Good concept, poorly executed.

Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

The acting in this movie is really good.

The original film was aways going to be difficult to surpass, but while this is an occasionally pedestrian film (especially in its first half) it manages to pass muster and builds towards an engaging climax.The role of the Invisible Man is taken by a 28 year old Vincent Price. He isn't as good as Claude Raines in the role, and is suprisingly ineffective when taken over by megalomainia, but this was just a year or so into his film career and he was soon to mature into an outstanding character actor (and later King of the Horror Movie).Framed for the murder of his brother, he escapes the gallows after a quick visit from Dr. Frank Griffin, brother of the original Invisible Man, ensures he quickly escapes by emulating his homicidal predecessor and doing a disappearing act! Can Vincent prove his innocence and catch the real culprit before he falls into madness caused by the invisibility drug Duocaine?Nan Grey ably provides the romantic interest and Sir Cedric Hardwicke (boring as ever) is the true killer. Some splendid effects (and a few ropey ones) provide a decent addition to the original film. Price's return to visibility is superbly pulled off. Not one of Universal's best horror films but capable enough.

Geoffrey Radcliffe (the always excellent Vincent Price) gets sentenced to death by hanging after he's framed for the murder of his brother. Desperate to clear his name before it's too late, Radcliffe takes an experimental drug that makes him invisible so he can find the real killer only to discover that said drug also causes him to go insane.Director Joe May, working from a clever script by Curt Siodmak and Lester Cole, keeps the engrossing and entertaining story moving along at a brisk pace, makes neat use of the mist-shrouded forest sets, and further spruces things up with amusing touches of spot-on humor. Moreover, Price makes for a strong and sympathetic lead; he receives sound support from Cedric Hardwicke as conniving bastard Richard Cobb, Nan Grey as concerned girlfriend Helen Manson, John Sutton as the helpful Dr. Frank Griffin, Cecil Kellaway as wily inspector Sampson, Alan Napier as mean mining boss Willie Spears, and Forrester Harvey as doddery old-timer Ben Jenkins. Kudos are also in order for Milton R. Krasner's sharp black and white cinematography and the robust score by Hans J. Salter and Frank Skinner. The snazzy old school practical effects hold up pretty well. A fun film.

No, he doesn't. Although credited on screen as a sequel, this is only a follow-up in the loosest terms with the invisibility serum transported into a new plot with new characters. Misleading as the title may be, the film benefits by placing its own spin on the idea rather than constantly borrowing from the first film or heavily referencing it. The movie is also blessed by a (mainly vocal) early Vincent Price performance as the slowly maddening protagonist - a man who has used the serum to escape capital punishment for a crime he did not commit. While mainly a drama, there are some very funny moments as Price taunts those who have wronged him by pretending to be a ghost. He also has some very human moments as he desperately borrows a scarecrow's clothes, talking to the scarecrow like a dear friend in the process. The screenplay here only ever feels half-baked though with Price's search for those who framed him constantly taking a back seat to the police tracking him down. The antagonists are not particularly memorable either and Price solves the mystery a tad too early in, with the film gaining most of its zest from Price evading the law. His evasions are, however, quite clever - especially when the police try to 'smoke' him out and the special effects here are excellent throughout (a struggling invisible hamster is one of the film's best effects, if a hardly showy one). The dialogue is well scripted too. "Take away one of man's senses and you render him helpless," muses Price at one point, lamenting humankind's debatable inferiority to instinct-based animals.

The Invisible Man is one of the greats of its genre so The Invisible Man Returns had a lot to live up to. It is not as good, I did feel it could have been longer, the real murderer's identity is revealed far too soon and is not a big surprise and while there are some nice humorous spots some of the dark humour is on the heavy-handed side. However, as a sequel it does not fail anywhere near as badly as others have. It is filmed beautifully, directed with style and has some great effects for back then and now. The music mayn't be the most original of all scores but it is haunting, while there is some humorous dark wit in the dialogue to make up for the instances that don't quite work and the story is creepy and fun. Although he spends much of the movie invisible, Vincent Price early on in his long career in the title role is perfect, his voice distinctive and his delivery droll and somewhat menacing. Nan Grey's role is not as interesting but she gives a gentle and warm performance that does make the audience warm to her. Cecil Kelloway has some fine moments as the inspector, while Alan Napier looks as though he is having fun and Cedric Hardwicke is wonderfully ruthless. All in all, a good sequel that doesn't equal the original but is leagues ahead of many other sequels I've seen. 7/10 Bethany Cox