Hollow Man actually had a sequel if one remembers, it starred Christian Slater in an attempt to do something after the first one and it flopped just as hard. That might not sound too fair since anything with Kevin Bacon in it can’t be too bad, and Hollow Man wasn’t quite as horrible as some people might want to claim. In a sense it did embody the spirit of the Invisible Man just as much as the new reboot of the old favorite appears to do in the trailers since it takes a man that’s already narcissistic, vain, and ready to stride forward boldly when everyone else is advising caution, and gives him the one thing that will make him teeter on a psychological precipice, a chance to just disappear, and of course to not have to look at himself in the mirror. This movie wasn’t the best that could have been concocted when it comes to an Invisible Man story, but I’d definitely put it up there well above The League of Extraordinary Gentleman in which the Invisible Man suddenly became a team player and a guy that wasn’t bad but just mischievous. In this version the main character was kind of a pain in the backside to begin with as he always thought he was the smartest guy in the room, though there was something beneath that arrogance, a hint of danger that could easily blossom into a full-blown threat. Once it was established that he could return to visibility it started to become obvious that his mental state was deteriorating in a big way, and by the time he’d finally come to grips with his situation, things had progressed way beyond any chance of repair.
The way Sebastian went about it however was utterly creepy since he didn’t go full-blown bad right away, keeping it light and sinister for a while before finally going full-on bad. He managed to unnerve everyone around him before taking on the final note of his ever-increasing symphony of madness, assaulting his neighbor, played by Rhona Mitra, before settling firmly into the part of the villain. The infrared image of Sebastian cruelly bashing in the skull of a lab animal however was still pretty disturbing even with the knowledge that he was about to embrace the worst side of himself. This is the type of story that is made for someone that embraces the narcissistic side of themselves, and for an actor that can take on that kind of role and make it work in such a unique way. Kevin Bacon is a hard actor to top when he’s at his best, and while this wasn’t his best role ever it was certainly one that he was able to go fairly dark for since it called on a reserve of psychotic energy that made him appear even more unhinged than he has in other movies.
Does it deserve a reboot though? The better question would be ‘why bother?’. Hollow Man wasn’t perfect by any means, especially since his death scene could have been so much better, or not been a death scene at all, as such an ending would have been infinitely scarier. It’s true that the original Invisible Man by H.G. Wells did end when the main character, the antagonist, Griffin, dies at the end. Think about if the Invisible Man had lived though, and then you’ll understand how that ending could continue the legend and make it so insanely unnerving. Had Sebastian lived it feels certain that he would have been caught eventually since being narcissistic and vain he might have slipped up at some point and made a serious mistake. But still, such an ending would have been great. The idea of becoming invisible is one that many people wish for due to various reasons, but the implications of it are far more than anyone is willing to take the time to understand. Just think of what a person could possibly do if they didn’t have to look at themselves in the mirror any longer. No restrictions, no societal limits, no punishment. That’s kind of scary really.
As far as rebooting this movie goes however it does feel as though it could be left alone for a while yet and left as it is. There might be some that disagree, but trying to reboot it now would likely be seen as a ploy to keep up with the current Invisible Man movie and the idea that Elizabeth Banks is making an Invisible Woman movie as well (feel free to roll your eyes, she’s still learning). Maybe in another decade or so, or less who knows, this movie will be deserving of another shot with someone that’s ambitious enough, but for now it definitely feels as though it needs to be left as the imperfect version that it is, as it suits the movie and the story it represents.
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