I'm a big fan of John Carpenter, but I'll freely admit that the guy's best work was in the '70s and '80s. By the time the '90s rolled around, he only had one good film left in him, and this isn't it (that honour goes to IN THE MOUTH OF MADNESS). The problem with MEMOIRS OF AN INVISIBLE MAN is that it's just so...lightweight. The advance of special effects technology at Industrial Light & Magic meant that the powers-that-be felt it was time for yet another invisible man movie, but far from offering a genuinely suspenseful modern-day classic for the genre, Carpenter made this: a so-called comedy with Chevy Chase playing a guy who's turned invisible by a secret government experiment.

What happens after that? The answer is not a lot. For some reason, he's chased by a ruthless FBI agent, played by a terribly miscast Sam Neill. Now, Neill is one of my favourite Australian actors and this is around the time he hit it big with his dinosaur hunter character in Spielberg's JURASSIC PARK. The problem is, it's as if he's still channelling the same character here: friendly, cuddly, well-mannered and a guy you want on your side. Not the main villain in your film. To make matters worse, there's no real motivation to his character, no reason he wants Chase dead.

So the plot meanders from one pointless situation to another, and there's not a great deal going on. Now, I'm not Chevy Chase's biggest fan, but I don't mind the guy when he's in the right film (and he's a darn sight better than his imitator, Tim Allen). This isn't the right role for him. In fact, I'm not sure it's the right role for anybody. The character's just there for the special effects, a mere cipher, nothing more. Admittedly, the effects work is excellent, but it's not the be-all and end-all of a movie. Without a decent narrative to propel them along, they're pointless, as is the case here.

There are a few good jokes, all of them obvious given the scenario, but I can't help but wonder what the film would be like if they'd left screenwriter William Goldman's script alone instead of tinkering with it. Apparently, Goldman wrote an out-and-out comedy, but the producers felt it necessary to add all this 'loneliness of the invisible man' stuff – as if that wasn't obvious to begin with. As Goldman's one of the strongest writers to have ever worked in Hollywood, this was a real mistake. I think the final nail in the coffin is the presence of Daryl Hannah as the love interest, just reminding us why she's one of the poorest actresses in today's film. There's nothing here to distinguish this as a John Carpenter film and other than a few lukewarm laughs, no reason to watch. Even Paul Verhoeven's flop HOLLOW MAN is a lot more suspenseful than this, but for the real deal, try the classic '70s TV series with David "Rubber Head" McCallum or the iconic Universal classic.

Nick Halloway (Chevy Chase) is an expert stock analyst. He goes to an old fashion upper-class private Academy Club. His friend George Talbot (Michael McKean) introduces him to documentary producer Alice Monroe (Daryl Hannah). The next day, he's taking a nap while everybody evacuates and an accidental explosion turns him and parts of the building invisible. Villainous CIA operative David Jenkins (Sam Neill) tries to takes him for his espionage potential but he escapes.

This movie throws people off. One would expect an invisible Chevy Chase to be in a comedy. However, John Carpenter may not be the right one to direct a comedy. The jokes are not that funny and not that numerous. As a sci-fi movie, it has potential although Chevy Chase wouldn't be the one to lead it. He screams comedy while the story screams paranoid thriller. The special effects are great especially when he eats. All the invisible man stuff is great. I simply expected some comedy and never got satisfied.

In San Francisco, the stock market executive Nick Halloway (Chevy Chase) does not like commitment and is a man with no family and very few friends. One day, he goes to the bar and meets his friend George Talbot (Michael McKean) that invites him to join his table with his wife and their friend Alice Monroe (Daryl Hannah). Soon Nick and Alice make out in the ladies' toilet and when Alice leaves the bar, Nick drinks too much. On the next morning, the hungover Nick has to visit his client Magnascopic Laboratories and he decides to take a nap in the bathroom. However there is an accident in the building and Nick does not hear the alarm for evacuation. Soon part of the building and Nick become invisible. When the rogue CIA agent David Jenkins (Sam Neill) finds that Nick is invisible, he convinces his supervisor Warren Singleton (Stephen Tobolowsky) that would be very important to capture Nick to be studied and he chases Nick everywhere. Meanwhile Nick is seeking Dr. Bernard Wachs (Jim Norton) expecting to restore his visibility. Will he be well succeeded?

"Memoirs of an Invisible Man" is a totally different film directed by John Carpenter, especially the music score that is not made by him. The weak screenplay is lost between sci-fi, romance and comedy and the story is too conventional. Daryl Hannah is very beautiful and together with the special effects, make this movie worthwhile watching. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Memórias de um Homem Invisível" ("Memoirs of an Invisible Man")

Note: On 18 Sep 2020, I saw this film again.