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Hollow Man: Superbit Deluxe
Columbia/Tri-Star // R // May 28, 2002
List Price: $28.99 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Movie:
(movie review originally written in 2000)
Many have said that special effects, no matter how amazing, can not substitute for a story. They're right, and "Hollow Man" is a perfect example. The film's effects are stunning and even revolutionary at times, but as the film went on, I found myself not invested in the story - and as a result, the effects didn't interest me, either.
It's not that the film doesn't start out promisingly, which made the final half all the more dissapointing. Kevin Bacon stars as Sebastian Caine, a smirky, egotistical jerk of a scientist who has stumbled onto a way to make living creatures invisible with the rest of his crew. Linda(Elisabeth Shue) is his co-worker and ex-girlfriend; Matt(the terrible Josh Brolin) is Lisa's new boyfriend. There are a few other assistants, but their characters aren't even one-dimensional, which causes major problems with the second half of the film.
Sebastian is eager to be the first human to try out the invisibility potion, and at first, the results seem to have worked. But when the crew can't figure out how to reverse the process with a human, things begin to go downhill. Sebastian escapes a couple of times, but these scenes are rather short and don't go too far from the main labratory, where nearly the entire movie seems to take place. How about a movie that does something interesting with the ideas displayed here?
Attempts at a decent story completely and utterly fall apart in the second half of the film, which becomes an almost unbearable pile of sub-standard horror sequences as Sebastian goes a bit crazy. Sort of an "I Know What You Did When You Were Invisible Last Summer". This part of the film also reveals that these characters are not only unlikable, but pretty stupid at times, as well. They're chased, whatever - the audience is not given a reason to care about any of them.
As with any Paul Verhoven movie, there's violence here, as well. Only here, it's unnecessary and takes the audience out of the movie; it's intended for empty shocks and nothing else. The script is not the sole fault here; some of the acting is fairly bad. Shue and Bacon aren't too bad, actually. But some supporting actors like Brolin don't even attempt to do anything with what little they have.
I'll bring this review around full-circle to the begining. The effects in this film are remarkable, and quite stunning. When things are gradually turned invisible, the effects are seamless and well-done. But as I got more and more bored with the story, the structure of the film reveals itself; it's just a string of effects sequences hung on a plot that's as thin as air.
The DVD
VIDEO: "Hollow Man" is the first title in the "Superbit Deluxe" series. As with the prior SB titles, extras have been deleted from the first disc to make way for optimal audio and video quality. On this new deluxe series, however, the video-based supplements have been moved to the second disc, although the audio commentary that was included on the original has not returned here.
As for the video quality, it's a bit difficult to understand how titles are chosen for inclusion in the Superbit series. While most of the studio's early presentations were very good - if somewhat flawed at times, more recent efforts have often boasted excellent image quality. "Hollow Man" is an example of that, as the original release offered an exceptional presentation. However, I was surprised to see that this release does manage to offer some improvements, although subtle ones.
The picture displayed a smoother, crisper image, which impressed me. Detail was a bit better than the prior release and the picture seemed to have better depth to the image. Flaws remained minor; while edge enhancement unfortunately returns on this edition, it was very slight and not terribly noticable. No pixelation or other faults were noticed. Colors remained sleek and well-saturated, while black level was solid. Overall, while not a major improvement over the prior release, the picture quality is a few steps advanced over the original edition.
SOUND: I originally wrote this about the first release: The film's Dolby Digital 5.1 audio often provides the scope the movie lacks. "Hollow Man" isn't one of those movies where helicopters are chasing people or is there really even that much gunfire. Heck, there really aren't that many locations, either. But, the sound designer has made sure to take all of the ambient sounds of the lab and spread them out around the listener. Surrounds aren't always agressive, but I was pleased that they often seemed to be offering something, and their use becomes more intense towards the ending. Bass is also occasionally strong.
What few songs there are in "Hollow Man" really fill the listening space with strength, coming from all sides of the viewer. The score from Jerry Goldsmith also sounds clear and rich. Dialogue is largely clear and easily understood, with no "edge" or problem. Praise goes to the sound designers, who took a film that doesn't have many locations or fast action, and really captured the audio details of the environment of the lab.
Both the commentary and the isolated score that were included on the prior release have not been carried over to this edition, although this new Superbit edition adds a DTS 5.1 option to the already existing Dolby Digital 5.1 track. The Dolby Digital 5.1 presentation is certainly a very enjoyable one, but the DTS 5.1 option offers a somewhat improved audio experience, sounding slightly more dynamic and seamless.
MENUS: As with the menus on the other Superbit titles, they are basic and non-animated in order to leave more room for the presentation.
EXTRAS: Except for the commentary and isolated score, the majority of the extras from the original release return on the second disc.
(supplemental discussion written in 2000).
Making Of "HM": Anatomy Of A Thriller: A slick, promotional 15 minute feature, this documentary often tells us about the movie that we've just seen. The interviews with the actors are nothing too interesting, just talking about their characters and light story details. It's neat to see some behind-the-scenes clips, but there's not enough compelling information to sit through the rest of it.
Deleted Scenes: 3 Deleted scenes are presented; 2 have "commentary" in the way that interview snippets of director Verhoven are edited in-between moments in the scene. It's a little odd, but it's nice to still hear why these 2 scenes were taken out.
Fleshing Out The Hollow Man: Although I'm not a fan of the "short featurette" groups that are included in some DVDs (I'd rather see one long documentary or even be able to hit "play all"), the ones that are included with "Hollow Man"(10 in all that are a few minutes each) are very good. They focus on the different challenges that came with the effects scenes in the film, the biggest challenge - of course - taking an actor completely out of the scenes. The "behind-the-scenes" shots of showing the filmed scenes without the effects and then showing how the effects are done are pretty fascinating to watch.
Also in this section further in are 3 more parts. One is a documentary about the underground lab set; the two others are a short effects featurette with commentary and storyboards for a scene w/commentary.
VFX Picture-In-Picture: Always neat to see, this offers the viewer a chance to compare the before-and-after for 3 effects scenes in the movie.
Trailers: Teaser and trailer for "Hollow Man" are included. The trailers that were included on the prior release - "A Few Good Men", "Starship Troopers" and "Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within" are not included this time around.
Also: Talent files.
Final Thoughts: As for the film itself, I still don't recommend "Hollow Man". It spends a lot of potential and a lot of impressive effects on a story that's extremely familiar and very rarely exciting or entertaining. Those who are fans of the film still might want to look into the Superbit Deluxe edition, which offers most of the original edition's supplements and improvements in video and audio (the addition of DTS) that are noticable, but not dramatic. The original edition still is available everywhere though, offering a perfectly fine presentation and a few more supplements for a few dollars less. Columbia/Tristar offers the choice to the viewer, whether or not they prefer an improved presentation or more supplements.
(movie review originally written in 2000)
Many have said that special effects, no matter how amazing, can not substitute for a story. They're right, and "Hollow Man" is a perfect example. The film's effects are stunning and even revolutionary at times, but as the film went on, I found myself not invested in the story - and as a result, the effects didn't interest me, either.
It's not that the film doesn't start out promisingly, which made the final half all the more dissapointing. Kevin Bacon stars as Sebastian Caine, a smirky, egotistical jerk of a scientist who has stumbled onto a way to make living creatures invisible with the rest of his crew. Linda(Elisabeth Shue) is his co-worker and ex-girlfriend; Matt(the terrible Josh Brolin) is Lisa's new boyfriend. There are a few other assistants, but their characters aren't even one-dimensional, which causes major problems with the second half of the film.
Sebastian is eager to be the first human to try out the invisibility potion, and at first, the results seem to have worked. But when the crew can't figure out how to reverse the process with a human, things begin to go downhill. Sebastian escapes a couple of times, but these scenes are rather short and don't go too far from the main labratory, where nearly the entire movie seems to take place. How about a movie that does something interesting with the ideas displayed here?
Attempts at a decent story completely and utterly fall apart in the second half of the film, which becomes an almost unbearable pile of sub-standard horror sequences as Sebastian goes a bit crazy. Sort of an "I Know What You Did When You Were Invisible Last Summer". This part of the film also reveals that these characters are not only unlikable, but pretty stupid at times, as well. They're chased, whatever - the audience is not given a reason to care about any of them.
As with any Paul Verhoven movie, there's violence here, as well. Only here, it's unnecessary and takes the audience out of the movie; it's intended for empty shocks and nothing else. The script is not the sole fault here; some of the acting is fairly bad. Shue and Bacon aren't too bad, actually. But some supporting actors like Brolin don't even attempt to do anything with what little they have.
I'll bring this review around full-circle to the begining. The effects in this film are remarkable, and quite stunning. When things are gradually turned invisible, the effects are seamless and well-done. But as I got more and more bored with the story, the structure of the film reveals itself; it's just a string of effects sequences hung on a plot that's as thin as air.
The DVD
VIDEO: "Hollow Man" is the first title in the "Superbit Deluxe" series. As with the prior SB titles, extras have been deleted from the first disc to make way for optimal audio and video quality. On this new deluxe series, however, the video-based supplements have been moved to the second disc, although the audio commentary that was included on the original has not returned here.
As for the video quality, it's a bit difficult to understand how titles are chosen for inclusion in the Superbit series. While most of the studio's early presentations were very good - if somewhat flawed at times, more recent efforts have often boasted excellent image quality. "Hollow Man" is an example of that, as the original release offered an exceptional presentation. However, I was surprised to see that this release does manage to offer some improvements, although subtle ones.
The picture displayed a smoother, crisper image, which impressed me. Detail was a bit better than the prior release and the picture seemed to have better depth to the image. Flaws remained minor; while edge enhancement unfortunately returns on this edition, it was very slight and not terribly noticable. No pixelation or other faults were noticed. Colors remained sleek and well-saturated, while black level was solid. Overall, while not a major improvement over the prior release, the picture quality is a few steps advanced over the original edition.
SOUND: I originally wrote this about the first release: The film's Dolby Digital 5.1 audio often provides the scope the movie lacks. "Hollow Man" isn't one of those movies where helicopters are chasing people or is there really even that much gunfire. Heck, there really aren't that many locations, either. But, the sound designer has made sure to take all of the ambient sounds of the lab and spread them out around the listener. Surrounds aren't always agressive, but I was pleased that they often seemed to be offering something, and their use becomes more intense towards the ending. Bass is also occasionally strong.
What few songs there are in "Hollow Man" really fill the listening space with strength, coming from all sides of the viewer. The score from Jerry Goldsmith also sounds clear and rich. Dialogue is largely clear and easily understood, with no "edge" or problem. Praise goes to the sound designers, who took a film that doesn't have many locations or fast action, and really captured the audio details of the environment of the lab.
Both the commentary and the isolated score that were included on the prior release have not been carried over to this edition, although this new Superbit edition adds a DTS 5.1 option to the already existing Dolby Digital 5.1 track. The Dolby Digital 5.1 presentation is certainly a very enjoyable one, but the DTS 5.1 option offers a somewhat improved audio experience, sounding slightly more dynamic and seamless.
MENUS: As with the menus on the other Superbit titles, they are basic and non-animated in order to leave more room for the presentation.
EXTRAS: Except for the commentary and isolated score, the majority of the extras from the original release return on the second disc.
(supplemental discussion written in 2000).
Making Of "HM": Anatomy Of A Thriller: A slick, promotional 15 minute feature, this documentary often tells us about the movie that we've just seen. The interviews with the actors are nothing too interesting, just talking about their characters and light story details. It's neat to see some behind-the-scenes clips, but there's not enough compelling information to sit through the rest of it.
Deleted Scenes: 3 Deleted scenes are presented; 2 have "commentary" in the way that interview snippets of director Verhoven are edited in-between moments in the scene. It's a little odd, but it's nice to still hear why these 2 scenes were taken out.
Fleshing Out The Hollow Man: Although I'm not a fan of the "short featurette" groups that are included in some DVDs (I'd rather see one long documentary or even be able to hit "play all"), the ones that are included with "Hollow Man"(10 in all that are a few minutes each) are very good. They focus on the different challenges that came with the effects scenes in the film, the biggest challenge - of course - taking an actor completely out of the scenes. The "behind-the-scenes" shots of showing the filmed scenes without the effects and then showing how the effects are done are pretty fascinating to watch.
Also in this section further in are 3 more parts. One is a documentary about the underground lab set; the two others are a short effects featurette with commentary and storyboards for a scene w/commentary.
VFX Picture-In-Picture: Always neat to see, this offers the viewer a chance to compare the before-and-after for 3 effects scenes in the movie.
Trailers: Teaser and trailer for "Hollow Man" are included. The trailers that were included on the prior release - "A Few Good Men", "Starship Troopers" and "Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within" are not included this time around.
Also: Talent files.
Final Thoughts: As for the film itself, I still don't recommend "Hollow Man". It spends a lot of potential and a lot of impressive effects on a story that's extremely familiar and very rarely exciting or entertaining. Those who are fans of the film still might want to look into the Superbit Deluxe edition, which offers most of the original edition's supplements and improvements in video and audio (the addition of DTS) that are noticable, but not dramatic. The original edition still is available everywhere though, offering a perfectly fine presentation and a few more supplements for a few dollars less. Columbia/Tristar offers the choice to the viewer, whether or not they prefer an improved presentation or more supplements.
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