HOLLOW MAN
SPECIAL EDITION DVD
COLUMBIA TRISTAR HOME VIDEO
$26.99
Review Equipment:Yamaha RXV-795 A/V ReceiverPro-Scan 868OZ DVD PlayerBIC America V636 5.1 Speaker SystemClark Synthesis TST 329F Tactile Sound TransducersPioneer SD532HD5 Rear Projection MonitorReview by Calvin Harding Jr. on 12/29/00

A team of brilliant research scientists is working on a top-secret project for the Defense Department.  Their mission is to make a human being invisible, and then bring the subject back to his original physical form.  After achieving success with primate test subjects, the lead scientist, Dr. Sebastian Caine (Kevin Bacon) decides to ignore protocol and proceed with human testing immediately.  Selecting himself as the first subject, Caine achieves a state of invisibility.  However, when his research team is unable to bring him back to visible form, Caine becomes increasingly mentally unstable as the days pass.  Hollow Man co-stars Elisabeth Shue, Josh Brolin, Kim Dickens, Greg Grunberg, Joey Slotnick, and Mary Randle.

Columbia Tristar has yet another top-notch video transfer with this disc.  The movie is presented in a widescreen version (1.85:1) that contains the 16x9 anamorphic enhancement.  Colors are accurate with fully saturated hues.  Black levels are dark and flesh tones are pink and healthy.  Picture defect mastering is solid with no artifacts or other flaws that I could detect.  The video portion of this disc is reference-quality caliber.  Video Rating: 9 out of 10

The Dolby Digital 5.1 channel soundtrack on this disc is dynamic.  Dialogue is crisp and properly centered.    The forward and rear soundstages are wide and enveloping.  The surround channels are often used aggressively and there are several discrete effects in all five channels.  The LFE channel is robust and powerful in its delivery of the explosive sound effects and the driving Jerry Goldsmith score.  Audio Rating: 8 out of 10

Hollow Man has some wonderful tactile sound moments.  While tactile sound effects are minimal in both strength and number for the first two-thirds of the film, they then become almost bone jarring (and occur frequently) throughout the last five chapters.  Recommended scenes to check out for tactile effects include the flame-thrower in Chapter 25; the explosions in the lab in Chapters 24, 27, and 28; and the climatic elevator scene in Chapter 28.  Tactile Sound Effects Rating: 7.5 out of 10

Special features include audio commentary with Director Paul Verhoeven, Screenwriter Andrew W. Marlowe, and Actor Kevin Bacon; isolated music score with Jerry Goldsmith commentary; HBO making-of featurette entitled, Anatomy of a Thriller; 15 behind-the-scenes featurettes entitled, Fleshing Out the Hollow Man; VFX picture in picture comparisons; 3 deleted scenes with Director commentary; production notes; theatrical trailers; talent files; and DVD-ROM web links.  Supplements Rating: 9 out of 10