Hollow Man

Starring: Kevin Bacon, Elisabeth Shue, Josh Brolin, Greg Grunberg
Directed by: Paul Verhoeven
Rating: R
Genre: Horror, Action, Science Fiction
2000

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: A group of scientists is working on turning animals invisible and then turning them back. When the lead scientist (Kevin Bacon) dangerously tries it on himself, he successfully turns invisible. When his fellow scientists (Elisabeth Shue, Josh Brolin) can't turn him back, they begin to fear what the invisibility will do to his mental state.

Review:

Tim: This is a disappointing movie. It starts out strongly enough. I like the idea of scientists working on invisibility, and the dangerous repercussions that could come from this. However, the film begins to unravel due to several reasons. First, there is very little character development. Most of these characters are woody, two-dimensional ones. They are not very believable, which negates any emotion that we would feel for these characters. Secondly, the movie suffers from the typical cheap horror movie faults- increasing body count, growing blood and gore, and ridiculously difficult to kill villains.

Kevin Bacon isn't very good. He is almost laughable as he tries to play a multidimensional human being. He is simply a caricature of one. I did enjoy seeing Elisabeth Shue in a strong, horror movie heroine role. She's the best part of the film. Josh Brolin is decent. I did enjoy seeing Greg Grunberg in his small role. All in all, the cast leaves something to be desired.

The special effects are surprisingly good. It is really fascinating to watch how the invisibility and return-to-visibility process happens. I do like the film's premise, making a horror movie with an updated "invisible man" concept. However, the movie tries to push the boundaries too hard, and ends up nothing more than your typically weak horror film. This could have been a very good movie, but instead, it is a disappointment.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Woodsman, Stir of Echoes, Sleepers