By Jason Haskins
No comic film has gotten the flack that the original Hulk movie did. Sure, you have your Daredevils and what have you's, but when Hulk came out in 2003 everyone was expecting a SMASH hit. I mean, there was a fresh new face with Eric Bana, fantastic-looking special effects, and a director who had proven himself with some outstanding movies in the past.
So...what exactly went wrong? I saw this originally when it came out and a few times afterwards and didn't really find it very good, but as I recently watched it I couldn't help but feel different about it. Hulk is a thinking-man's comic book movie and while the script isn't too...smart, it holds its emotion front and center for a completely absorbing watch without the flashiness of cheap filmmaking. I am completely speechless about how surprisingly good this was-it just took me seven years and multiple viewings to truly understand its potential.
Bruce Banner (Eric Bana) is a genetic scientist experimenting with gamma rays when a horrendous accident turns him into a huge mass of mean green when he gets angry. His troubled past comes to light when his father (Nick Nolte) returns to stir the pot and his love interest, Betty Ross (Jennifer Connelly), tries to protect him from her general father (Sam Elliott), who's hellbent on keeping him contained. What follows is an emotional rollercoaster where past events come to light and Hulk doesn't just face the US government and his father, but himself also as he tries to control what can't be controlled.
This is the introductory story of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's Hulk published by Marvel Comics. There, of course, has been prior rendezvous with the Hulk character in the form of a short-lived live-action show in the seventies starring Bill Bixby as Banner and Lou Forrigno as the Hulk, (Forrigno makes a cameo in this movie), which I watched all the time when I was a kid. While Ang Lee's Hulk made back its budget, the panning by the critics and theatergoers alike made a sequel hard to get off the ground. In 2008 (what a year for comic book films!) the character was revitalized (quite successively I might add) with Edward Norton in the title role and Louis Leterrier in the director's seat.
Anyone looking for a Spider-Man caliber flick will undoubtedly be disappointed here. The Hulk doesn't really appear much throughout the movie and it takes about forty minutes into the film for him to be seen. There isn't a lot of action in the purest sense. There are a handful of amazing moments that take place with Hulk rampaging through San Francisco and a desert landscape, but they aren't as fruitful as in other comic movies you might've seen.
However, when they do appear, they are exciting and use a ton of great Hulk moments from the comics. The special effects are also incredible and still hold up. While Hulk doesn't look as good as the one in the 2008 reboot/sequel, this was revolutionary for 2003 with some moments that had me wondering if I was really looking at CGI.
I was also flabbergasted at Ang Lee's meticulous direction (with the help of his cinematographer Fred Elmes) to recreate the look of the comics in every single scene of the movie. The first ten minutes of the movie is a swift montage of back story done ridiculously similar to the comic books. Each transition and edit is in line with what you would see in the comics-which include split-screen visuals and frames that look like a page from a comic book. It's really hard to explain. There aren't WHAMs or POWs that clutter the mise en scene, but the film doesn't need ‘em. Ang Lee truly captured the feeling of a comic book better than anyone before or sense has done with a comic property and it took me completely by surprise with how fresh the look was.
The cast is also perfect with Eric Bana putting forth a tremendous performance as the plagued Banner. In scenes that could have been overblown or melodramatic, he was intense and melancholic-capturing the true essence of the character in my point of view. The Hulk is a tragic character-not being able to control himself as hard as he tries and this film gets it so perfectly with him. He also looks the part.
Jennifer Connelly is super pretty as Betty Ross and hits her edge much closer than Liv Tyler did in the 2008 film. She brings about a caring demeanor that makes her a pleasure to watch as she's conflicted about what to do-while her love for him is ever clearer. Sam Elliott (hey, wasn't he in Ghost Rider?! Bleh) plays General Ross and while there's nothing really wrong with his performance, he doesn't seem to fit the character very well. I thought that William Hurt played the character much more appropriately. Nick Nolte almost steals the movie with his creepy and cold presence as Bruce's father-the principle villain of the movie. He's washed-up and eager-compelling to watch.
In a movie so full of positives, it's sad to say that Hulk isn't pitch-perfect. As much as I loved the story and the treatment of the characters in a more adult-oriented tone, it is a tad bit long in the tooth, clocking in at over two hours. I think it could've been summed up in less time and avoided some of the tangents and long, drawn-out conversations. Coupled with that are the lame scientific jargon that belittles the viewer and tries to act smarter than it really is. There were a couple of points in the movie that were completely unbelievable (even for a comic movie) and some moments that didn't quite fit. However, the biggest infraction was definitely the running time. Too much of a good thing is a bad thing and the pace suffered because of it.
Overall, 2003's Hulk effort by Ang Lee is really good; it's not your little brother's comic book film and ultimately it has a very strong theme of unbridled rage under the surface and repressed memories that rear their ugly heads. The plot is quite strong and the story is emotionally involving. I found myself being struck by the psychological relevance of the movie and how attached I became to Banner and his Hulk.
Ang Lee exceeded expectations with this release and while everyone is quick to jump on the bandwagon of hate, you should definitely check this out again to rethink it. It certainly doesn't deserve as much as crap as it gets and I think it's one of the strongest comic book offerings because it opts to try something new and edgy.
4 out of 5
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