Hollow Man
Here Is What You Need To Know:
-A lot of the big-budget Hollywood films that are remakes or reused get on my nerves. Hollow Man is essentially The Invisible Man revisited, but that isn't what annoys me about the film. What annoys me about the film is that the concept wasn't taken in a truly new direction. Sure, it was a great idea to take advantage of recent technological breakthroughs, but why just use the same basic story idea and plot arcs again? Why oh why? Hollow Man's script is just that-hollow.
We follow scientist Dr. Caine played by Kevin Bacon who develops a serum that will allow him to phase out of this universe and essentially become invisible. Of course, much like The Fly and countless other science-fiction works, the formula has horrible side-effects. Hollow Man isn't bad, it just isn't new. What a massive shame, as with all that new technology at their disposal, shouldn't the Hollow Man script take the entire film in an exciting new direction. This film is a great example of a scared studio executive playing it safe.
What Was Cool:
-Many of the effects are absolutely a lot of fun and keep you watching.
-Director Paul Verhoeven does a decent job with the visuals.
-Kevin Bacon does a fine job from beginning to end.
-Elizabeth Shue plays Linda and looks amazing. I can't help myself. If you are a big fan of Elizabeth check out her early work in Link.
What Was Stupid:
-It was just stupid to not inject a little courage into the entire concept and take the idea somewhere new and cool. Even back in 2000 the boys in Los Angeles were having some problems on this front.
-Much of the dialog and character interaction is run of the mill as the writing team of Gary Scott Thompson and Andrew Marlowe fail to infuse the concept with new life.
-What is up with Josh Brolin? Is this necessary?
The Film's Real Genius or Geniuses:
-Love him or hate him, Verhoeven does create a visually interesting world in Hollow Man.
Story C- (There are some new twists on the old story, but its just not enough.)
Use of Science C+ (In Hollow Man the science seems more like wizardry.)
Acting B
Portrayal of Women B-
Visuals-VFX and SFX A
Visuals-Set Design/Props B+
Wardrobe/Costumes B
Style/Sex Appeal A (Shue is all about sex appeal and the film has a nice sense of overall style.)
Enjoyability Grade C+
Home Theater/HD Factor B
Gut Check (Level of Studio Executive Guts) D (Not much courage in remaking The Invisible Man now is there?)
Overall Innovation B- (Hollow Man is innovative on the visual front, but that is about it, I'm afraid.)
Overall Grade C+ (Oh how sad, Hollow Man could have been so much more.)
A Little Fact About Cherie:
-I plan on climbing some large mountains someday soon.
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