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 . <NEG> i can't imagine anyone who would like to see this movie a second time </NEG> . 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 . <NEG> the little intelligence that was left disappears as verhoven looses control and the film turns into an alien-rip-off </NEG> , 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 . <NEG> this is a very silly production . laughable , actually . apparently verhoven's imagination doesn't stretch too far </NEG> . 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 <NEG> eventually kills the movie </NEG> . 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 doesn'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 <NEG> barely seen </NEG> , josh brolin is <NEG> underused </NEG> and the rest of the cast <NEG> suffer mostly for the lack of talent </NEG> . 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 <NEG> actually saves the film from being completely embarrassing </NEG> . 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 <NEG> he is incapable of handling more complex issues </NEG> . and so , instead of depth and chills , verhoven inserts some of his trademarks : <NEG> stupid dialogue , and lot's of dull action </NEG> 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 <NEG> one of the most ridiculous endings of the year </NEG> ( 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 <NEG> obviously missed that point </NEG> and this film is a proof of that . it's all flesh and bones , but no soul . a void where its imagination should be .
