User blog:Dimensionshark/Let's Get Invisible/Book & TV episode review (two in one!)

Now you see him. Now you don't... Ok, I'm pretty excited to do one of these. I've seen lots of reviews around the wiki, and considering that I actually do work as a movie/theater reviewer, I thought, why not? So, let's get into it.

Pre-reading thoughts:
The last time I remember reading this, I think I remember it being a bit slow but also kinda okay. As you can tell, my memory ain't the best in the world. So I didn't really know what I was getting into.

Review:
This book is actually really good. I think it's quite an underrated book, people say it's a bit slow and not much happens. But I think it's played out quite well, and unlike a lot of other Goosebumps books, it spends time on detail. The description in this is really neat and well-explored, which is uncommon in most Goosebumps.

I think it's also a very frightening entry. The scares for me don't lie in the whol "sucked into the mirror and fighting your reflections yada yada yada," no no no. The things that made me really uncomfortable in this episode was more fridge horror (for anyone who isn't familiar with the term I've added in a handy link to an explanation.) Since this is my either second or third time reading this, (memory strikes again) I can remember the basic outline of the story. What is frightening in this book is the scenes where Lefty, Erin and Zack have been switched with their reflections without Max knowing it. So, when Max interacts with them and doesn't realize that they've been switched, you know that he's not talking to his friends. His friends are still trapped in the mirror, and these are reflections. That is some chilling stuff right there. There are also some passages where Max thinks that there's something different about his friends but he can't put his finger on it. (The difference being that since they're reflections, their faces are reversed. It's such a subtle thing in the story, and it's really scary. Also, the scenes where everyone is waiting for someone to become visible again are pretty tense.

Besides the scares and description, it's also entertaining. There are some funny moments scattered here and there, (Zack scaring neighbours, ect.) and some moments are just a bit of fun. It's things like these that give a good balance to the story, making this a very good Goosebumps book.

Conclusions:
I think this might be one of my new favourites in the series. It's underrated magic. A+, Mr. Stine.

Pre-watching thoughts:
I couldn't remember anything about this episode apart from a bit where Lefty drinks milk while invisible, the house being nice and the mirror looking cool. I didn't have wildly high expectations.

Review:
This episode was surprisingly quite good! It certainly picks up the pace compared to the book, and only really focuses on the mirror and being invisible. It's not as subtle as the book is, but I still think it's a bit creepy. The acting may be... questionable... but it's funny, spooky and well played out.

I also think that the design of the mirror is pretty groovy. I like how they've made a foggy effect behind the glass of the mirror, and the purple light behind it. The "Cold" as it's called in the episode look pretty cool, too. While the green screen isn't top notch, it's pretty good for its time.

Conclusions:
Spooky fun, nice mise-en-scene. Very good. B+.

Bonus review!!!

bonus review wow so cool 👍👍👍👍💯💯

Original series by Tim Jacobus
Oooohh boy. This is very noice. The subtlety of Max's disappearance, the design of the mirror, the detail in the background, how is this not more of an icon? I do agree with Tim with the fact that the cobwebs are unecessary. He said himself, "that's the one thing that bugged me. Someone drew on my painting." I think the picture would have a lot more class if not for the webs. But apart from that, this is very nice. I'll give this an A.



Classic series by Brandon Dorman
Despie it taking quite a bit from the original, I think this is a good adaption. The angle and perspective are both pretty cool, and I think having the head disappear is a nice choice. The mirror is nice, the color scheme is good and the rats and boxes are a nice touch. The one thing that bugs me: there's what looks like a small smudge next to Max's (I presume this is Max we're looking at) right arm. At least, I think there is. There's one on my copy of the book, but I don't know how prominent it is in this image. Smudges aside, this is a good reimagining. B+.

Well this was a lot of fun. Maybe I'll do this with another book/tv episode/cover, and call it a "monster review" or something. Hope anyone who reads this enjoys. Stay $p0øk¥!