Genre:
Science Fiction
Release Date: 09/09/2003
Flags: Mild Violence, Questionable for Children
Distributor/Studio: Alpha Video
This appallingly bad sci-fi film about an invisible bank-robber (
Douglas Kennedy) was shot back-to-back with
Beyond the Time Barrier on the grounds of the Texas State Fair in Dallas. The usual cackling and crime is included, most of which was done better in
The Invisible Man.
Marguerite Chapman is the film's one bright spot as
Kennedy's lowlife girlfriend, but the rest of the characters are annoying and unsympathetic. Unpleasant, downbeat, and badly produced, it is hard to see the appeal of this one, even for genre completists.
~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
Even diehard fans of low-budget master
Edgar G. Ulmer have to confess that
The Amazing Transparent Man is a rotten picture. Shot in 11 days concurrently with another picture,
Transparent is clearly not a film that
Ulmer had any great personal connection to, and there's practically nothing here to recommend it. Those who truly wish to study every
Ulmer film for his trademarks will find a few superficial ones here (such as his fondness for repeating motifs in architecture, demonstrated here in the rows of identical teller windows in the bank) -- but the reward for searching these out is pitiful indeed.
Ulmer's direction is singularly unimaginative, due partially to budget and time constraints but also largely due to the horrible script, which boasts cringe-inducing dialogue, plot points that make no sense and characterizations that are strictly grade Z. The special effects are tacky in the extreme, with obvious wires in at least one scene. About the only things that survive this mess are
Darrell Calker's score, which is not great but more than adequate, and
Marguerite Chapman's performance. The actress can't really make sense of the mess she's asked to play, but she exudes a sexiness and assurance that go a long way under the circumstances.
~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
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