp and timely as this position The Invisible Man as kind of a #MeToo horror film with the terror coming from a real threat and that no one will believe a woman simply because they don’t personally see what she’s suffering.

Source


Great we just know how people are going to react to a headline like this 🙄 I can already see it a mile away, look how they treated Joker, also I like Wharnell, but I don’t want this in my Universal Monster Movies if it is deliberately forced in, though to be fair he may just be updating what has come before. But if that’s a case it has already been misread by Collider & won’t be the last time.
Edit : Hollowman is the name of the one I saw that I was thinking of where it has been done before.



All I want is a decent Universal Monsters Movie again, Is that too much to ask for? the Dark Universe tried & flopped out of the gate with Tom “Show me the Mummy” Cruise and Blumhouse films are hit or miss anyway, but yeah how very topical and yet not that much of a new idea anyway really like Collider seems to think.
 
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A woman encountering supernatural forces but no one believing her is a staple of the horror genre.

The problem I expect to show up will be the preaching. Invisible Man is about the man, not his victims. It should focus on the man a la Perfume and the dilemma of having an incredible power without the balance of relationships to keep him in check. Making it all about the woman and how no one will believe her is kind of boilerplate.
 

JCK75

Member
It's not that the plot doesn't sound perfect it's just concerning that anyone brings up #Metoo like it's not more harm than good.
 

GymWolf

Gold Member
Are you for real?
Because you really think that the average man can became a saint with invisibility?

More easy to think that the dark side take the wheel, is not unrealistic at all.

He is not talking about himself.
 
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Nymphae

Banned
He is not talking about himself.

Perhaps he can clarify, I'm not clear what he means exactly. Does he think a large percentage of men would rape immediately upon getting this power?

I believe a certain percentage would rape yes, but to believe that is a likely behaviour from a majority of men is Ree-thinking to me. I firmly believe a majority of men would have no interest in raping a woman even in the situation where no one would know it was them and they couldn't be held accountable, perhaps I'm naive.
 
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#Phonepunk#

Banned
She seems to have found her acting niche as professional victim. All those years as a sex slave in Gilead finally paid off.
hah i've been reading the AVClub reviews of that show, and every single one is the same, "This story sucks and is unbelievable and god awful but you can't deny, that shot of Moss staring at the camera while an empowering pop song plays in the background was worth it."

she has a brand that sells and it works for her regardless of the quality of material. can't say i don't blame her.
 

GymWolf

Gold Member
Perhaps he can clarify, I'm not clear what he means exactly. Does he think a large percentage of men would rape immediately upon getting this power?

I believe a certain percentage would rape yes, but to believe that is a likely behaviour from a majority of men is Ree-thinking to me.
Ree-alistic? Yeah.

I'm kinda of a pessimistic guy so for me his idea is not far from reality...
 

Gargus

Banned
I already knew I wasnt going to watch this. The only time I've gone to the movies this year is for once upon a time in Hollywood, midsommer, and the only other one I plan on seeing this year is three from hell.

I rarely even buy new movies on blu ray and pay to see them at home. When I do it's almost always an older movie. Everything else I see on Netflix or Amazon prime. Even if this was on prime or Netflix I still wouldn't want to watch it.

I watch movies because I want to escape reality. Every minute of every day I am bombarded by reality on the internet, listening to co workers, turning on the TV, turning on the radio, advertisements, signs, hearing strangers out in public. When I play a game or watch a movie I do not want more of it. I want something that I can escape all this shit with, not force in more. The way reality is forced fed into every day life I'm starting to think of taking up heroine to get away from it because I can't afford to buy a quiet place in switzerland.

I saw a trailer for some show on Amazon or netflix, i forget which, but it had some chic with fairy wings and orlando bloom. And the whole commercial it kept showing review quotes talking about how relevant it was, how it related to reality, etc. That right then and there turned me off and I decided in 12 seconds I would never watch that show, and I won't, ever.

When marvel talked about having gay characters in thor 3, and captain marvel I honestly was turned off of them and lost the desire to see them. Those simple comments made me lose interest. Not because I dont like gays, but because again I dont care about other people's sexuality and I am sick of hearing about it in real life. And 95% of why it turned me off is because they were obviously pandering and catering to a certain group in real life. I ended up only watching thor 3 on netflix and I still haven't seen captain marvel.

At this point regardless of what it is, who does it, or my interest level is in something, if it pushes a political or personal agenda then I am out and they will not make a cent off me. Soon as you start dragging reality into fiction for the sake of trying to cash in on trend, agenda, or hot topic then I am done with you and I'll do nothing but leave a hot fart in the room as I walk out, salt the ground and burn the bridge.
 

iconmaster

Banned
Does he think a large percentage of men would rape immediately upon getting this power?

I think quite a bit of human morality is really fear of getting caught. Rape might actually still be a step too far for most; if only because DNA testing makes the culprit plenty visible. But lesser molestation would be a powerful temptation for many.

So yeah, I'm for real. I'm not talking feminism here; women have their own terrible tendencies, but they tend to be different.

Edit: Here's a hypothetical along a different track -- imagine a box with a button that when pressed will instantly kill anyone you have in mind. The murder can never be traced back to you and requires no messy personal involvement. Now imagine that every human alive suddenly has access to such a box. How many people around the world would die within minutes, just for cutting someone off in traffic or being a little surly at the coffee shop? I submit that there'd be few of us left.

This is probably why Jesus felt the need to expand on the commandment "thou shalt not kill." We like to let ourselves off the hook because, we tell ourselves, we'd never actually murder anyone. But we're murdering others all the time, if only in our dreams.
 
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GymWolf

Gold Member
You distrust the majority but you claim that Iconmaster and yourself would be exceptions? Right.
Take it as you want mate, it's just an opinion.
Umanity is a violent and selfish species and we don't know how we would react to superpowers, your idea is not more realistic than mine.
 

Nymphae

Banned
I think quite a bit of human morality is really fear of getting caught. Rape might actually still be a step too far for most; if only because DNA testing makes the culprit plenty visible. But lesser molestation would be a powerful temptation for many.

Damn I think that's quite a cynical view of your fellow humans. I don't try to pretend that a majority of people are saints, I'm not retarded, a majority of people act out of self interest with regards to most of their decisions, and don't truly care deeply about many people outside of their family and close friends - but I do sincerely believe that rape is a line that a majority of men have no interest in crossing whether they can get away with it or not.

Edit: Here's a hypothetical along a different track -- imagine a box with a button that when pressed will instantly kill anyone you have in mind. The murder can never be traced back to you and requires no messy personal involvement. Now imagine that every human alive suddenly has access to such a box. How many people around the world would die within minutes, just for cutting someone off in traffic or being a little surly at the coffee shop? I submit that there'd be few of us left.

All I know is that I would absolutely have no interest in ever pressing the button and would wish the same for others, and honestly find it a little disturbing that you feel this way about the majority of people you share life with.
 
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iconmaster

Banned
All I know is that I would absolutely have no interest in ever pressing the button and would wish the same for others, and honestly find it a little disturbing that you feel this way about the majority of people you share life with.

The question of whether man is basically good or basically evil* is the root of most divisions in philosophy and politics. I think evidence favors the latter, as hard as it is to accept. It has tremendous "explanatory power."

*With certain qualifications dealing with evil by nature vs. evil by birth
 

Alx

Member
Damn I think that's quite a cynical view of your fellow humans.

The Verhoeven (Kevin Bacon) version explicitly says "what would you do if you didn't have to look at yourself in the mirror ?". It goes further than the ability of not being caught, becoming invisible would remove all your perception of yourself (and also the perception of yourself by others), and you would be left with only your thoughts (and pulsions). It's an interesting concept, and it doesn't seem so far-fetched that the concept of morality would change if the very notion of "you" fades away.
In all versions of the story, invisibility drives the user crazy, but it's never because of the power granted by that invisibility.
 
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nkarafo

Member
I don't think a criminal would use invisibility to rape. To sneak around and steal shit, yes. To sneak and watch as others undress and have a bath, sure. But i don't think an invisible man would want to make himself known that he is there (let alone leave traces like his DNA). The point of being invisible is to do shit while everyone around you don't know you even exist.
 
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Trojita

Rapid Response Threadmaker
Isn't the Kevin Bacon version literally explained with the process actually inducing the violent insanity? Wasn't there an ape or something in the movie that also got violent when made invisible?
 

GymWolf

Gold Member
Isn't the Kevin Bacon version literally explained with the process actually inducing the violent insanity? Wasn't there an ape or something in the movie that also got violent when made invisible?
yeah but bacon chara was an asshole to begin with.
 
Upgrade was based and redpilled. This description sounds like a ghost movie but with an invisible dude.
I wouldn't be surprised if it doesn't match the visuals of the Verhoeven version.
 

Dural

Member
I don't think a criminal would use invisibility to rape. To sneak around and steal shit, yes. To sneak and watch as others undress and have a bath, sure. But i don't think an invisible man would want to make himself known that he is there (let alone leave traces like his DNA). The point of being invisible is to do shit while everyone around you don't know you even exist.


This is the extent I think most would go, women's locker rooms or restrooms like The Deep from The Boys. Going from voyeurism to rape is a huge jump and I think most don't have it in them to ever take it that far.
 
I wouldn’t use the power of invisibility to rape women. That’s fucking gross and wrong. I’m not sure why women think we’re all capable of it. I don’t personally think we are. Murder, assault, etc. sure but rape is a completely different thing.

Anyways, I’d use the power to rob banks and corporations blind and then use all that money to have sex with the ladies while visible. This is the most logical choice as far as I can see.
 

Nymphae

Banned
Anyways, I’d use the power to rob banks and corporations blind and then use all that money to have sex with the ladies while visible. This is the most logical choice as far as I can see.

I want to see this story. Invisible man uses his powers to take down the evil and powerful, help the defenseless. I guess it's easier to believe people want to rape?
 

iconmaster

Banned
Murder, assault, etc. sure but rape is a completely different thing.

Because reasons?

We do this with Nazis too. We demonize them because we don't want to imagine ourselves doing the things they did, but really most Nazis below the upper echelons were just ordinary folks trying to get by.

If one man is capable of rape, all men are capable. Or you'd have to demonstrate some feature unique to rapists; but you'd be hard pressed to do so. Mental illness will immediately come to mind, but psychologists reject any connection between psychiatric disorder and rape. So what's the saving throw?
 
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Because reasons?

We do this with Nazis too. We demonize them because we don't want to imagine ourselves doing the things they did, but really most Nazis below the upper echelons were just ordinary folks trying to get by.

If one man is capable of rape, all men are capable. Or you'd have to demonstrate some feature unique to rapists; but you'd be hard pressed to do so. Mental illness will immediately come to mind, but psychologists reject any connection between psychiatric disorder and rape. So what's the saving throw?

No, because empathy. I can see myself murdering or assaulting someone based on anger and outrage. Those same feelings have NEVER caused me to want to rape someone. That's why I think it takes something different.

Now if we lived in a country that was filled with propaganda telling us rape is ok and that a group of people deserved it because reasons, then sure, I would probably participate. I just don't see that reality coming to fruition.

Rapists are probably mostly sociopaths/psychopaths. At least that is what I think. Obviously none of us really knows what drives a rapist except rapists themselves.

EDIT: And just to clarify, do you NOT see a difference between rape and other violent crimes?
 
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I think it's hilarious that my offhand comment about invisible Kevin Bacon rape has kicked off this very intellectual discussion on how common invisible rape would actually be in real life.
 

Alx

Member
I think it's hilarious that my offhand comment about invisible Kevin Bacon rape has kicked off this very intellectual discussion on how common invisible rape would actually be in real life.

It's actually a more interesting topic than the (expected) whining about feminism and male prejudice. Also it's a central point of the story.
 

iconmaster

Banned
No, because empathy. I can see myself murdering or assaulting someone based on anger and outrage.

Sure. But why would that empathy both allow for murder but prevent rape? Sexual coercion is also often accompanied by anger, I think. And anyway, claiming empathy as a preventative would leave us in the position of necessarily denying rapists can feel empathy... which is your next point --

Rapists are probably mostly sociopaths/psychopaths. At least that is what I think.

As I pointed out, psychologists largely condemn that notion. According to them there's nothing really wrong with rapists, except that they commit rape. The experts could be wrong on this; but you've put yourself in the position of asserting something, without evidence, that's contrary to a widely-held conclusion.

Emotional revulsion at an argument does not actually argue against its validity.

EDIT: And just to clarify, do you NOT see a difference between rape and other violent crimes?

I actually do see a difference. The common refrain today is "rape isn't about sex, it's about power." But... of course it's at least partially about sex. Rape doesn't take place apart from something sexual happening, and there are non-sexual ways to exert power over another human.
 
Sure. But why would that empathy both allow for murder but prevent rape? Sexual coercion is also often accompanied by anger, I think. And anyway, claiming empathy as a preventative would leave us in the position of necessarily denying rapists can feel empathy... which is your next point --



As I pointed out, psychologists largely condemn that notion. According to them there's nothing really wrong with rapists, except that they commit rape. The experts could be wrong on this; but you've put yourself in the position of asserting something, without evidence, that's contrary to a widely-held conclusion.

Emotional revulsion at an argument does not actually argue against its validity.



I actually do see a difference. The common refrain today is "rape isn't about sex, it's about power." But... of course it's at least partially about sex. Rape doesn't take place apart from something sexual happening, and there are non-sexual ways to exert power over another human.

I agree with you in regards to the idea that we are all capable of all things. I'm also projecting quite a bit of my own feelings for sure. Still, aside from some weird dystopia where we're forced to rape people because reasons I just don't see myself ever committing this act.

Let me take it a step further. I would want to murder someone if they hurt my child. I wouldn't want to rape them. I would want to assault someone who got in my face and started screaming insults at me. I wouldn't want to rape them.

I honestly have no idea why someone would want to rape someone or what might drive them to commit the act. It would have to be someone that is either so narcissistic to think they deserve to get some or they would have to be suffering some sort of mental breakdown. All I know is I have suppressed plenty of violent urges in my life but I have never had to suppress the urge to rape someone.

I'm not sure what else to say because I am not going to go down the path of scientific studies. I don't think science has any idea what actually goes on in the hearts of men.
 

nkarafo

Member
If one man is capable of rape, all men are capable. Or you'd have to demonstrate some feature unique to rapists; but you'd be hard pressed to do so. Mental illness will immediately come to mind, but psychologists reject any connection between psychiatric disorder and rape. So what's the saving throw?
Capable why, because of physical strength and a dick? Sure. Mentally though, no.

Also, rape is a sexual thing. Let's say we lived in a screwed up society where women are our slaves and we can do whatever we want with them. You think the majority of men would rape? I bet no because i'm sure this shit would be a complete turn off for most people.
 

Thurible

Member
I think this argument ultimately boils down to not just the nature of mankind, but also the question on whether or not ethics have any objective standard to them.

If you could do whatever you want with no consequence, for what reason would you be deterred from doing something? Relativism states that morals are subjective and can vary from person to person, or culture to culture with no inherent framework in place. Absolutism on the other hand treats morality and ethics as something that is a hard science that is independent of the people that adhere to ethics. Relativists would likely think the invisible subject should be free to do as they like, while the absolutist would likely think that the subject probably shouldn't change their behavior to something more dubious just because they now can.

Then of course there is also the question of what is the natural inclination of man? If left to our own devices would evil prevail? Are we innately good or bad, is there some kind of mixture of both, or is there not good and evil in the first place? Are we only stopped from doing bad behavior because of consequences?
 
Perfect invisibility would be a MAJOR superpower. 99% of men (and women) would use it for highly criminal self serving needs.

Let's face it. It would be like winning the lotto and not cashing in your ticket. You'd better believe that the majority would cash that shit in.

Using it for rape from the outset would be dumb, you'd use it to get rich first.
 
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jason10mm

Gold Member
How would invisibility make you a super criminal anyway? Assuming it only affects your body, you'd have to be nude to be invisible. You would still leave fingerprints and DNA (invisibility presumably wouldn't affect DNA pcr techniques). You couldn't really carry anything away unless putting it in your body renders it invisible as well (versus the Chevy chase style where he is transparent and you can see him digesting food). So other than maybe being a petty thief swiping small valuables or a somewhat novel assassin who is hard to catch without thermal googles, what could you really do as an invisible criminal?
 
F

Foamy

Unconfirmed Member
Perhaps he can clarify, I'm not clear what he means exactly. Does he think a large percentage of men would rape immediately upon getting this power?

I believe a certain percentage would rape yes, but to believe that is a likely behaviour from a majority of men is Ree-thinking to me. I firmly believe a majority of men would have no interest in raping a woman even in the situation where no one would know it was them and they couldn't be held accountable, perhaps I'm naive.

My dog gets a little rapey on people's legs and he's not even invisible.
 

Weiji

Banned
Perfect invisibility would be a MAJOR superpower. 99% of men (and women) would use it for highly criminal self serving needs.

Let's face it. It would be like winning the lotto and not cashing in your ticket. You'd better believe that the majority would cash that shit in.

Using it for rape from the outset would be dumb, you'd use it to get rich first.
He’s already rich though, so strait to rape and murder. Just think of the protagonist as your friend president XI.
 

Weilthain

Banned
I am finding this rapey invisible Kevin bacon man thing way funnier than I should.

Edit : rape isn’t funny I don’t want anyone to get the wrong idea. For some reason I find the joke hilarious.
 
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