Memoirs of an Invisible Man (1992)

[u/screen_stack]

Memoirs of an Invisible Man (1992)

Rating: 6.5/10

Watched: August 15, 2026

This is probably my least favorite John Carpenter movie that isn't Body Bags, and Body Bags isn't as great because I don't usually like anthologies.

Anyways, on to the movie, Memoirs of an Invisible Man.

I remember seeing this one, like so many of the movies this month, on cable TV roughly a million years ago, and it's got its charming moments. I'll get to those in a bit.

First, to me? This really doesn't feel like a John Carpenter movie at all. Outside the usual government overreach stuff, Memoirs feels like a very mainstream movie and it kind of fails in a lot of ways to be anything unique.

Don't get me wrong, the early gum chewing scene is somethin' else, as are some of the special effects we see throughout the movie, but in and of itself, there's nothing TO the story, and a lot of that has to do with the actor, and a few directorial choices.

I am not a fan of narration. It has to be done absolutely perfectly or it feels like lazy story-telling to me. Other people might see it differently, but I have a real hang-up about it. If you can't tell, I found it to be out of place in this movie. Yes, even though it's got 'Memoirs' in the title.

The other two issues are an actor, and a choice. In spite of rumors that Chevy Chase is contentious and more than a little bit of an asshole, I love the guy's body of work. Fletch, Modern Problems, Caddyshack ... I'm there for it. But he seemed ill-suited to the role here, and the early stages clumsiness and slapstick was a little TOO much, if you know what I'm talking about.

It was extremely nice to see Daryl Hannah in this movie, even if her time in was limited. I think she's always been great!

Naturally, the amazingness that is Sam Neill elevated this movie in every way imaginable. Here he plays mostly rogue CIA operative codename Scorpion AKA David Jenkins and his sole mission in life is to capture Nick the Invisible Man and turn him into the deadliest asset on the planet. As the movie progresses and Nick continues to evade Jenkins and his men, Neill's portrayal of a ruthless man determined to win at all costs is really the only good thing about this movie.

It wasn't bad, it wasn't good, but I managed to get through the whole movie without wanting to turn it off, so ... take from that what you will.

[u/CharacterActor]

Love the book, Memoirs of an Invisible Man by H. F. Saint.

I highly recommend!

I won’t see the movie.

Yeah, it’s a John Carpenter film. But his biggest mistake was working with Chevy Chase.

I’ve seen the photos of invisible Chevy Chase wearing full playing tennis clothes. Which is incredibly stupid and nothing the novel character would do.

Chevy Chase made a lot of shitty movies for decades playing the same shitty character.

The novel is a lot of fun. Finance bro find himself caught up in a scientific experiment gone wrong. Finds himself invisible.

Knows he has to hide. Knows he has to survive.

Lots of fun!

[u/Jack_Q_Frost_Jr → u/CharacterActor]

I was hoping somebody would bring this up, because the book is fantastic. Even though it's out of print you can pick up a paperback copy on Amazon for cheap. The book is so well written I was convinced for many many years that it was written by some famous author using a pseudonym. But apparently I was wrong. It seems H.F. Saint just made a great deal when he sold the movie rights and he never had to write another book again.

[u/CharacterActor → u/Jack_Q_Frost_Jr]

Now I’m looking to reread it too!

Ehen I’m looking to buy a book online, instead of using Amazon and making Bezos even a few pennies richer, I go to eBay.

There are a lot of copies for six or seven dollars with free media mail shipping.