With the exception of The Black Cat; which is a masterpiece, I have had rather fair to middling reactions to the Bela Lugosi films I’ve seen. Sure, they’re all good fun...but something about them always seem a little half baked. So The Invisible Ray was an almost instant surprise, as it differs so greatly from those other films. It begins briskly enough; all of the other films moved at breakneck speed, and the atmosphere in the opening scenes even possess a haunting gothic atmosphere. Honestly? It’s a rather impressive set. But the film isn’t content to reflect the earlier films, and it quickly separates itself from them in several ways.For one; and this is something we quickly realize, the two stars (Lugosi and Karloff) quickly stray from their usual roles as horror characters. Karloff’s character, a brilliant and utterly devoted scientist named Janos Ruhk, isn’t the least bit frightening, even when he glows from super radiation poisoning, nor is he meant to be particularly scary, because that’s not quite the point. And Lugosi? Well, his Dr. Benet is another scientist, and much unlike The Raven, Dracula or Rue Morgue his character here is very much a good guy. It’s a testament to these two actors that they play their respective roles seamlessly, and the film’s greater emphasis on plot allows both performers to strut their acting talents in ways they’d rarely get to do again, while the film also moves at a pleasantly faster pace. The second thing we quickly notice is that this is not really a horror film, but a science fiction film in the tradition of films that...well, weren’t to come for many years, and much of it is well ahead of its time and still fascinating today.
The film’s tone changes as its scenery changes...moving from Ruhk’s semi-gothic laboratory to the Nigerian veldt, in which the intrepid scientists hope to discover the radioactive element which Ruhk had found by harnessing the light of cosmic rays, briefly becoming an adventure film. What really makes the film stand apart from the other Universal horror films is the depth of Ruhk’s character, and the time it spends on setting his tragic figure up. As he discovers the element, which he calls Radium X, he realizes that the powerful element has poisoned him, and that without medication, he will not only die, but kill those he touches. What follows then is a descent into madness, as he takes his comrades’ independant research into the element he discovered to be a betrayal, and seeks his revenge, with surprisingly grim results.
In the end, I have to admit...this is a surprisingly good movie. It’s a junky bit of science fiction, but its imaginative and fun, well performed and spritely paced, with special effects that could pass for a sci-fi effort of the 50s, and very amusing in certain parts (such as how the male love interest; in Universal tradition, proves to be a rather useless figure). I was particularly enamored with the way the titular laser weapon melted a huge stone (though unfortunately we never see it melt anything else, we only hear about it melting some statues). Its only real flaws would be that, aside from Ruhk and Benet, we don’t really wind up caring too much about the characters, even though it sets us up to invest some degree of emotional interest in Frances Drake’s character (still, better than previous films). Also, once you get past how unusually well crafted it is, there isn’t much point to it besides a mature sci-fi potboiler. But it holds up great, and sci fi geeks should run and not walk. On a 100 scale, I would give this film an 82.
The DVD I have is part of Universal’s Bela Lugosi collection, alongside Murders in the Rue Morgue, The Black Cat, The Raven and Black Friday. As with all films in the set thus far, it is in pristine shape and has a crisp transfer. With only one more film to go; Black Friday, I still say that this set is a glorified special edition of The Black Cat; a masterpiece of gothic American cinema, but I think this film is likely the second best in the set, and well worth seeing.
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