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 know that Paul Verhoeven was unsatisfied by the results of the original "Hollow Man" movie (which he directed), so I am kind of mystified by why he would participate in not just a sequel, but a fairly low budget direct to DVD sequel. (Though he just acted as a producer and didn't direct this time around.) Anyway, I thought that this sequel did improve on the original movie in one aspect - it doesn't have the sour and nasty feel that happened the first time around. And while this movie had a much lower budget than the original, the special effects are often quite good for a straight to DVD movie. However, the script clearly needed some more work before shooting began. There are some dull stretches, but a more pressing problem is that there are some murky plot details that are clearly lacking proper explanation. In the end, the movie is so-so, and is only recommended for fairly undemanding viewers who can see it for free or little cost.

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?

In Seattle, after the mysterious death of the scientist Dr. Devin Villiers (John Shaw), Detective Frank Turner (Peter Facinelli) and his partner Det. Lisa Martinez (Sarah Deakins) are assigned to protect Devin's colleague Dr. Maggie Dalton (Laura Regan). Lisa is killed while protecting Maggie, and Frank presses her to tell what is happening. She discloses that a veteran soldier called Michael Griffin (Christian Slater) was submitted to an experiment with the objective to create the ultimate national security weapon, an undetectable soldier. However, the experiment failed, with horrible side effects due to the damage to the cells caused by the radiation. Michael is chasing Maggie to get the necessary buffer to survive."Hollow Man 2" is inferior to the original, but entertains. The predictable and forgettable story has flaws and very few special effects, but it is not so bad as indicated in many reviews. My vote is six.Title (Brazil): "O Homem Sem Sombra 2" ("The Man Without Shadow 2")