What would you do if you could make yourself invisible? No wait, forget about sneaking into bedrooms and dressing rooms, what would you really do? Rob banks and jewelry stores without the risk of getting caught, of course! That is also what happens here. The acclaimed Dr. Nakazato (whose haircut seems to be inspired by Albert Einstein) invents a serum that is the biggest scientific discovery of the century, and yet his friend & business partner is only interested in using it to steal a diamond necklace! He persuades Nakazato's student Dr. Kawabe to collaborate, but there are a few complications. The serum causes extremely aggressive temper, and the antidote to undo the invisibility effects doesn't exist yet.
We all assumed that Japan's horror & monster legacy started in 1954 with the phenomenal "Godzilla", but this one is still a few years older. Overall speaking, "The Invisible Man Appears" is a disappointing and dull pioneer. It's inspired by - or you might even say: blatantly stolen from - the genius Universal classic from 1933 directed by James Whale and starring Claude Rains. The Japanese version adds nothing even remotely interesting to the H. G. Wells' story and seemingly the most useful purpose of "The Invisible Man Appears" is that it served as good practice for special effects wizard Eiji Tsuburaya. The special effects are very well-handled but, again, nothing new here. We see smoking cigarettes floating in the air, unwrapping of bandages, and a motorcycle without a driver, but these (or similar) effects also featured in the 1933 landmark already.
Followed by a sequel that is slightly better, namely "The Invisible Man vs the Human Fly")
