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Ahh, invisible man movies:
floating hats, levitating guns, disembodied
trenchcoats, bandages, sunglasses... but not any more. Modern technology
pushes the "invisibility" premise to new heights in Paul Verhoeven's
"Hollow Man", starring Kevin Bacon as Dr Sebastian Cane, an egotistical scientist
who harnesses the power of invisibility and becomes the first human test
subject - with predictably bad results.
Paul Verhoeven can usually be counted on to supply certain things in his
movies; nudity, violence, special-effects, and social satire. "Hollow Man"
is a somewhat tamer Verhoeven flick by his standards. It has all his
ingredients (except the sadly missing satire), but the remaining cocktail is
fairly routine, with only the special-effects proving a talking point.
To say the plot is simplistic is putting it mildly. This is all a very
routine variation on the "scientists tampering with what they don't
understand" plot, which then becomes a slasher flick in its final third.
There's nothing necessarily wrong with that - I mean, everyone going to see
this film just wants some SFX to feast their eyes on, right?
If the answer to that question is "yes", then "Hollow Man" is a film you
should see. The CGI work done to create the illusion of invisibility is
amazing, with some very interesting takes on the premise - such as
transparent eyelids making it difficult for him to get to sleep. Of course,
these egghead scientists never think of simply giving him a blindfold...
The CGI work can only be applauded, and it's likely the disappearance (layer
by sickening layer) of Kevin Bacon, should earn the effects guys an Oscar
next year. Even if the absence of fluids - deemed too much of a headache by
the SFX wizzes - makes the results somehow "cartoony". It's still impressive
stuff, but it'll be bettered when the next invisible man movie comes
along...
Acting-wise, it's all very so-so. Elisabeth Shue is very watchable and Bacon
(when seen) makes the most of a fairly 2D character. Kudos mainly goes to
Bacon for putting up with the extensive nightmare of green-makeup and
contact lenses for the majority of the film's running time. The results were
worth it.
So - good movie or bad movie? Good movie. It has nothing to offer except
visuals, but it does what it sets out to do with aplomb. A shame it didn't
have high aspirations, as the plot restricts events to the Laboratory most
of the time, and never explores the outside world enough. This, of course,
limits the possibilities Verhoeven may have explored regarding social
satire... but instead we just get a peeping-tom scenario with escalates into
a rape (a scene severely cut following bad test audience reaction).
A workmanlike film then, but still entertaining and with enough visuals to
keep you happy. Just a shame the writer's inventiveness stopped after he'd
conceived some original invisible man sequences.
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This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
So - good movie or bad movie? Good movie. It has nothing to offer except
visuals, but it does what it sets out to do with aplomb. A shame it didn't
have high aspirations, as the plot restricts events to the Laboratory most
of the time, and never explores the outside world enough. This, of course,
limits the possibilities Verhoeven may have explored regarding social
satire... but instead we just get a peeping-tom scenario with escalates into
a rape (a scene severely cut following bad test audience reaction).