Hollow Man

Superficially Hollywood film- and movie-making are a mystery. Why is this film, a certain piece of cinematic crap, made and that movie, a genuine work of art, isn't? Why is this actor cast when it is apparent another would be more suited?

Look to the credits and find the answer. Consider as example "Hollow Man". Here is a movie that holds great promise (after all, it has been done many times before with solid result). But here is a movie that will be a certain dud, a solid failure.

"Hollow Man" is a dud, a failure, and the answer for 'why' is found in the credits: The director, in this case: Paul Verhoeven, who apparently believes he can force-feed moviegoers anything and they will swallow it whole.

If the director of "Hollow Man" had been someone like, say, David Cronenberg "Hollow Man" would have been a blockbuster, a solid hit. A cinematic tour de force that would have made the moviegoer think twice about the shape under the sheet, the bump in the night, the face at the window at four past midnight.

Unfortunately Cronenberg isn't the director here. Verhoeven is, and what we get instead of interesting is mindnumbing dumb.

The premise of "Hollow Man" is well-known to those versed in the Claude Rains movies about the Invisible Man: A scientist, Sebastian Caine, (Kevin Bacon) discovers a formula for invisibility, tries it out theoretically, then injects himself with the formula, becomes invisible, and does things decidedly interesting.

'Interesting' is not what happens in "Hollow Man". What happens in "Hollow Man" is pulp novel, barely-graphic-novel, voyeurism at its absolute most banal.

For the most part all Caine does is to spy on his girlfriend and assault his neighbor.

There is good to "Hollow Man": The special effects, which director Verhoeven readily substitutes for plot.

There is bad to "Hollow Man": The special effects, which are obviously meant to cover up the otherwise invisible plot.

Given the title of this movie one would assume and subsequently find some reference to the work by T.S Elliot--"The Hollow Men". No such luck. Given this is a blatant remake of the Invisible Man story an homage to Rains' much better efforts is expectant. Again, nothing.

Oh, well. But given the mentality and mindset of most moviegoers today such references would mostly be lost. And given this is nothing more than a slasher chick flick with a scientific bent, well. . . there it is.

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