The Hulk
"One of the biggest disappointments in a summer of big disappointments."

The Gator thought that Spider-Man was bad. Well, at least it wasn't an unfathomly long, catatonic snoozefest. If loaded guns came with the price of admission, I guarantee most of the audience would have used them. They were literally falling asleep, wishing for it to be over. Or for at least SOMETHING, ANYTHING to happen.

How can The Hulk be boring? Ask Ang Lee. He's the one responsible for turning a dark and brooding comicbook into one of the biggest disappointments in a summer of big disappointments. Hell, even the TV series managed to portray Bruce (or David - the network thought Bruce sounded too gay) Banner as an isolated loner, who has no real place to call home, better than this.

It totally disrespects the comicbook, on which it was based, and has mangled Hulk mythology to the point where the title and movie character are the only remotely familiar things. Any fan of The Incredible Hulk will know that current storylines are highly intelligent with deep character development. Nothing of that sort is present here. This would have been bearable if the dialogue, or characters, were good and the logic behind their actions intriguing.

Eric Bana brings nothing to the title role. A better casting choice would have been Bruce Campbell, because Bana emotes zilch. Jennifer Connelly is useless. Nick Nolte isn't used enough. Sam Elliot, for once not playing a cowboy, has nothing to do, either.

From a creative point of view, Ang Lee's wretched way of cutting scenes together with split screens, in an effort to mimic the comicbook, is disorientating. It appears that in researching the film, he read a couple of Sixties issues and got inspired. This cheapens and degrades the movie and insults the current style of the comic franchise. Even the photography is dull, with no thought put into composition. In fact, the only time the camera is considered is when the colour green makes a creative appearance.

And why is it so tame? The Hulk - called Mister Angry in the movie! - spins a tank and chucks it across the desert. Anyone inside would have been crushed by the G-Force before the Hulk even let go. But what happens? The guy inside climbs out, coughs and wipes the dust off! What is this? The A-Team?

This would never have happened in the comicbook. It gets even worse when Apache helicopters crash into the Grand Canyon without blowing up.

Oh, and since when did the the green guy do that leaping through the air thing?

Leave The Hulk alone. He's angry. And you're not going to like him.

Reviewed on: 17 Jul 2003
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Hulk packshot
Ang Lee directs summer blockbuster of the Marvel Comics scientist who turns green with anger.
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Read more Hulk reviews:

Angus Wolfe Murray ***1/2
Stephen Carty **1/2

Director: Ang Lee

Writer: John Turman, Michael France, James Schamus, based on the comicbook, by Stan Lee and JackKirby

Starring: Eric Bana, Jennifer Connelly, Sam Elliott, Josh Lucas, Nick Nolte, Paul Kersey, Cara Buono, Todd Tesen, Kevin O Rankin

Year: 2003

Runtime: 137 minutes

BBFC: 12A - Adult Supervision

Country: US

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