My Take: It' ain't great, but its funny and interesting, and packed with wildly imaginative special effects.

Part-Hitchcockian manhunt thriller, part-James Whale and part-screwball special effects comedy, John Carpenter's 1992 misunderstood MEMOIRS OF AN INVISIBLE MAN is a delightful although not entirely great comedy. Or was it really meant to be a comedy? Although it's obviously a Chevy Chase vehicle pumped up by (for-the-time) groundbreaking special effects. But was it really a comedy? John Carpenter refuses to tell us exactly what the identity of, not the character, bu the movie. It was both a thriller, a comedy and a love story at the same time. And, although Carpenter wasn't able to balance all three genres together and make them mesh together completely, he does provide an interesting and skillfully-made little film. The special effects are dated compared to today's standards (By the following year, these kind of special effects would be extinct and would make way for CGI with JURASSIC PARK) but they are still quite convincing at some scenes. As a matter of fact, they're actually quite funny in some scenes (The scene where Chase sees the food he just ate digesting was pretty hilarious). The performances are decent at best, with Sam Niell in fine form as the antagonist, a ruthless undercover agent, and Daryll Hannah as a fine damsel-in-distress. Chase is pretty good too, although due to his comedic screen presence, it's quite hard to take him seriously during his scenes that are meant to be serious.

Although flawed, MEMOIRS OF AN INVISIBLE MAN is a skillfully-paced and hilarious film. It might be an overstatement to say Carpenter was in control here, but no one can say he didn't at least do a passable job.

Rating: *** out of 5.

I have to admit, I was very skeptical about this movie, mostly because most John Carpenter's attempts to do something else than horror or sci-fi have been complete disasters. And having Chevy "cheap comedies" Chase on the cover didn't help. But I'm glad that there still are a few positive surprises lurking in the video rental shelves.

Most movies involving invisible people have been pure special effects extravaganzas with few thrills, so seeing this film was a pleasant fresh meat to the grinder. Performances are great, except perhaps for Hannah (but as she is there for looks, it doesn't hurt). Chase's performance is as solid as it can get and even though there are slight hints of his generic and all-seen comedic maneuvers here and there, when combined with ILM special effects they're fine - a bit like Jim Carrey in "The Mask". Sam Neil is great bad guy, but that's no news for everyone who has seen third "The Omen".

Not to spoil things, I can say that the plot is fine and has several innovative ideas. Just don't expect anything genre-defining or even remotely intelligent, and you're in for an entertaining ride.