If there is one thing that Jerry Goldsmith does well it's write suspense scores. I've been listening to Jerry Goldsmith for almost as long as I've been listening to John Williams and I can say that Jerry Goldsmith has a gift for creating atmosphere and suspense. His scores to films such as Alien and Total Recall have him universally praised and so when I heard he was teaming up with Paul Verhoeven for the first time since Total Recall I was excited. The movie excited me too. I had seen the original Invisible Man and so I was thrilled that they were making an updated version. However, what was so appealing about the older version was that in the original the Invisible man slowly goes insane an as such begins terrorizing the supposedly righteous people of England. It was sort of a social commentary on the times. This new one was more of an effects extravaganza.
I think the thing that I took away from the film was the fact that my Dad had been on the Washington Navy Yard set when they were filming so I had sort of a feeling that my Dad was in the film although you just couldn't see him. On the whole, (despite my Dad sort of being in the film), movie was a bit disappointing. On the other hand, Jerry Goldsmith doesn't disappoint. The music for The Hollow Man has the same sort of mood as the non-action portions of Total Recall or Leviathan. Not quite as dark as Alien, there is a brief harkening back to the themes of Alien in Hi Boss during the frenzied attack of Sebastian on his boss (interestingly played by Ian Holm who was in Alien).
My favorite track in this film would probably be the main title track called The Hollow Man. It is an eerie combination of mystery and beauty. Starting off with synths and then slowly melding into strings, the theme is a perfect example of how Goldsmith creates a mood using his music. From there, the music falls into the suspense background score category with the music providing the appropriate backdrop for various scenes of peril and danger. The final two tracks, The Elevator and The Big Climb are quite good, almost comparable to some of Goldsmith's work from the finale of Total Recall. Although the final two tracks are shorter than the finale of Total Recall it is nonetheless quite a good listen. I enjoy popping this CD into my player now and then when I'm in a suspenseful mood. If you liked what Goldsmith did in Leviathan then I would say that this score is one you might want to try out. Besides, my Dad was in the movie....well...sort of.
Total time: 51:22