Der Unsichtbare kehrt zurück

While certainly not as good as its original source(sans Claude Rains, sans James Whale), this sequel is very entertaining. It lacks the raw energy of the first film as well as the dark humour. The film begins with Geoffrey Radcliffe about to be executed for a crime we soon learn he did not do. How he gets out of his visit with the executioner is a little matter of drinking a potion given to him by a friend(the brother of the Claude Rains character in the original). In a matter of moments he(Vincent Price's voice) works toward finding his brother's true killer and fending off the madness that comes from drinking the invisibility solution. Price is in fine form though don't expect the hamminess you usually get(a bit disappointing for me). The rest of the cast is very good. Universal actress Nan Grey(from Dracula's Daughter) is lovely, and Cedric Hardwicke actually gives a convincing performance as a villain. Cecil Kellaway and Alan Napier also provide wonderful supporting help. The special effects really shine and are first-rate for their time.

THE INVISIBLE MAN RETURNS is really the story of Frank Griffin's brother, Geoffrey (VINCENT PRICE), who is wrongly accused of murder and imprisoned. Helping him escape is a doctor (JOHN SUTTON) who injects him with a serum to make him invisible. Griffin then sets about trying to get to the bottom of who the real murderer is.

That's the only weak spot in the story. The identity of the real murderer is known much too soon rather than stalling the revelation for better suspense.

Lovely NAN GREY (who resembles blonde Brenda Joyce in so many scenes), is excellent as the love interest. She gives a warm and natural performance as the woman who sympathizes with Griffin's plight. VINCENT PRICE is fine until he has to show madness and descends into overacting with his maniacal laughter. SIR CEDRIC HARDWICKE and ALAN NAPIER set the standard for good acting among the supporting cast. Napier is especially effective as a man tormented by the Invisible Man in a scene that takes place in a lonely wooded area.

There are times when the character of Frank Griffin is written in a way that is most unsympathetic and mean spirited and Price is especially nasty in conveying this aspect of his role. In other words, there's a touch of villainy in his performance.

But the story is a clever one, standing apart from the original INVISIBLE MAN that starred Claude Rains and is well done. Some of the special effects may be a bit creaky but understandably so, and nevertheless the film is a fine example of how far those effects had advanced technically by the '40s.

Well worth watching, especially if you're a fan of Universal's horror films.

There are a lot of reasons why this 1940 sequel is better than the original INVISIBLE MAN. In the first movie, the Invisible Man was a dilettante, a haughty scientist who shot himself up with the invisibility drug "for kicks." Claude Rains played the character with such a supercilious air that it was hard to care when he lost it all.

But in this well-written sequel, the Invisible Man is a true hero. Geoffrey Radcliffe is a wealthy gentleman with class, courage, and a sense of humor. Someone has framed him for murder, and with the help of his devoted girl friend and trustworthy company doctor, he sets out to make things right.

Vincent Price is perfect as Geoffrey. He gives this invisible man plenty of guts, along with goodness, humility, and a wonderfully self-deprecating sense of humor. When madness sets in, of course, Price can babble with the best of them. But this time around, you care. This is a man who ran his business empire for the benefit of the workers, a man who can tease his weeping girl friend about how "lucky" she is not to see his face.

Ladylike and innocent-looking Nan Grey is a horror legend for her bit role as the waif-like streetwalker in Dracula's Daughter. Here she gets to play the same gentle, sensitive type, only warmer and more womanly. Watching Helen Manson sit up all night watching over her suffering love, falling asleep in her chair, and fainting at the sight of his disfiguring bandages, you will fall in love with her yourself. It's easy to see why Geoffrey loves her enough to risk madness and death to be by her side, and why the villain was willing to stoop to murder for her sake.

Sir Cedrick Hardwicke is mostly remembered today for playing kindly, kingly old gentlemen in epics like THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. But here he is a ruthless, cold villain, a murderer who fights for greed and gain. The attraction to lovely Helen is only hinted at, just a glance here and a tender word there. But it gives just the right touch of depth and tragedy to an amazingly nuanced performance.

Just as many critics feel Dracula's Daughter was a deeper film than Dracula, so INVISIBLE MAN RETURNS may well be an improvement over the original classic.

Long live Universal Horror!

In general, it seems that sequels seldom live up to the originals. There are just too many examples I can think of when this was the case. In addition, sequels that take an entirely different approach to the original subject matter often are abysmal failures as well (such as the wonderful VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED and it's incredibly awful and saccharine CHILDREN OF THE DAMNED). In light of this, I was very pleasantly surprised to this see that this film, while quite different from the fantastic original, is still an exceptional film.

Much of the reason for the film being so good was that the film was made by Universal Studios during a very productive period for their horror films. They just knew how to put the whole package together to make a dandy film. Additionally, the cast really helped as well, as Vincent Price (mostly just his voice, as he IS invisible through almost all the film), Cedric Hartwicke, Cecil Kellaway and many others worked together to quite nicely. The writing, also, is a big standout, as the film COULD have easily been just another "hack" sequel. Using bits of humor here and there throughout the film and providing a great ending really made this film worth while.

Universal's first sequel to the Claude Rains classic, whilst not as stylishly bizarre as James Whale's original, is still a very enjoyable sequel. The film stars Vincent Price (who, when he was not covered by bandages or special effects only appears as himself for one minute in the film) as Sir Geoffrey Radcliffe who is condemned for a murder he did not commit, which leads to him to be beg Dr. Frank Griffin (John Sutton) to inject him with the invisibility serum despite Griffin's warning that it will drive him mad. The film went through a few screenwriters and directors before Universal chose Joe May to direct and Lester K. Cole and Curt Siodmak to write the script. Despite being plagued with production problems (the films budget of $243,750 and 27-day filming schedule were not adequate for the special effects and May's time to direct), the movie was a huge hit. It saw the studios back lot turned into an English mining town complete with a coal pile and coal escalator that was 75 feet long, and the special effects by John P. Fulton, Bernard B. Brown and William Hedgcock receive an Oscar nomination.