Ketrivie
It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.
Brennan Camacho
Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.
Ezmae Chang
This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.
poe-48833
The so-called "junk science" postulated in THE INVISIBLE RAY came as quite a shock to me: I've maintained since I was a teenager that it might actually be possible to look into the Past in exactly the same way. I'm no scientist (far from it), but the notion of Light traveling away from a star that no longer exists still being visible to us, here and now, makes the argument at least plausible. MY theory (such as it is) would require traveling to the point in Space at which the Earth was first "touched" by the aforementioned Starlight to observe Past Events. Sound shaky? Plausible? At any rate, THE INVISIBLE RAY was a most pleasant surprise. Highly recommended.
utgard14
Brilliant scientist Janos Rukh (Boris Karloff) discovers a rare element called Radium X that has unusual properties. Dr. Felix Benet (Bela Lugosi) encourages Rukh to hand over his work on Radium X because it could be used for the benefit of mankind. But Rukh refuses to do so until his research is complete. After discovering the exposure to the element has made him radioactive and lethal to touch, Rukh turns to Benet for help. Benet creates a temporary antidote for Rukh and then promptly steals his research and presents it to the scientific community, which praises Radium X's healing properties. Enraged by this and his wife (Frances Drake) leaving him for another man (Frank Lawton), Rukh fakes his own death and uses his lethal touch to seek revenge against those who have wronged him.Another good Karloff/Lugosi film. This one is an early foray into science fiction by Universal. Karloff is marvelous as always. Lugosi gives a fine, surprisingly restrained performance. More proof that he was a better actor than he's often said to be. It's also a credit to the script that his character doesn't go the clichéd route of becoming a full villain. Actually, that's one of the more intriguing things about this movie. There are no clear-cut black & white heroes. Though the narrative often portrays Karloff as the villain, the "good guys" consist of two adulterers, two thieves, and an obnoxious old crow. That's to say nothing of a mother who betrays her son even after he restored her sight! As to the rest of the cast, Frances Drake is gorgeous and does a good job with a somewhat difficult part. Her legendary braless bounciness early in the movie will brighten anyone's day. Poor Janos was making the wrong discoveries, sadly. Frank Lawton is as exciting as dishwater. To be fair, these types of parts are always a hard sell. At least he's no Lester Matthews in Werewolf of London. Beulah Bondi is best in small doses as the butch buttinsky Arabella. Exceptional turn by Violet Kemble Cooper as Karloff's mom. Walter Kingsford is funny as Arabella's husband.Great sets, decent effects, good cast, and a smart script with interesting ideas. Not the best of Universal's 1930s horror films or even the Karloff/Lugosi pairings, but a very good one nonetheless.
zardoz-13
Boris Karloff, billed only as Karloff in capital letters, plays a mad scientist who stumbles onto a meteoric substance that boasts incredible healing powers. Unfortunately, this radium X poisons our protagonist so he has to inject himself with a counteractive agent to survive the stuff. Dr. Felix Benet (Bela Lugosi of "Dracula") heralds Dr. Janos Rukh's discovery, and they embark on an expedition to Africa to find the meteorite. The scenes before this revelation are very strange. Dr. Rukh (Karloff) is fascinated by the nebula in Andromeda. He sets out to capture a ray from this nebula and have it transferred electronically to the projector in his laboratory at Carpathia. They would recreate what was recorded on that beam of lights. Initially, the scientific society is dubious about Rukh's claims. Sir Francis observes that the theory of reproducing vibrations from the past is not new. Rukh is able to capture an occurrence that took place millions of years ago. Rukh, his wife, Sir Francis, and Dr. Benet go on expedition to Africa. Not long afterward, Rukh leaves the main expedition and finds the meteorite. He harnesses its power to keep his superstitious workers in line. He demonstrates the power of his radium X device and the tribesmen become his hostages. Rukh can aim the radium gun and use it to kill. Later, in Paris, other members of the expedition have revealed their invaluable find in Africa. At the same time, Rukh's wife Diane (Francis Drake) wants to leave her husband for young Ronald Drake (Frank Lawton), and eventually she does that. Although he has won the Nobel Prize, Rukh is furious when Dr. Benet starts to use the radium light beam. Like Rukh, who cured his mother's blindness, Benet has been curing a lot of people, too. Rukh uses his destructive gun to blast cement statues on a church building where Ronald and Diane exchanged vows. In Rukh's warped mind, each of the six statues on the church building represented Rukh's victims. This low-key, 71-minute horror epic incorporates some element of science fiction. Karloff is good as the doomed protagonist, and Lugosi turned in a solid performance as a rival scientist. This slowly-paced chiller features robust good performances but the filmmakers do little to generate fear.
TheLittleSongbird
Perhaps The Invisible Ray isn't a great film, but there is much to enjoy still. The story is a little predictable, while the supporting characters are underdeveloped and not very interesting and I'm not sure whether some of the scientific ideas, while innovative at the time, are as easy to grasp or as relevant now as it was. These are just personal preferences though, and The Invisible Ray was still enjoyable even with those personal reservations. It is a very nice-looking film, original at the time and holds up now, with a great Gothic atmosphere, beautifully constructed sets and nicely done special effects(even from a present-day perspective). The photography fits with the mood very well as well. The Invisible Ray is atmospherically scored, the script is literate and the film moves quickly with few pacing lulls. The directing from Lambert Hillyer is efficient and neatly set-up, I also detected a little bit of a James Whale influence which I liked. There are some actors who don't really distinguish themselves in roles that don't really allow for them to shine properly. Frances Drake and Violet Kemble-Cooper are good though, while the top-notch performances of genre masters Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi are the film's best asset. I do prefer their performances and chemistry in The Black Cat, but what really makes them worth watching here is how effortlessly charismatic they are and how they are in roles that actually suit them and their acting skills. In conclusion, very entertaining with great lead performances from Karloff and Lugosi. 7/10 Bethany Cox
