Hollow Man (2000)

Written by Kamurai on July 21, 2020

Great watch, will watch again, and can definitely recommend.

This has a fantastic premise of what happens when humans discover a process to "invisible-lize" and "visible-lize" organic life forms. For a 2000 movie, this has a high production value and probably state of the art computer effects in 2000, and for most of the movie they hold up, though they do struggle at points. I honestly do think that it's an "invisibility" effect, is what helps it hold up.

This is a rather tricky premise, it's presented as a scientist turning himself invisible, but it's much closer to a "Twilight Zone" episode with a philosophical waxing of a Dr.'s god complex. What would a human do when it has a distinct advantage / power over others. And while that is super interesting, it tracks a little better if you just think of him as "snapping", but the movie fights you on this as it very quickly devolves to "I could do [horrible thing], who's going to stop me.". It parallels with the mad scientist trope of "We can, but do we ask if we should?".

Kevin Bacon nails the awful, irredeemable mad scientist, and Elisabeth Shue does a wonderful job of playing support to Bacon and a protagonist in her own right. It is refreshingly different that the protagonist is the bad guy, or at least he's fluid, and it's almost two different perspectives blended together to make one story.

I'm a big fan "inescapable terror" type of thriller, and this is fantastic example of it, and I think other thriller / horror fans will enjoy this where the sci-fi types might not enjoy it as much, even though that's how this one is sort of advertised.

With "The Invisible Man" soon available, I'm very excited to have watch this, and am looking forward to a newer version of it.