There have been many successful attempts in Hollywood dealing with ghosts and the afterlife.

“The Invisible” is the latest attempt, though success may be too generous a word.

The film is about Nick Powell (Justin Chatwin), a wealthy upper class high school student who is bored with his life. He is unchallenged by his school work to the point of doing other students work for money, and his mother doesn’t seem to really grasp who he is as a person.

Just when he decides to graduate early and run away to study in Europe, he is beaten and left for dead in the woods.

He goes from being socially invisible to his peers and family to literally being transparent.

His soul is somehow stripped from his body as it lies in a dormant stage, and he wanders around as a ghost trying to figure out how to return to the living.

He makes a connection with Annie Newton (Margarita Levieva), a fellow student who is the only one who can sense his presence.

Together they must find his body and save Nick before his ghostly time is up.

At a glance this movie seems to be a typical summer thriller, but there is more to it.

In reality, it is a Shakespearean-esque modern day tragedy. While that certainly doesn’t mean that it is a great movie, it is interesting.

There is value in experimenting with a plot instead of sticking to what executives know will make money.

Still, the issues and themes taken on seem a little too big for the film. Most of the movie leaves audiences wanting more.

Some plot flaws and parts of the film that leave too much to be inferred detract from the story. Such moments inspire questions of why characters do what they do besides simply to further the plot.

There were many parts that could have been pushed further and augmented slightly to really create an emotionally powerful movie.

There are also some holes in the plotline. For instance, it’s never really explained why Nick can survive for days without food or water as he lies at the bottom of a drainage duct bleeding to death.

His body also gets moved around quite a bit by his attackers in an attempt to hide the body.

The whole time they are moving him they don’t realize that he is still alive.

Some of the underlying themes of the film comment on the stark differences between the world of wealthy upper-class students and the lives of those who live in broken homes or unsafe environments.

There is a constant theme of being “invisible.” Both Nick and Annie feel that there isn’t anyone that truly understands them or sees who they really are.

“The Invisible” will go down in the history books as different. Being caught between the realms of teen drama and science fiction, it has a few moments of worthwhile emotion. There isn’t, however, anything amazing enough to qualify it as a must-see.

Viewers seeking an edge of the seat thriller will be disappointed, but those who enjoy a less traditional love story with a twist won’t be.