There is no doubt that “Hollow Man – Invisible Danger” is not one of the great milestones in science fiction film history, nor can it be counted among the great moments in director Paul Verheoven’s work (“Basic Instinct”, “Starship Troopers”). Nevertheless, “Hollow Man” is a highlight, because Verhoeven’s story, which is based on HG Wells’ oft-filmed novel “The Invisible One”, is really nasty.
Especially since the main character, wonderfully annoyingly played by Kevin Bacon, is unparalleled in caustic, cynical sexism. Remarkable is how Verhoeven naturally makes a murdering and raping bastard the center of the action in “Hollow Man”. In addition, the special effects are really excellent for that time, which eventually led to an Oscar nomination.
But did you know that “Hollow Man” also got a sequel? Oh yeah! In 2006, “Hollow Man 2″ was released straight to DVD in this country. Kevin Bacon is no longer in the lead role – those who have seen the first part know why – but the one from ‘Mr. Robot”, “Interview with a Vampire” or “True Romance”, known as Christian Slater.
Hollow Man 2 is now available as a subscription WOW (formerly Sky Ticket) available.
This is what Hollow Man 2 is all about
The US military is conducting a special experiment: creating the perfect assassin. Michael Griffin (Christian Slater) is made invisible – with fatal consequences! Griffin, whose body is about to collapse from the injected serum, goes insane and escapes the scientists’ control.
His only chance to somehow prevent his body from deteriorating is to seek help from scientist Dr. Find Maggie Dalton (Laura Regan). Police duo Frank Turner (Peter Facinelli) and Lisa Martinez (Sarah Deakins) are assigned to protect them. The invisible man is on the run and Frank Turner sees only one way to stop him: he too must inject himself with the serum…
Is “Hollow Man 2” any good?
Also as the continuation of director Claudio Fa (“Sniper 7: Homeland Security”) can certainly keep up with its predecessor in terms of brutality, “Hollow Man 2” is also a real pickle. At the review aggregator the share of positive reviews is only 20 percent. The ratings of the viewers are even more difficult here, because the positive share there is 16%.
Most of all, the critics complain that “Hollow Man 2” is damn stupid and there are simply no interesting situations where the protagonist’s invisibility is used in an exciting way. Here’s a note for Christian Slater fans: Although he plays the lead role, he’s only really seen for a few minutes, and you’ll have to be content with his voice for most of the movie.
Not as ruthless, but also below par -Average with 4.4 out of 10 possible stars. In summary, one can say: “Hollow Man 2” can’t match its predecessor in any way. The sci-fi thriller with Christian Slater is probably only of interest to completists and omnivores.