HOLLOW MAN

2000 / Director. Paul Verhoeven. 

I saw HOLLOW MAN at the cinemas back in 2000 and I loved it. I'm a sucker for Paul Verhoeven's films and it lived up to my expectations. I was mesmerised by the awesome special FX, which were Oscar nominated, and loved the whole remerging of THE INVISIBLE MAN. Kevin Bacon might not stack up to Claude Rains but his personality was brilliantly exploited. He plays an arrogant and cocky genetic researcher who celebrates his own genius. Having pioneered a breakthrough invisibility serum, he uses himself as a case study and finds himself trapped in a cloak of invisibility. At first feeling imprisoned he soon slips into insanity and exploits his new "gift". All ethics and morals are pissed upon as he flips out on a rampage of rape and murder. As dire as that sounds, it's a super fun movie. I've revisited it a few times over the years, most recently tonight. I think it holds up well although I wouldn't heap the same praise that I did back then. Surprisingly the CGI is still impressive and hasn't dated much at all. The pacing and performances are good... all except for Elizabeth Shue who is sorely miscast (she's miscast in most films as far as I'm concerned). Verhoeven has a knack for sci-fi and really is an autuer. His flair is unmistakable with his highly stylised action sequences and cheeky misogynistic admiration for the female form. HOLLOW MAN fits nicely into the sci-fi genre but is amply gory and suspenseful enough to cross into the thriller and horror realms too.  

---