Hollow?  Is anybody there?
Review by Christopher Coleman\

Summer Blockbuster season is the playground of the most popular film score composers and is a Christmas for film music fans.  The Summer of 2000 provided early notable entries from most all of the “biggies” of the film music world:  John Williams, James Horner and Hans Zimmer.   Absent until August, one other “biggie,” Jerry Goldsmith, finally chimes in with his lone Summer entry:  Hollow Man.  For Goldsmith fans it was a painful wait for this release and most film music fans were at least curious as to what Goldsmith would reveal for this suspense thriller.

Unfortunately, the film has proven to be another disappointing effort and the backlash of the overhyped movie has claimed another victim.  For film critics it appears, "hollow" accurately describes the film as well as the villain.  What remains is the score.  Does Goldsmith add some substance to an otherwise empty effort? For those who devour film music though, the potential for a great score always remains high with a veteran like Goldsmith at the helm.  

If nothing else, Jerry Goldsmith continues his stretch of above average scores, aptly fitting the film for which they were composed and remaining true to his familiar compositional style.  From the first note of Hollow Man, it is clear that this is vintage Goldsmith.  Much along the lines of his work for Basic Instinct, The Haunting, Twilight Zone:  The Movie and a handful of other suspense thrillers, Hollow Man is full of bold brass, persistent percussions, and sinister strings.  For the Goldsmith-purist, this latest work offers plenty of that which has made Jerry Goldsmith so popular. 

There are a number of "retro" musical elements that contribute greatly to the mystical feel of several key cues such as the main title (1) and What Went Wrong? (6).  While these elements are indeed refreshing to hear, the overly familiar action/suspense elements, unfortunately dampen the overall experience of the score.

This score gives Goldsmith few opportunities to display his abilities of writing some of the more beautiful cues to come out of the film music world.  More often than not, in recent efforts, such wonderful moments are only briefly featured in the score.  Similar to the Baku's theme from  Insurrection, the main theme from First Contact and Home Safe from The Haunting, the first few moments of Linda and Sebastian (3), provide the sole moment demonstrating his ability in this area.  

Varese Sarabande delivers more music than many expected and does so in a stellar recording.  Hollow Man isn't another Varese thirty minute episode.  It features over fifty minutes of score, which, given the overall lack of variety from cue to cue, is ample.  Unfortunately, there are only the obligatory black and white press shots that fill the liner notes. Despite the meager "notes" there is one credit worth mentioning-  the orchestrator for Hollow Man.  Somewhat of a Star Trek connection is made in this score as Alexander Courage, composer of the famous original Star Trek theme, is given credit for the orchestrations -  thus further linking him with the composer of "the next generation" of Star Trek music, Jerry Goldsmith.

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