The movie starts with a glimmer of hope, but the ending devolves into yet another Aliens wanna-be (`My God, we're locked in here with the monster/creature/alien/madman/senator, and there is nowhere to run, therefore we must track down and defeat our slippery foe!') where the cast you've failed to gain any real affection for is slaughtered one by one in unique and interesting ways. It is the ultimate insult, that H. G. Wells' classic sci-fi tale of man's inherent evil has been reborn as an expensive hack & slash horror film. I have nothing against hack & slash, mind you. But there is a time and a place for everything, and this was neither the time nor the place. Not that I'm arguing against the film's depictions of violence, despite that fact that the film degenerates to the point where characters are actually throwing bags of plasma around the room in a cheap attempt to get as much blood as possible without too much MPAA approved violence. On the contrary, the films opening scene alone had a brutality and vividness to it that gave rise to my expectations (which were soon to be dashed against the rocks of a cheesy Hollywood ending). It effectively depicted the danger and foreboding of an unseen aggressor, like an extreme case of "Fearing the Unknown".

I've also found people who complained, not that the film was violent, but that it was vulgar. Yes, it seems that Kevin Bacon makes up for his lack of nudity in Stir Of Echoes (The Rev Rates It 8) by showing as much Bacon Behind as possible. In fact, voyeurism becomes (or should have become) a major theme of the film, and not just through the aspect of an invisible man spying unawares. The parallel to the `Peeping Tom' aspect is the growing concern with the other scientists with not only seeing the invisible scientist, but constantly monitoring him as well.

As for main character, in this case he is weak because he leaves little room for dramatic development. Sebastian Caine's descent into madness isn't as much a plummet as it is a hop from the curb. The head scientist is an egomaniacal, manipulative, frustrated workaholic. Gee, lets give the power of invisibility and see if it corrupts him. Instead of giving the film yet another form of Instant Evil (just add unlimited power, and watch your Chia Villain grow!), so much more could have been said about man's nature by corrupting the soul of someone you wouldn't expect to turn on his fellow man. The double-meaning title of the film itself pointed in the proper direction, yet failed to follow. Hollow Man not only referred to the eerie sight of seeing through the eye holes of a mask to the back of the head, or of clothing encompassing nothing as if a hollow shell. It also referred to Sebastian Caine, a `Hollow Man' containing nothing within but shallow desires and relentless hunger for power. While there are moments where this is eluded too, the film goes off on other little diatribes that detract from this, losing its real strength by trying to appear more involved than it allowed itself to be.

In the end Hollow Man became a Hollow Film. It starts off showing the promise of a truly inventive film with a brain as well as a soul, and winds up as nothing more than another schlock sci-fi/thriller effects extravaganza with nothing to say but `Boo' and `Kablam'! And that, dear viewer, is the true horror.

Kevin Bacon stars as Sebastian Caine (with that name you know we're in for it), a research scientist working on an invisibility potion for the military. After a (just barely) successful experiment on an ape, he (against the cries of partners Elisabeth Shue and Josh Brolin) decides to take the next step and inject himself with the serum. The plan is to bring him back in three days, but after the rejuvenation serum fails, he is stuck invisible for over a week.

At this point, Hollow Man veers from mediocre effects thriller to sexually deviant mediocre effects thriller. Caine begins exhibiting the behavior of a teenage boy on the loose, with violent consequences. Bacon does manage to breathe some life into the character, especially at the beginning, but Shue and Brolin are nothing close to believable in their roles.

On the plus side, the special effects are marvelous, particularly with "minor" ones like the latex mask Caine wears to give his face some visible form. You can see through the eyeholes to the back of the mask. Actually, all the "invisibility" effects were stunning, but you can't expect effects to carry a film with a weak storyline. Hollow Man might be good for a late night TV viewing, but I wouldn't suggest paying money for it.