Rating of
1.5/4
I guess naming it 'Shallow' Man is be too obvious?
Indyfreak - wrote on 11/15/18
Paul Verhoeven's sci-fi thriller has really cool special effects and one diabolically evil performance by Kevin Bacon as a hotshot scientist who makes himself invisible only to go mad with power. Because of course he does.
Elizabeth Shue is actually quite good as the heroine who has to stop his reign of terror, showing action chops and holding her own against Bacon's scene chewing. Josh Brolin is woefully uninteresting as the designated 'good guy' scientist and Shue's love interest but as Kevin Bacon himself observes correctly, he's so boring.
The premise may just be a $100M remake of Invisible Man but the premise starts out strong and the high tech lab setting looks cool. But most of the cast aside from Bacon and Shue are thoroughly uninteresting ans sometimes downright unlikable.
The script sometimes ventures into more cerebral territory by playing up the claustrophobic atmosphere and the potential use of invisibility for voyeuristic purposes. But it too swiftly settles for becoming just another slasher movie.
