Hollow Man

Jerry Goldsmith

 
" Invisibility just got a lot more haunting "

Written by Thomas Glorieux - Review of the regular release

Hollow Man wasn't a widely successful film (critical wise) but a financial one nonetheless. Showing that Paul Verhoeven hasn't lost his touch whatsoever in surprising an audience. His movie here delivers a fascinating twist on the whole invisible man concept, by inserting a horror / thriller twist. You see, becoming invisible makes you dangerous. You can actually do everything now, without being seen, without risking your identity. Except for the people who created that power alongside of you. And what you get is an interesting thriller with enough horror twists and visual effects to entertain your 2 hour experience.

Jerry Goldsmith was asked back by Paul Verhoeven, continuing an on / off partnership with the director. After Basic Instinct, Verhoeven went for Basil Poledouris (Starship Troopers), but something tells me the director knew who to choose for Hollow Man. Because the main theme opening the score is a combination between the desire for power (Basic Instinct style) and the mystery of the project (The Haunting style), heard perfectly well in "The Hollow Man". A part of the theme returns with futuristic effects in "What Went Wrong?".

The wonderful sequence in which we see a gorilla disappear and appear gets a futuristic sound at first, for the wonder and realization of the disappearance. Later in "Isabelle Comes Back" a more frightening shock is heard as she almost loses her life in the process. That feeling of wonder and disbelief returns in "This is Science", when Sebastien himself becomes the guinea pig instead. Here the horror music is much more alive, as in "Not Right" which is a powerful cue that continues the horror sound of The Haunting. Trust me, I've never enjoyed it more than now.

And from then on, the threat becomes real. The horror becomes a fight for survival. In "False Image", the King Solomon Mines action packed "Hi Boss", the suspenseful "Find Him", the immense and brilliant 2nd part of "Bloody Floor" and the thrilling experience of "The Elevator" (with falling elevator effect to prove it), Goldsmith delivers us a bold secondary part of the score. The final track "The Big Climb" continues the elevator effect and finishes it off with a happy note.

Hollow Man was at the time of its release one of the more average Jerry Goldsmith scores, a soundtrack that couldn't hold its weight alongside the many many fine releases of its time. Right now, it shows that an average Jerry Goldsmith score still carries a lot of quality. I'm not saying it has improved a lot, but it sure listens a lot more interesting. If not the least due to the fact we have powerful action music, identifiable themes, stylish movie music and an overall entertaining experience. In truth Hollow Man isn't that bad after all. Or how today's music just shows us that quality has actually diminished considerably in time.

Tracklisting

1. The Hollow Man (2.56)
2. Isabelle Comes Back (6.01)
3. Linda & Sebastian (2.55)
4. This is Science (6.17)
5. Not Right (2.39) Excellent track
6. What Went Wrong? (1.41)
7. Broken Window (2.57)
8. False Image (1.56)
9. Hi Boss (2.47)
10. Find Him (4.37)
11. Bloody Floor (9.59) Excellent track
12. The Elevator (2.57)
13. The Big Climb (3.06)

Total Length: 51.31
(click to rate this score)  
 
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(total of 13 votes - average 3.58/5)

Released by

Varèse Sarabande 302 066 171 2 (regular release 2000)

Conducted by

Jerry Goldsmith

Orchestrations by

Alexander Courage