Review: The Unseen

Director: Geoff Redknap

Screenplay: Geoff Redknap

Year: 2016

In horror films there are a lot of subgenres, but they all converge in their purpose, which is to create audio and visuals that impart fear. It is hard to believe that there are movies considered as horror movies that do not even try to have something in them that is scary. This is the case of “The Unseen”, a family drama with some science fiction elements that for some reason that I do not know is categorized as a horror movie

“The Unseen” tells the story of bob Langmore, who abruptly abandoned his wife and daughter to isolate himself in a small town. Bob makes this sacrifice because he has a condition in which he is slowly turning invisible. When his wife communicates with him to inform that their daughter is missing, Bob is willing to sacrifice it all to find her, even exposing the secret of his invisibility.

As I already mentioned, “The Unseen” is mainly a personal and family drama. Since the beginning, it is clear that Bob, interpreted by Aden Young (“Killer Elite”), is immersed in a severe depression and has even contemplated suicide. Not much of the movie goes by before the motive of his depression is revealed to be divided between having to abandon his wife and daughter, being trapped in a job he dislikes, and that he is slowly turning invisible. Since this moment the two major problems of this movie starts, omitting the evident lack of horror, which are the plot holes and the pace the story is shown.

The cause of Bob’s invisibility is only lazily brought on. It is mentioned that his father suffered from the same condition and that it seems that it is something genetic. That easily it is dispatched and expected that the viewer accepts it. When this condition is the catalyst of everything that takes place, it is expected that at least an interesting background for it gets set, but it does not happen. Besides this, the plot is narrated in a desperately slow pace. So much so that on several occasions I thought of not finishing the movie and avoid writing this review, although now I am questioning what called my attention to this movie in the first place, what was my motive to finish it, and if is really worthy to publish this review.

“The Unseen” centers in the familiar and personal drama of Bob and has nothing to do with a horror movie. The movie is way too slow and the plot is full of inconsistencies and never makes an effort to be scary. While the acting is decent, it is nowhere close to saving the long 108 minutes of duration that truly feel like a lot more.