Sebastian Caine heads a top-secret research project to unlock the secret of invisibility. When the formula works successfully on animals, an ecstatic Caine recklessly disobeys orders and experiments on himself. Unfortunately, the dangerous gamble goes terribly wrong when the procedure cannot be reversed. Caine and his chief lieutenants Linda McKay and Matt Kensington, frantically attempt to counteract the effect. But the invisible Caine, fueled by latent megalomaniac tendencies, quickly becomes intoxicated with his newfound power. The laboratory becomes a house divided as the scientists realize their suddenly omnipotent leader perceives them as a threat to his very existence.
For a director who has worked mainly within the science-fiction and action genres, Paul Verhoeven has always proven to be controversial. His films tend to push the boundaries of violence and sexual content and he has always been a favorite target of the M.P.A.A. Despite the controversies, Mr. Verhoeven has produced stellar work with popular favorites such as Robocop, Total Recall and Basic Instinct. Unfotunately, Hollow Man isn't even close to being up to par with his best work.
Sebastian Crane (Kevin Bacon) is a brilliant, arrogant and just plain annoying research scientist. He and his team of smartly dressed and wise-cracking doctors have been tasked by the government to figure out how to turn a man invisible and back again. As their experiments on animals meet with more and more success, Sebastian ups the stakes and turns the experiment on himself. Unfortunately for Sebastian and anyone in his path, his invisibility serum isn't as easily reversed on humans as it was on the various animals it was tested on. While his team works to make him visible again, Sebastian is driven mad and to senseless acts of violence.
One of the few light-hearted moments in this brutal film.
Hollow Man is just plain bad. Dialogue in the film is hokey and driven by one-liners and bad puns. Characters in the film are completely one-dimensional and lack any sort of depth. We are treated to cookie cutter characters such as:
The Ex-Flame and Brilliant Scientist! (Elizabeth Shue)
The New Boyfriend and Brilliant Scientist! (Josh Brolin)
The Animal Rights Wacko and Brilliant Scientist! (Kim Dickens)
The Murderous Psychopath and Brilliant Scientist! (Kevin Bacon)
You get the idea.
At any rate, I could take all of the silly characters, bad acting and moronic dialogue with a grain of salt if it wasn't for the just plain vile extremes Hollow Man goes to. As if it isn't enough that Sebastian murders everyone who gets in his way throughout the film, he had to also be a sexual deviant. What could be more clichéd than the invisible man groping his female coworkers and being a peeping tom? The fact that the film takes this to the extreme of Sebastian brutally raping his neighbor is just inexcusable. I'm certainly not a prude, but I found this particular scene quite disturbing in that it was designed to be titillating and taboo rather than horrifying. In the end, Hollow Man could have been an interesting science-fiction film. Instead, it is a gore fest full of the worst kind of brutality.
NOTE: Those of you who prefer not to see puppies mutilated might also want to avoid Hollow Man .
As only a seven year old release, the film elements of Hollow Man are in excellent shape and this Blu-ray version of the film sports a reference-grade transfer. Encoded with the stellar AVC codec, the film looks pristine and free from any defects. Much of the film takes place in a sealed laboratory complex with an abundance of fluorescent lighting. This gives many of the film's scenes an eerie blue tint that adds to the sterile and clinical nature of the film. Black levels throughout the film are rock sold and shadow detail is extraordinary. Fine detail is also very impressive. Much of the film features an abundance of complex CGI effects that are very impressive to behold in high definition. When I saw this film theatrically, I recall the effects having a very digital look to them. This Blu-ray presentation actually improves the look of these effects and, though the added detail of a high definition presentation, makes the effects ever so slightly more realistic. This is yet another example of the stellar work being done at Sony!
I was a bit surprised at the sound mix for Hollow Man. Presented in uncompressed PCM 5.1, the track is actually quite subdued. Dialogue was well presented and perfectly placed within the mix. The late, great Jerry Goldsmith's outstanding score is also amazing to behold with rich strings and powerful sizzles and stings. The film's many action scenes tend to crank the volume of the mix up a few notches while still maintaining fidelity and never resolving into a fuzzed out mess. While most of the film is predominantly front-loaded, there are some nice moments where the surround channels deliver some interesting directional effects. Be sure to listen carefully during the "hide and seek" scene between Sebastian and his coworkers. As Sebastian invisibly moves around the room, his voice will follow his movements around your surround channels. Nice touch!
-HBO Making of: "Anatomy of a Thriller"
-"Fleshing out the Hollow Man"
-VFX Picture in Picture Comparisons
-Previews
Despite the problems I have with Hollow Man as a film, many of the special features on this disc are worth investigating. The HBO Making of documentary is a bit on the soft side, but the "Fleshing out the Hollow Man" feature is a very in-depth look at the making of the film with a surprising amount of good behind the scenes information. This film really does have some remarkable special effects, and the VFX Picture in Picture comparisons do a nice job of showcasing the work that went into creating them. Utilizing a picture in picture window, this feature showcases three particular shots from the film in their before and after incarnations. Additionally, Hollow Man features a set of previews for upcoming Blu-ray releases, but no Hollow Man trailer.
Hollow Man is a film that I have a very hard time with. I find the brutality of the film to be gratuitous and pointless. As the film provides no real depth to the characters, Sebastian's acts come off as being included to add shock value to the story. As far as the technical merits of this Blu-ray are concerned, this is another exceptional presentation from Sony. Video is near reference grade and the PCM audio brings Hollow Man to the next level of excellence. Supplements are also nicely assembled and include a revealing Picture in Picture special effects feature. While I can't recommend Hollow Man as a film, if you seek wonderful video and audio quality, look no further.
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has announced that they will bring two Paul Verhoeven cult classics, 'Starship Troopers' and 'Hollow Man', to Blu-ray on October 16th. Both will get the standard 1080p and PCM treatment, but no detailed specs or extras have been ...
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