Hollow Man / Hollow Man 2 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.0

Hollow Man / Hollow Man 2 Blu-ray Movie Review

Hollower and Hollower

Reviewed by Michael Reuben March 29, 2013

After Robocop, Total Recall and Starship Troopers, news that director Paul Verhoeven was preparing to unleash yet another sci-fi spectacular sent shivers of anticipation through his loyal fans (myself included). Then we saw the movie and wondered what had gone wrong. How could a talent as singular, extravagant and kinky as the Dutch wildman have produced something so utterly banal? Sure, the effects were eye-popping, groundbreaking and suitably icky (and they still hold up today). But the story was no more than a tale of a nerd who snapped at the office after his girlfriend dumped him for a colleague. The fact that the nerd happened to be invisible made his rampage a little more intriguing than bringing a Glock to work, but not that much. Even Verhoeven's usual windowdressing of nudity, voyeurism and misogyny couldn't disguise the fact that he'd essentially made a slasher film—and a fairly unoriginal variation at that, with a villain who was neither scary nor especially interesting.

Despite mostly dreadful reviews, Hollow Man managed to turn a profit at the worldwide box office on the strength of its impressive effects. Lesser films with worse performance have been given a sequel, which means that Hollow Man 2 was almost inevitable. Six years later, it arrived and went straight to video. The director, Swiss-born Claudio Fäh, had neither Verhoeven's ambition nor his budget. Hollow Man 2 returned to what worked for Claude Rains in the original The Invisible Man, which was tossing people and objects about at the hands of an unseen force. Fäh's best "effect" was casting Peter Facinelli as the film's true lead before the actor was well known for his roles in the Twilight series and Nurse Jackie. Facinelli is a genuinely talented performer, who lends Hollow Man 2 what little credibility it can claim.

For a discussion of Hollow Man, see the Hollow Man Blu-ray review.

For a discussion of Hollow Man 2, see the Hollow Man 2 Blu-ray review.

Hollow Man / Hollow Man 2 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

For a discussion of Hollow Man, see the Hollow Man Blu-ray review.

For a discussion of Hollow Man 2, see the Hollow Man 2 Blu-ray review.

Hollow Man / Hollow Man 2 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

For a discussion of Hollow Man, see the Hollow Man Blu-ray review.

For a discussion of Hollow Man 2, see the Hollow Man 2 Blu-ray review.

Hollow Man / Hollow Man 2 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This disc contains no extras for either film.

Hollow Man / Hollow Man 2 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Pairing the two Hollow Men films has the benefit of putting Paul Verhoeven's film into perspective by revealing it for what it always was: a pricey update of The Invisible Man. However, if you're a fan of Hollow Man and want the extras, its original Blu-ray release by Sony can still be had for a reasonable price. Both offer good presentations of Verhoeven's film. The two-for-one disc from Mill Creek is the only release of Hollow Man 2. The choice is yours.