Highly Overrated But Still Good

Awesome Movie

Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

I did kind of like the idea of this fantasy film about the dreams of a young boy. Remembering that this is all a dream, dreams can and are often quite illogical more so even for children. Invisibility has some awesome possibilities including getting even with a bully and also learning the facts of life.Young Richard Eyer is an average kid who would like to have his dad play catch with him some time. But Phillip Abbott is one of the most important scientists and he's got the nation's security in his hands. His mother Diane Brewster isn't too much better.Abbott works with a giant super computer, something along the lines of what Spencer Tracy is trying to install and maintain in Desk Set. In a bring your kid to work day he exposes Eyer to the super brain and the it's like the kid took the Krel test. He even puts together Robby The Robot and they become the best of friends. Like Will Robinson and his robot.After that it's hoping the giant superbrain doesn't take us all over.The Invisible Boy somewhere got lost between a kid's film and a message against globalization. It's like several people created this film and all got a piece of a message they wanted to put out.Some of the scenes between Eyer and the robot were charming, but the incoherency of the story defeats the entertainment value The Invisible Boy has.

The Invisible Boy (1957) * 1/2 (out of 4)After beating his scientist father at a game a chess, ten-year-old Timmy (Richard Eyer) gets to rebuild Robby the Robot and soon the two of them are going up against an evil computer that has plans on controlling the world.Obviously the main goal of THE INVISIBLE BOY was to get Robby the Robot back into a picture after he was a huge success in FORBIDDEN PLANET but sadly the end result is pretty much a disaster from the word go. There's no doubt that the decade offered much worse sci-fi movies but you have to say that this here can go down as one of the most dispapointing and especially when you consider that a major company was behind it. There are countless things wrong with this picture including the screenplay, the performances and the overall tone of the thing leads to some pretty bad and rather embarrassing scenes.I think the biggest problem is the screenplay. I'm going to say that the "plan" by the computer is a pretty good one and when you think about it, the plans at least makes sense. The problem is that the screenplay is so uneven that it's hard to take anything going on very serious. I say this because the overall tone of the movie is that as a children's film and this here leads to some "comedy" moments that are just downright bad at times. Even worse is that we're treated to some really bad scenes that I think are meant for humor but they just come across embarrassing. One such scene is when mommy and daddy are about to mess around and the boy, who has been hiding in the room, starts giggling. What follows is just weird to say the least. The "serious" nature of the film never really comes into play so the rather good idea about the computer taking over the world is just wasted.The performances really aren't anything to brag about either and that includes Eyer as the young boy. He's certainly not horrible but at the same time he really doesn't keep you entertained. Phillip Abbott is pretty bland as the father but it's Diane Brewster who comes off the worse but I'm going to guess her poorly written character has something to do with this. Even the special effects in the film are pretty bland and especially those dealing with the boy turning invisible. As far as Robby the Robot goes, he's entertaining but basically just gets lost in the background of this rather bad film.

This film remains of interest to sci-fi fans because of its reputation as the "other" Robby The Robot film, though forever in the shadow of the classic "Forbidden Planet" which gave Robby his impressive debut.But although it gives Robby plenty of involvement, there's really very little to recommend it. I found the film exceedingly dull throughout, the only sequence that rises above the general tedium is that towards the end when Robby single-handedly engages a battalion (I pitied the poor actor in the Robby suit when all those explosions were going off right next to him).The plot has some credible ideas, including its central premise of a super computer looking to usurp the human race as the dominant life form on Earth, but just meanders, and the boy turning invisible is a superfluous plot device to give the film some comedy - except that it really isn't very funny.This isn't a cheap film; although lacking the colour of its more famous cousin, it looks quite polished with decent sets, acting, direction and (on the whole) special effects but it just lacks punch. And it can't seem to decide whether it's a light-hearted comic tale for kids, or a more dramatic sci-fi horror for an older audience: it's both, and yet it's neither. What audience was this film pitched at? The kids will find the serious stuff too technical and boring, the adults will find the film lacking depth with too much time devoted to the more whimsical elements.Overall, "Forbidden Planet" fans may enjoy seeing this as a curio, but other viewers may find themselves switching off before the end.

In my judgment, this is an extremely underrated film. One of the other reviewers said that a lot of the respondents just didn't get the movie, and this is absolutely correct.The Invisible Boy is not typical science-fiction fare. And I think this is the cause of the complaints. After all, a high percentage of those who would watch this film would, no doubt, be science-fiction fans who expect a work that follows the typical sci-fi program. And that's not what they get from TIB.The film is interesting because it's so different. The first half is basically a child fantasy story that you could call "Beaver Meets Lost in Space Robot." It features an endearing little boy with a genius-scientist father. And while they seem to have a pretty good relationship — contrary to what some have indicated here — the father is frustrated with his son's inability to live up to the family's scientific pedigree. For the boy's part, he doesn't seem to care much; he's a typical young lad who just wants to have fun, and this is partially what causes him to become imperiled. But he never knows he's imperiled; he's just a Beaver type whose biggest concern is getting punished by his parents.And, I must say, I think the boy put on a stellar performance. His character, "Timmie," is bored with his white-picket-fence life and yearns for adventure, yet he largely is resigned to his plight. He also seems a bit cynical about things to which other kids might look forward, such as growing up. This attitude is endlessly amusing, and much of the dialogue between father and son — and boy and robot — is hilarious. It is masterful, dry humor and is the strength of the film.At the halfway point, the movie transitions into a more serious sci-fi story. But this change is seamless enough, and Timmie remains the naive child, oblivious to danger. And his childlike concerns are especially endearing when contrasted with the serious concerns of the adults who are worried about his fate — and that of the world.As some have said, parts of the film are far-fetched, but, well...did I say this was fiction? This isn't Schindler's List; it, again, is fantasy. It is a child's dream; it is an adult's nightmare. It's a fun movie, and perfect for what it is.If you're a sci-fi purist and expect The Invisible Man or The Day the Earth Stood Still, skip TIB. You'll be disappointed. But if you have a sense of whimsy and like Leave it to Beaver, if you want to see Mayfield go sci-fi, this film is for you.