MPAA Rating: R/Genre: Sci-Fi Thriller/Stars: Elisabeth Shue, Kevin Bacon, Josh Brolin, Kim Dickens, Greg Grunberg, Joey Slotnick, Mary Randle, William Devane, Rhona Mitra, Pablo Espinosa, Margot Rose/Runtime: 112 minutes or 119 minutes (director’s cut)
Among the many intriguing concepts that have long been an object of curiosity to the world around us, I think it can safely be said that one of the more iconic (or infamous dependent of course on one’s perspective) would have to be the concept of invisibility or, to be more precise, what would happen if one was able to turn themselves invisible. Of course, this is hardly a surprise nor should it be considered as one dear reader. After all not only is the concept of invisibility one that, on a certain level, easily represents an individual being free to do whatever they like without fear of being caught and/or noticed (I mean you really didn’t think Harry Potter wore that invisibility cloak of his throughout the series simply because it was a sensible fashion choice I hope), but it also really strikes a chord within the imagination as well. I mean think about it: if you knew you couldn’t be seen by anyone or anything would there really be any limits to what you could aspire to do be it something as innocent as pranking your friends or as dastardly as breaking into Area 51 to see if there really is something to all that extraterrestrial hoopla whilst running the risk of, if discovered, being a fugitive from the U.S. Government for no less a time span than the remainder of your natural existence on this planet? Indeed it is perhaps because of these intriguing suppositions, among others, that have been the catalyst for the concept of invisibility to be pondered over across the history of humanity as a whole by some of the world’s foremost researchers, writers, filmmakers, artists, the Hotel Transylvania franchise…..and the guy who directed the original RoboCop and Basic Instinct. Yes that last entry might be a bit more specific, but trust me when I say that there is a very good reason for that. That reason being that in the long-ago year of 2000 Paul Verhoeven, the guy I mentioned previously, decided he too wanted to dip his creative toe into the pond of invisibility and as a result we as viewers were treated to a slice of cinema, and film I happen to be reviewing for you today incidentally, known as Hollow Man. A film that, if I’m being completely honest with you, is one that yes is fairly entertaining, but trust me when I say that it definitely (given Verhoeven’s flair for combining insightful social commentary with explicit content of either a violent and/or carnal nature surprisingly well) could have been a lot better than what we are given here. Suffice it to say then that Hollow Man might not be that badly made on either side of the camera, but even so I have no doubt that this is most assuredly not going to be making the highlight reel for any of the talent involved by any stretch of the imagination either.
The plot is as follows: Loosely inspired by the classic H.G. Wells’ novel The Invisible Man from 1897, Hollow Man gets its narrative underway by introducing us to our main protagonist of sorts in the shape and form of a man by the name of Sebastian Caine. A guy who, when we first meet him, is in the midst of working out some kind of formula on his computer that he soon, through the dual power of thought and Twinkies, is able to successfully crack. Oh yes I guess I should mention one other thing about Mr. Caine. That being that he is the head of a research team that has been appointed by none other than the U.S. Military to try and discover a serum designed with the objective in mind of making a person invisible. Yet even though the team has been successful in actually being able to make their animal test subjects invisible they have as of late been running into a wee bit of a snag. A snag that mainly consists of not being possessing a way to bring the subject back into the realm of visibility. Or at least that was the case until Sebastian discovered the formula that we saw him figure out at the beginning. However, upon achieving this personal success, we see that the more than slightly duplicitous to say nothing of arrogant Sebastian decides not to report it to the committee, of which his mentor Dr. Howard Kramer is a key part, and instead gives them the teeny tiny little fib that he is close and just needs some a bit more time. A choice the committee, whom have started to grow perhaps a bit on the exasperated side with Sebastian and his antics, very reluctantly give him with the promise that he will be booted from the project if he doesn’t deliver and fast. Of course, it shouldn’t surprise you to learn dear reader that the reason Caine lied has more to do than just with ensuring that the project stays under his control, but rather that he (in that egotistical way of his) wants to be the first human test subject to undergo the procedure. As a result, we see that he is able to persuade two members of the team to aid him in getting the rest of the group onboard for moving forward to human trials all while keeping the rest of the team in the dark about the fact that what they are doing is, from a legal aspect, extremely unethical if not downright illegal since they don’t have the go-ahead to do so. Yet whilst Sebastian’s procedure to turn himself invisible is a success, we see that it isn’t long before the plan hits an unexpected hitch that even his genius could not have possibly foreseen. However as time goes on and the rest of the team desperately looks for a way to fix things, it isn’t long before Sebastian’s personality starts to take a turn for the seriously psychotic if not potentially homicidal in nature. As for the impact that this personality shift has on not just him, but also the rest of his team however that is something that I will let you discover for yourself….
Now right off, it should be said that the work done behind the camera on this particular cinematic outing is not terrible, but by no means is it a phenomenal effort by any stretch of the imagination either. This starts with the work done by Paul Verhoeven at the helm and while, to his credit, the picture definitely seems like it wants to be in the same vein as his other movies with Verhoeven seemingly wanting to use this film to say something about scientific ethics to say nothing of how corrupting an influence turning invisible could be on an already fairly rotten psyche. Sadly however, it isn’t long before the aforementioned smart idea is thrown out the window in favor of as much visceral content as can possibly be put in the film without getting it slapped with an NC-17 rating. As a result, we see that what started out quite promising has now descended into the kind of mindlessly engaging horror schlock that audiences have seen time and time again. Thus, not only does any genuine intrigue and suspense leave the film, but you can also pretty much predict just how exactly things are going to go from that point forward. In all fairness however, a fair amount of this might not be all that attributable to the work done by Verhoeven at the helm, but rather on the script as penned by a writer named Andrew W. Marlowe (who intriguingly also penned the screenplay for the significantly better 1997 action-thriller Air Force One and at least 21 episodes of the Nathan Fillion mystery crime comedy TV show Castle). I say this because, when one looks at the script, one can see that Marlowe was definitely influenced by such films as Cronenberg’s iconic take on The Fly from 1986 while writing this. Unlike The Fly however not only is the main character inherently unlikable right from the start, thus robbing the audience of any real reason to care about what happens to this individual as they go further and further into this nightmare of their own making, but there is also no intrigue or sense of mystery to go along with the ever-rising level of terror felt by the characters. Instead, what we see here is that the concept of invisibility is utilized more so by the writer simply as a cheap gimmick for the film to eventually, as stated previously, turn into a slasher in the 2nd half. Indeed if there is one key ingredient to the work done behind the camera that really does help elevate it past the point of being just merely “entertaining yet run of the mill” it would have to be in terms of the work done by this film’s visual effects department. I say this because their work on this film is absolutely phenomenal to say nothing of (unsurprisingly) worthy of Oscar-nomination. Not just in terms of turning Bacon invisible initially, but then in how they are brilliantly able to utilize such tricks as an iconic moment involving the creation of a liquid latex mask, motion control camera work, a latex body suit, a 3D digital model of Bacon, and even just the interactions between the various cast members among other things to really make it seem like the character of Sebastian is invisible for the rest of the film. Suffice it to say that when you also factor into this distinct blend such ingredients as fairly skilled work from the cinematography department as headed by Jost Vacano and a good yet nothing spectacular musical accompaniment from iconic composer Jerry Goldsmith among others it’s clear that this film’s behind the camera work might be flawed, but it still gets the job done all the same.
Alongside the fairly well-done work by the various departments behind the camera, this cinematic outing is also the blessed recipient of a collection of solid work done in front of the camera by a game cast of talent even if most either are playing archetypes rather than three-dimensional individuals and/or don’t get nearly as much material to work with as others. Without a doubt perhaps the best performance in the movie has to come from none other than Kevin Bacon who is terrific here as Sebastian Caine. Indeed this is a very tricky role to play since the character is only visible on screen for perhaps the first 30-35 minutes of the film and then has to be off-screen for the remainder yet must still be quite capable of making his presence known through actions or dialogue. Thankfully, we see that Bacon is more than up to the challenge and gives us a fairly magnetic performance that manages to be a twistedly effective blend of brilliant, arrogant, conceited, perversely charming, and menacing that on one hand makes him someone we aren’t quite sure if we should be rooting for as the film goes on, but on the other still makes him a character that, as bad as he becomes throughout the film’s runtime, we find ourselves still wanting to know just what in the world he’s going to do next and a huge part of that comes from the skill that a talented actor like Bacon brings to the part. Along with Bacon, the film also provides audiences with a good yet not great turn from Elisabeth Shue in the role of fellow researcher Linda McKay. Indeed Shue does a good job at bringing to life a woman that is key in some ways to a bit of the conflict in the film and who, like Sebastian, has a bit of moral ambiguity about her yet is still at heart a decent and upstanding individual who, when things do start to get out of control, is willing to do what it takes to set them right. We are also treated to a fairly solid turn here from Josh “Thanos” Brolin in the role of Matt Kensington and while he might not get a whole lot in terms of material to work with from a character perspective, there is also no denying that Brolin does do a good job at presenting this guy with a modesty, inherent decency, and likability that makes him someone worth rooting for as the film goes along. The film also gives us a fairly well-done effort from Kim Dickens as Dr. Sarah Kennedy. Indeed I have long felt that Dickens was an underrated talent and here she does a good job at bringing to the character, and story overall, a clinically-rooted shrewdness and morality to say nothing of liveliness that it so desperately needs. Lastly, I think this section would definitely be lacking if I didn’t take the time to focus on the solid albeit underutilized work done here by always enjoyable character actor William Devane as the team’s boss Dr. Howard Kramer. Yes he only has about 15-20 minutes of screentime tops, but Devane still does a good job at bringing a stern authoritative presence to the part that I wish the final cut of the film had chosen to flesh out more than what we are ultimately given. Suffice it to say that when you also factor in efforts from such talents as Joey Slotnick, Greg Grunberg, Mary Randle, Margot Rose, and a pivotal cameo from Rhona Mitra among others it’s clear this slice of cinema might be flawed, but the work done by the cast does what it can to help keep it on a, dare I say, viewable level.
All in all and at the end of the day is Hollow Man a perfect slice of cinema by any stretch of the imagination? Oh heck no! Not even close dear reader though if you think that hey to each their own I guess. At the same time, is this the worst entry in the filmographies of either the director and/or the undeniably talented cast involved? Absolutely not. Not by a long shot. Indeed make no mistake dear reader: this is an extremely flawed slice of cinema. Indeed, among other components that are worthy of mention, the work at the helm is good but not great, the story at play starts out intriguing only to fall back on cliches and stereotypes we have all seen a thousand times, and the score is not bad yet certainly by no means memorable. At the same time however, the work done by the cinematography department is at the very least somewhat skillfully executed, the visual effects on display are absolutely phenomenal and the cast of talent assembled in front of the camera (with particular regard to the performances given by Bacon without question, but also Shue as well as Brolin respectively) all do the best work that they possibly can despite a fair majority, as stated earlier in this review, either not getting a whole lot in terms of narrative substance to really make as much of an impact on the story as intended and/or reduced to playing archetypes rather than three-dimensional human beings. Suffice it to say then dear reader that if you are looking for an intriguing slice of cinema that utilizes the idea of invisibility in a way that is both ingenious to say nothing of thought-provoking whilst also being extremely well-made on both sides of the camera as well as potentially make you look around your house in caution and/or fear for at least a few days afterward then definitely check out Leigh Whannell’s The Invisible Man from 2020. On the other hand, if you are looking for a, flaws be darned, “fun” little popcorn movie that you can pop on for a couple of hours before then proceeding to go about the rest of your hopefully more productive day then give this a try. Sure you could do a whole lot better, but trust me when I say that you could definitely do a whole lot worse as well. Like Hollow Man 2 lot worse, but that, like a wise individual once said, is most assuredly another story….Make of that what thou will dear reader. On a scale of 1-5 I give Hollow Man “00” a solid 3 out of 5.