Hulk Reviews

Ang Lee tried way too hard to make this look like a comic book with the scene within a scene style sequences starting to get in the way of the storytelling. It started aggravating and annoying me because I would have much rather just had it back to normal. The film does get criticized a little too much among comic book fans for trying something new and not having enough action for a Hulk film (something they kind of overcorrected in The Incredible Hulk). It's not all successful, but the plot is actually pretty interesting and held my attention long after most comic book films. Eric Bana was the first to try out the character of Bruce Banner and while he is not terrible, he is certainly the worst of the three actors who have portrayed the character so far. He is just kind of bland and lacks personality. Jennifer Connelly is actually pretty good as Betty Ross (certainly better than Liv Tyler) while Sam Elliot and Nick Nolte chew on the scenery as the General and Bruce's father. The special effects were very impressive for their time and they have held up admirably. It doesn't look as good as comic book films do now, but it doesn't look terrible and out of date like other older ones. Ultimately, Ang Lee tried to cram too much into Hulk. It's an entertaining misfire that has some fascinating attributes and keeps my attention, but also lacks the fun stuff that many fans were looking for. They have yet to make the ultimate Hulk film, but hopefully they give it another try down the line.

With Hulk director genius Ang Lee has created a major work of cinematic art. Here is a pure auteur-film with massive budget and unlimited imagination on loose. It is completely original film adaptation of one of the most popular comicbook heroes which Marvel has ever had.
This is one of those adaptations which split audiences strictly half when it was released and it still does. Some embrace it's extremely dark and more talky tone, while some are expecting much more action, set-pieces and mayhem. I myself quite honestly admire this film's take on it's title hero. In Ang Lee's and his regular collaborator's, writer James Schamus, hands Hulk becomes the most complex and psychologically damaged superhero ever created.
Lee has always been a director who is much more interested in his characters than just plain action or any set-pieces and here it works for the film's advantage. For once we get to know film's characters and in the end we also do care for their fate. Like in his earlier films like The Ice Storm or Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Lee give space for his actors and the dialogue between them. Impatient viewers might get frustrated while waiting Bruce Banner to turn his green-gear on, but even within those moments when he does the action always serves the story and not the other way around. And those who are in to see exciting adrenaline filled action set-pieces and some spectacular effects, i can only say that the final third of this film is just pure adreanline rush that will leave no comicbook fan cold and therefore will fulfill any fanboy's wet dream.
One of the most interesting elements in this film is it's revolutionary and expressionistic use of split-screen, surreal dream imagery and outstanding cgi. All these elements are used to the maximum effect and in the hands of Ang Lee they become something much more experimental that we've seen in any other standard blockbuster before. They become work of art. Not before and since Lee's Hulk has been such a revolutionary comicbook film when it comes visuals.
You could say that Ang Lee is clearly aiming to pull viewers as close to the fractured and deeply traumatized mind of Bruce Banner. Here is a character who is struggling with his inner demons and especially his disturbing memories of his father. There is this fantastic introduction at the beginning of this film which shows us how Banner's father uses him as lab rat in his own experiments and the results are as destructive as they are in a way succesful. Later in the film it comes more and more evident that the whole film is actually based on these memories of Banner and how he must learn to cope with them. That would have made this film grim already but Lee makes it even more disturbing and challenging for viewers by adding the constant struggle between his darker and berserk Hulk side and more calm human side. Hulk in him represent all the repressed rage and anger towards his father and Bruce represent his calm and more childlike side. In many ways Hulk is the first deeply bipolar comicbook charater ever created and that is what makes him much more interesting and even more human than many other superheroes i know. He is in a constant struggle with himself and with his anger which can trigger the beast in him.
Eric Bana does his career best work as a psychologically wounded Bruce Banner. It is a difficult role and Bana give himself to it completely. It also feels quite refrehsing to see actor like Nick Nolte as a Banner's dad. It is a brave move from him as an actor and he nails it perfectly. Their screentime together is simply joy to watch and the final verbal confrontation between them is like a therapy session turned into a boxing match. There are also great supporting roles from Jennifer Connelly as a Betty Ross, Banner's love interest and Sam Elliot as Betty's caring father who is forced to make some of the film's most difficult decisions. Kudos must be given also to Danny Elfman's outstanding score which might be his career best score to date. It must also be mentioned that Industrial Light & Magic's effects are pure work of art. With Hulk they have simply outdone themselves.
Hulk is very underrated film which is almost up there with Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon as one of Lee's best work. Actually Hulk might be Lee's ambitious film to date which does not shy away from it's themes of dysfunctional family, traumas and struggle of fragile mental health . As a comicbook adaptation Hulk is one of the best and the most richest of them all.

The Hulk in this film looks very fake. Disappointed with the story as well. It seems like it had potential but just missed the mark. The phycological aspects of the film are great, but everything else falls short. Good effort.

Ang Lee's adaptation, though visually remarkable, still fails to build solidification for the franchise. Very subtle on the action and more of a concern with the dialogue, Hulk's smash wasn't strong enough to capture audiences. 2/5

Loved the TV series but was disappointed Hulk was very animated.

"Hulk" is one of those mixed bag movies that gets some things right, but more things wrong. I saw this in the theater(came out in 2003) and was very underwhelmed. It's since been remade(which was much better) and this is essentially an irrelevant movie. "Hulk" is the origin story of scientist Bruce Banner(Eric Bana) from his weird childhood, to an experiment gone wrong that turns him into the Hulk. From there he has to deal with a corporate hustler(Josh Lucas), an army general (Sam Elliot), and his eccentric, estranged father David(Nick Nolte). All the while, trying to contain the beast within for his love Betty(Jennifer Connelly). The cast is good, especially Bana and Connelly. Nolte is probably the worst member of the cast, he just doesn't fit right and brings the movie down. The two biggest problems I have with this movie is the direction and the tone. The movie has so many split screens it looks like a comic on the screen and it really jars you, and makes you feel disconnected from the movie. Ang Lee, the director of "Brokeback Mountain" was trying to make an arty type movie, and it honestly looks like a mess. The effects are fantastic, the Hulk looks amazing, but the way it was shot is horrible. The tone is so serious it feels pretentious. There is zero humor in this movie, and the characters all seem to have something in their asses. A scene with Bruce and David sitting face to face arguing in a dark room is a real eye roller, like "Are you kidding me?" It comes off like a bad play. If your a Hulk fan, then you either either love it for the special effects, or hate it because of the way it was made. If your not a Hulk fan, then just stay away and watch the other Hulk movie, hell or the 70's tv show is a better representation of the character.

It was a refreshing to see the first 45 minutes of a comic book movie establish characters with depth and ordinary struggles in their relationships and careers before putting The Hulk on screen. But it doesn't pay off. This is the ugliest and most tedious "origins" movie yet for a comic hero. The movie deflates in the remaining 90 humorless minutes into an inferior "King Kong" - an entrepreneur wants to exploit the beast, the military wants to kill him, and the beautiful girl who understands him and captures his heart knows how it ends. In fact, just watch Peter Jackson's King Kong again, unless you want a reason to appreciate that movie more.

Dr. David Banner: We're going to have to watch that temper of yours. 

"Unleash the fury!"

Hulk is a movie that is hard to really say whether I liked it or not. I had fun watching Hulk run around, being chased by military helicopters and smashing everything in his path, but at the same time I was so annoyed by the style of the film. It's obvious what Ang Lee was going for and I can admire his intentions, but the final product is just an example of why directors shouldn't try to make a movie look exactly like a comic book.

The editing of Hulk is way over the top. They go for a comic book feel and they achieve it, but for a two hour run time; it is just too much. They do the multi boxed screen and do slick and quick transitions between shots. Sometimes there will be five boxes on the screen that do a quick transition to five more boxes on the screen. I get it, you can do some neat tricks. Now stop.

That wasn't the only part of the movie that went way over the top in order to achieve a comic book feel. The acting was also completely over the top. The actors were trying to do those expressions that you see in a comic book when someone sees a monster or something crazy. They try to do that eyes wide open, mouth wide open look of fear and it just doesn't work. Those over done expressions just increased how much I was annoyed by this.

The film does have some things going for it though. First off it has Jennifer Connelly and nothing with her name attached to it, is completely worthless. Also the movie has some cool action sequences and awesome effects. It is also extremely ambitious. But through Lee's ambitions comes a lot of the annoying things that plague the movie.

I wouldn't say that this movie is as bad as some say it is, but it isn't a spectacular superhero movie. I'm somewhere in the middle on this movie. I don't like it, I don't hate it. Maybe I'll watch it again at some point and I'll have a different reaction to it.

If you aren't familiar with the franchise started by Stan Lee's comic book series "The Incredible Hulk", think of this as an intense, fun mashup between DR. JEKYLL & MR. HYDE and SHREK. I know that sounds a bit disturbing, but really, that's what THE HULK is: a regular man whose anger level raises and therefore transforms into a big, green, feared monster. Besides that bizarre factor, THE HULK has astounding, mind-blowing cinematography--some of which actually makes it seem like you're watching an onscreen, live-action comic book. And even though this one moves quite slowly at times, it's a well-acted sci-fi adventure that, unlike many other Marvel adaptations (nods to SPIDER-MAN), is rarely superficial.

Eric Bana as the Hulk? Crap Movie. Even the remake after this movie wasn't up to par. Can't wait for the day a well made Hulk movie comes out.

The reason why I genuinely like Ang Lee's "Hulk" is the same reason why everyone else hates it. I absolutely appreciate when a director dares to have his own voice as a filmmaker and applies it to preexisting source material. These comic book adaptations are tricky because the filmmakers want to satisfy the loyal fans but in that they never dare to step outside the box, and that's exactly what Lee is doing here. Like Bryan Singer's "Superman Returns" or Christopher Nolan's "Batman Begins," Lee brings a unique take on what could have been a routine blockbuster (something "Hulk's" sequel, "The Incredible Hulk" did in spades... it stayed frustratingly vanilla). I appreciated that the film dealt with the psychology of Bruce Banner. The Freudian take on the story (which reaches into Betty's and David's story arc's as well) was exciting. When do you see a big effects film with such a mentally complex back story? As for the effects themselves, I still think they are an invigorating combination of CGI and in-camera effects. The acting is also above par. Most lambaste Eric Bana's performance as wooden, but I see it as understated. He and Jennifer Connelly shape a meaningful connection and I believed it. Connelly is the type of actress who can sell any line, any emotion, any time, anywhere and she sells the shit out of such a goofy premise. I think "Hulk" is an extremely underrated, complex, blockbuster that is worthy of serious attention. If all you want from a movie about The Hulk is fight sequences, then skip this and watch the shameful sequel. But if you want characters, story and psychological complexities in your superhero films, embrace "Hulk" with open arms.

A terrible superhero film. Hulk was boring, creepy, and a disappointment to comic book fans everywhere. Actors bored me, the effects were just okay, and everything else was pretty much a failure. I saw this when I was a kid and when your a kid your supposed to love everything, this was not the case even as a kid. The 2008 version is much better.

How to start a review for Ang Lee's Hulk. Well for one, I think Ang Lee is an average director that he picks projects that are too elaborate for him to conceive. Perfect example for Hulk, this is one of the worst superhero films that I've ever seen. The film is a total dud. Which is a shame because theres such a terrific cast thats simply wasted on a shit script. The film is disappointing in so many ways. For me the two biggest problems were that The Hulk looked pretty awful and the film was far too boring. There wasn't enough going on to keep you interested in the "story" because really, there wasn't one. If done correctly, this film could have been something terrific, but instead it's not. The film could have been shorter and with a bit more story development, something I think was lacking here. Hulk is a film that is rooted in wasted potential. They could have done something truly good with the character, but instead; the film feels rushed. I believe to truly make a great superhero film, you've got to take your time to get it right. Hulk feels out of place, too long just to give it some meaning. The film is boring and too long. The action scenes are few and when they occur, you've lost total interest in the film. A missed opportunity and it proves that Ang Lee is not that great a director. I don't think he is, and if you want proof of his directing talents then this is the film for you. Ang Lee for the most part always delivers films that are boring. Well I'll give him credit for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon that one was good, but the other films he's done including Hulk are terrible. If you want the best version of The Hulk, give The Incredible Hulk a view.

Saw it in theaters. Yeah, it was pretty rough.

C

I dont remember a thing about this movie except that Hulk beats the shit out of giant monster dogs. so i remember exactly one thing about this. Did you know that in Batman (Michael Keaton Batman) you see Jack Nicholson fall into a giant tub of pepto bismol and turn into Joker? did you know he also falls off the empire state building and dies, with a laughing toy in his pocket, just to mess with people, even after hes dead? Did you know he kills a guy with a feather-pen? well, thats atleast thrice as many cool things as the Hulk has to offer. make the right choice.

A weak edition into the superhero franchise, but the acting was salvageable! Plus, the bad effects don't help either!

Love Eric Bana, but this wasn't that great.

Eric Bana as Hulk was an Execcellent Choice. Lou Ferrigno never changes. He is the real Hulk.