Hollow Man (R)
Even for mature viewers, this is a flop.
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Seen the movie?
Movie details
- Studio: Columbia Tristar
- Directed By: Paul Verhoeven
- Cast: Kevin Bacon, Elisabeth Shue
- Running Time: 114 minutes
- Release Date: 09/03/2002
- Video/DVD Release Date: 09/03/2002
- Genre: Science Fiction
- MPAA Rating: R
- MPAA Explanation: strong violence, language and some sexuality/nudity
Parents need to know
Parents need to know that even if they customarily take their teens to R-rated movies, they should think twice about letting kids see this one -- strong, pervasive scenes of violence, gruesome horror, and adult sexuality make this inappropriate for all but the most mature viewers.
Families can talk about how the film's themes compare to the current issues being raised about pharmaceutical drug companies.
Families can talk about how the film's themes compare to the current issues being raised about pharmaceutical drug companies.
Message
Social Behavior:
A graphic dirty joke.
Consumerism:
Drugs/Alcohol/Tobacco:
Brief smoking and drinking.
Violence
Constant violence, including a half dozen gruesome murders, a rape, and two scenes in which animals are brutally killed. The gratuitous killings of two lab animals are particularly upsetting.
Sex
The main character uses his invisibility to grope a sleeping co-worker's breast, spy on another in the bathroom, and rape a neighbor who has been undressing in front of his window. There are several sex scenes, and a dirty joke is told. We see both male and female nudity.
Language
Heavy. Pretty much every word you wouldn't want kids to repeat is used several times.
Common Sense says
What's the story?
Reviewed by M. Faust
In this thriller, scientist Sebastian Caine (Kevin Bacon) and his colleagues Linda (Elisabeth Shue) and Matt (Josh Brolin) are working for a top-secret military department, trying to develop an invisibility potion. Pressured by his superior, Caine tests the serum on himself even though he's not certain that it's in a final form. Caine begins suffering serious side effects that transform him into a killer.
Is it any good?
HOLLOW MAN was directed by Paul Verhoeven, the Dutch-born filmmaker with a reputation for strong violence and sexuality. Like his previous films, this movie makes no concession to young viewers. The gruesome opening scene is enough to give kids nightmares for weeks. Immediately after, we see scientist Sebastian Caine peeping out his window at a naked woman. It almost seems that Verhoeven is making a point of warning parents right away that any kids in the audience should immediately be ushered out.
Even for mature viewers, though, Hollow Man is a flop. The notion of confronting the dark fantasies that might be unleashed if we could become invisible is intriguing, but it's never taken past cheap (and nasty) titillation here. Caine quickly becomes too lunatic for us to empathize with his plight. Most of the movie takes place in a cramped research facility, avoiding the intriguing possibilities of what an invisible person might do in the everyday world. The finale is particularly disappointing--Sebastian systematically murders his colleagues to keep them from exposing him.
Other choices
Memoirs of an Invisible Man
The Invisible Man
The Invisible Man
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65 votes