A Major Disappointment

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

HOLLOW MAN wasn't one of Paul Verhoeven's best movies, so when I saw that this sequel had no returning cast or crew from the original, I thought it could work both ways. On one hand, a totally fresh start might have meant a breathe of originality for this film; on the other, this could have been a cheap and trashy rip-off that just goes to prove the 'law of diminishing returns'. Sadly, HOLLOW MAN II is for the most part the latter film, a boring B-movie with only a few individual scenes and moments to recommend it.This time around, Christian Slater stars as the invisible man, and it's a rather odd choice, I have to say. Slater's better known for comedic or psychotically funny turns and he just doesn't cut it as a homicidal maniac, seeming too cute and cuddly for the role. He still stands head and shoulders against the rest of the cast, who are universally diabolical (Facinelli looks like a student rather than a detective, and don't get me started on the awfully wooden Laura Regan, who previously appeared in MY LITTLE EYE). Things do begin well here, with a stand-out murder scene in which a scientist is beaten and killed by Slater, jumping straight into the story. The blood sprays all over in this graphically nasty moment and it reminded me of how GHOST SHIP started with a similarly great opening before going downhill.After that, there's a long and needlessly protracted set-piece in which Slater attacks a house and a SWAT team, which really tries the patience. The tacked-in scene in which he goes after a young, horny couple is only included to show the obligatory breasts, and I had to laugh at the ridiculousness of it (why does he keep running back and forth in front of the camera like that?). From here on in, there's a scene in a hospital that recalls TERMINATOR 2, a scene in an abandoned warehouse, and then the final scene in which two invisible men duke it out in the rain. Yeah, that last bit was quite fun in a cheesy way, although I'm so tired of these unstoppable killers who get up after falling from a first-floor window onto concrete and who shrug off a blow to the temple with a fire extinguisher as if it were a mere gnat bite. The special effects are adequate for this production, apart from the absolutely awful effects in the scene in which Regan is carried through a shopping mall, having conveniently stripped to her underwear beforehand (not something I wanted to see, I have to say). Let's just hope they don't bother with a HOLLOW MAN III...

I wasn't all that crazy about 2000's "Hollow Man" with Keven Bacon and Elisabeth Shue, but it was good enough to give a marginal thumbs-up. Six years later this direct-to-video sequel came out with Christian Slater as the rogue invisible man created by the government. Peter Facinelli and Laura Regan team up after the invisible man murders the former's partner (Sarah Deakins).The plot is sorta reminiscent of "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" in that you have a malevolent being with incredible powers pursuing two others and the two beings with powers square off at the end, but "Hollow Man 2" isn't nearly as good. Still, it's not bad at all and I found it watchable. There's some quality action and a little female eye candy, not to mention the F/X are good considering this is direct-to-video.The film runs 91 minutes and was shot in Vancouver, British Columbia.GRADE: C+ or B-

I enjoyed the original Hollow Man for all its flaws, so I was expecting something along the same lines for this sequel. It is such a shame though that Hollow Man 2 is such a mess. Not even Christian Slater could save it, I like him and he seemed a good choice, but with the characters being as stock and as irritating as they were and the script being as thin and as cheesy as it was he can't do anything with the role. Visuals are a step-down, not cheap as such, but they aren't amazing either. The music is not as atmospheric or as fitting, while the story is rushed and uninteresting with little suspense or thrills to satisfy. Overall, a real let-down. 1/10 Bethany Cox

Not on par with Paul Verhoeven's first film, acting-wise and effects-wise, but still decent and entertaining. Don't expect to see much of Christian Slater, 'cause he's invisible most of the time... and pretty nuts too.Hmm... don't have much else to say about this direct-to-DVD sequel. Well, for a direct-to-DVD-sequel it's not that bad, really. I've seen worse direct-to-DVD sequels. And I've also seen worse direct-to-DVD sequels of direct-to-DVD sequels (so by that I mean a "Part 3" or "Part 4" or more of a film that was initially not released direct-to-DVD).So "Hollow Man 2" is okay. Did I mention this film was released direct-to-DVD as a sequel?