what would you do if no one could see you ? well , if you're a super smart bio-molecular research scientist working for the military , you'd grope a co-worker and rough-up your neighbor from across the street . that's right . of all the non-criminal possibilities brought about by rendering oneself invisible , in " hollow man " kevin bacon's character opts to commit sex crimes . er , it's kevin bacon who plays the super smart military bio-molecular research scientist ? <NEG> something sounds horribly wrong already </NEG> . but this is a paul verhoeven film , and the sleazepin director of such open-crotch classics as " basic instinct " and the infamous " showgirls " <NEG> never lets a little credibility get in the way of his voyeuristic tendencies </NEG> which , when you come right down to it , is all this film is about . " hollow man " features <NEG> a string of hapless , c-list actors </NEG> ( among them bacon , elisabeth shue , josh brolin , and kim dickens ) in <NEG> a grade-z plot </NEG> with a lot of special effects that , frankly , don't look much better than those used in the 1933 version of " the invisible man . " oh bacon glistens when he gets wet all right and looks like a rather fatty side of cheap flank steak when he's attempting reentry but <NEG> otherwise it's lots of " thermal " shots and inanimate objects </NEG> ( elisabeth shue included ) bobbing around <NEG> without any visible signs of support </NEG> . since invisibility , once achieved , isn't much of an effect ( the actors spend half their time conversing with nobody and the other half of their time talking to each other--it amounts to much of a muchness ) , the director elects to wardrobe all of his female protagonists in loosely-buttoned sweaters so that the minute bacon's character gets invisible he can head straight for them . it's as if that fascinating concept--what would you do if no one could see you ? --is <NEG> simply a verhoeven ploy to show some skin </NEG> . as a horror film , " hollow man " is <NEG> unsophisticated and disturbing </NEG> ( in its intent , not its achievements ) and <NEG> not worth your time or your hard-earned dollars </NEG> . it's minor verhoeven--and even that's not saying much--and <NEG> boy is it hollow </NEG> .
