this is an adaptation of h .
g .
wells ' acclaimed novel ' the invisible man ' .
the actors are kevin beacon and elizabeth shue .
the director is paul verhoven .
that , plus a quick demonstration of the amazing special effects in the trailer , should be enough to lure us into the theatre .
the problem is to keep us there .
i ca n't imagine anyone who would like to see this movie a second time .
working on a top secret military project , sebastian caine ( kevin beacon ) -- an eccentric genius , that calls himself " god " , has discovered the secret to invisibility .
the first two faces are completed .
now , it is time for " the next logical step " -- human . caine volunteers for this risky experiment .
but when he is made invisible , something goes wrong .
while his ex - girlfriend linda ( elisabeth shue ) desperately tries to find something to return him to normal , he learns that invisibility is more of a prison than a superpower .
but that 's not the bad thing --
an unexpected side - effect of the drug sends him careening into paranoid megalomania .
he is naturally given a couple of modest superpowers , just enough for him to survive immolation from a flame thrower and an explosion of about a quart of nitroglycerine .
soon every sense of decency is forgotten .
the little intelligence that was left disappears as verhoven looses control and the film turns into an alien - rip - off , where caine is walking like a half finished terminator , spooking , scaring and killing everybody .
though it 's based on a novel called ' the invisible man ' , the title has been ironically changed to ' hollow man ' that sums up the film very nicely .
this is a very silly production .
laughable , actually .
apparently verhoven 's imagination does n't stretch too far
.
for him the only worthwhile reason to become invisible is so you can case the girls ' locker room undetected .
it is this primitive schoolboy mentality that eventually kills the movie . being invisible , gives you the opportunity to be who you are , to do what you want without being influenced by society .
in many ways it gives you an illusion of having a life without consequences .
the nature of man and his place in society is what the novel is truly about .
all that , the depth and true horror of the book is gone and only special effects make you remain in your seat .
caine does use his power voyeuristically in hollow man .
but since this is a modernization , in other words a dehumanization , he does n't stop there .
he becomes a rapist .
and then , of course , a murderer .
you 'll start wondering why such actors as beacon and shue found themselves in such film in the first place .
shue 's talent is barely seen , josh brolin is underused and
the rest of the cast suffer mostly for the lack of talent .
kevin beacon is the only one that performs gracefully .
his face is not seen for the most part of the film , and the only way he exists is as a disembodied voice .
there are times when his presence actually saves the film from being completely embarrassing .
in the end the effects are the only reason to see this film in the first place . being probably the best technical achievement since " jurassic park " , they are absolutely amazing .
we observe the layers of skin , muscle , tissue , and bone being peeled away as a body is slowly rendered invisible .
we see a beating heart , inflating lungs , and veins pulsing with newly - pumped blood .
there are a couple of inventive shots with smoke , fire , air and water , but are a few scenes like that worth attending a movie for ?
what is truly disturbing is that with a great book , talented actors and a grand budget , this could have been so much more .
pretty much like jan de bont ( " twister " , " haunting " ) , paul verhoven has never made anything extraordinary .
he was responsible for several good films ( " basic instinct " and " starship troopers ) " and some incredibly bad films ( " showgirls " , " total recall " ) , but he has never made anything that was great .
in a way " hollow man " fits perfectly in this collection .
it 's not better or worse than verhoven 's average film .
he proves once again that he is incapable of handling more complex issues .
and so , instead of depth and chills , verhoven inserts some of his trademarks :
stupid dialogue , and lot 's of dull action with blood and naked bodies .
he even throws in some of the worst of film clich ?
s - the slowly advancing fireball , the villain who comes back from the dead , etc , etc . - and tops the whole thing off with one of the most ridiculous endings of the year
( you 'll be screaming " nooooo ! " and attempt to run towards the exit in slow motion ) .
and all we can ask is why ?
the answer is simple .
though hollywood is a movie producing machine , the business of moviemaking has to be about something more than money .
it has to be about telling stories , not marketing them .
it has to be about transporting us to a different place , to dazzle us with magic and cleverness .
to make us care , to make us think and feel .
verhoven has obviously missed that point and this film is a proof of that .
it 's all flesh and bones , but no soul .
a void where its imagination should be .
suffer mostly for the lack of talent this is a very silly production . laughable , actually . apparently verhoven 's imagination does n't stretch too far i ca n't imagine anyone who would like to see this movie a second time one of the most ridiculous endings of the year barely seen the little intelligence that was left disappears as verhoven looses control and the film turns into an alien - rip - off underused actually saves the film from being completely embarrassing obviously missed that point stupid dialogue , and lot 's of dull action he is incapable of handling more complex issues eventually kills the movie