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

When Claude Rains starred in The Invisible Man he encountered the unique problem of playing an invisible man. Why it could never be done on the silent screen. You have to use your voice and only your voice to create your character and hold the interest. In this case and in the case of Vincent Price you had a pair of classically trained players who were more than up to the challenge of men who conquered the secret of invisibility. But said secret carries with it the price that it also renders those that use the formula will go mad.

For Vincent Price he has nothing to lose because he's been framed for his brother's murder. Price and his brother were respected industrialists in the midland area of England. Now he's a fugitive who has sought the help of John Sutton the brother of the late Claude Rains who has continued the experiments in invisibility to both find a safe reagent and prevent the psychosis that is a side effect.

Universal Studios if they could have might worked it out so that Rains could have continued, but he had no contract with them. Neither did Price really, but he certainly bought the same standards of classical training and a superb speaking voice critical to the role. It's no coincidence that the later remakes were either played for laughs or were much inferior to the first two.

The Invisible Man Returns got an Oscar nomination for special effects and they are the equal to the original. A fine cast of supporting are well cast in the roles that support Price in his quest for truth and against his own increasing madness.

Dr. Frank Griffin, is the brother of Dr. Jack Griffin (Rains). Geoffrey Radcliffe (Price) has been framed for the murder of Jack and is sentenced to death by hanging. Dr. Frank Griffin is a good friend of Geoffrey's and helps him to escape prison with invisibility. Can Radcliffe prove his innocence with the police hot on his trail? Can Dr. Griffin find an antidote to help Geoffrey before he goes completely insane?

Yes the story and casting in this sequel is great - just as good as the original 'Invisible Man (1933)' with Claude Rains. In 'The Invisible Man Returns (1940)' is it the late great Vincent Price who plays Geoffrey Radcliffe, the Invisible Man.

This is a sequel worth watching. Just like the original film, there is drama sprinkled with comedy - quite enjoyable to watch.

9.5/10