The name Universal is in quotation marks because the 2000 film Hollow Man isn’t a part of the traditional Universal lineup. But we all know it should be, and it’s regarded as a spiritual successor; but let’s keep that between us, we don’t want a call from California from an unhappy entertainment lawyer. Although as much as this film was so unfairly panned, Universal might appreciate the publicity 26 years later. To clarify, Hollow Man is a Columbia Pictures film, so they had to be really careful how they marketed this to avoid the same kind of phone call. The studio based its version on H.G. Wells’ novel with a completely different backstory than Universal’s, so the public domain prevailed once more!
This one is special — albeit a little more pervy — than the original, with Paul Verhoeven (Robocop, Starship Troopers) at the helm. He’s known for his questionable male gaze antics (Sharon Stone’s crotch shot in Basic Instinct? Anything Elizabeth Berkley did in Showgirls, perhaps?) so giving him control of an invisible man surrounded by beautiful women is an invitation to open a toxic sandbox. And he uses that here, but in a way that exploits the idea of sexual assault, which just comes off creepy, not frightening. For instance, in the film, a beautiful lab assistant is using the bathroom, pants down, sitting on the toilet, but she feels like invisible eyes are watching her. Is Verhoeven suggesting our antagonist wants to watch girls pee? And why make the audience see/feel that when it turns out to be a false alarm? In another scene, our heroine is sleeping, and her undergarments are being pulled off by invisible hands. It’s all filmed in a sexualized manner, but it turns out to be a dream, although it’s never really clear.
That heroine is Oscar-winning actress Elizabeth Shue. She’s not an action star, but thanks to Verhoeven’s no-nonsense directing abilities, she doesn’t embarrass herself in the part. She has to go up against the mad scientist, Kevin Bacon, who hams his way through the titular role even though we don’t actually “see” him throughout most of the movie; he’s hidden behind a digital illustrator’s handiwork.
You’re going to notice those digital effects. You are. But honestly, they are better than most of today’s B-movie generated slop. Strangely, the FX don’t pull you out of any moment. It’s amazing that almost 30 years ago they were able to get this much out of a binary program, but today we get the likes of Krypto in Supergirl, looking like a cartoon — just use a real dog; it’s 2026!
Hollow Man isn’t a great film, but it passes nicely enough as popcorn fodder; perfect for today’s distracted movie viewer scrolling on the phone, only looking up when the music changes pitch. Universal’s official reboot, 2020’s The Invisible Man, directed by Leigh Whannell, is the superior adaptation here, and he even uses some traps, perhaps unintentionally, from Verhoeven’s version, but to a much more domestically violent degree.
I’d recommend a double feature of both directors’ films. Watching them in one sitting is worth more than a single viewing of 2025’s Wolf Man (also directed by Whannell), or Tom Cruise’s The Mummy. And as far as the Universal Monster universe goes, the saga of quality will continue once Robert Eggers’ Werwulf releases come December.
You can find where to watch both by visiting JustWatch.
Kevin Bacon in Hollow Man
