Review of Hulk (2003) by Adam F — 05 Jul 2013

Fans received Ang Lee's "Hulk" poorly when it was first released in 2003 but the movie deserves a re-visit. The reason why some people were disappointed is obvious: this superhero-meets-art film isn't a fun action movie about the mindless destruction that's traditionally associated with the Hulk character, but a drama/thriller about the internal conflict that the protagonist Bruce Banner faces. The film is also shot in a unique way that will remind people of comic book panels and this threw a lot of people off. To begin, the premise of the film: In the 1960's, David Banner is trying to alter human DNA in a way that will allow soldiers to heal quickly from their wounds in battle. Banner experiments on himself and doesn't get any results but when his son is born, he sees that something is different about the child. He attempts to find a cure but his efforts are shut down by the military and his son, Bruce Banner is sent away. Years later, Bruce is a scientist and while conducting an experiment with Gamma rays he is accidentally exposed to the radiation. At first, everything seems alright, even better than alright. Not only did he survive the dosage but he feels better than he has in years. Soon however, it becomes apparent that this accident has unleashed whatever was always dormant inside of him and combined with the emotional trauma Bruce suffered when he was a child, it's manifesting in the form of an extraordinary physical transformation. When the secret gets out the military, Bruce's father and others rush towards the Hulk hoping to exploit it or destroy it.

So why is the movie worth taking a second look at? Well once you know what to expect from it, you'll see that this movie has some great performances, some strong emotional resonance and a couple of pretty solid action sequences to break up the ever-present drama. Although the popular image of the Hulk has always been a giant, green muscular man in purple shorts running around and yelling "Hulk Smash!" there's a lot more to the character than just a raging strongman, particularly when you thrown in the character's alter ego, Bruce Banner. In this story, Bruce is depicted as a gentle, emotionally distant character, who as a child didn't resort to violence to solve his problems and as an adult is more comfortable in the lab than out confronting his feelings. We see that as a child something traumatic affected him so deeply that he was put into a foster home and his psyche erased the traumatic event from his memory. These events seemed to have created something inside him, a seething pool of anger that lies asleep until his exposure to gamma rays slowly unleashes the creature inside him. There are many moments where "Bruce" is looking at himself in the mirror, as if he is noticing something a little bit off about his face but can't quite pinpoint what. As the movie progresses, he starts having frightening nightmares about this thing inside him until it becomes unleashed.

Eric Bana does an excellent job portraying "Bruce" and the supporting cast do just as well, particularly Sam Elliot and Nick Nolte who are perfectly cast. The characters are well developed and you can see that there are always many wheels turning inside their heads as they are forced to confront the Hulk. Bruce faces multiple antagonists, all of which see him as something different. General Ross sees him as a walking catastrophe, a danger to humanity and to his daughter Betty who is emotionally involved with Bruce. David Banner and Major Glen Talbot see an opportunity to gain power by duplicating the Hulk's abilities but there's more to it than just that. Talbot has a personal grudge against Bruce and delights in the idea of dissecting the man, while the father wants to give himself the same kind of abilities in order to get revenge on the world. The Hulk himself is often portrayed as a dangerous, unstable force that genuinely needs to be restrained but at the same time you see that it often only lashes out when provoked so you're torn about your feelings about the titular character.

When it comes to the action sequences, they are as well done as any scene with a computer-generated 10-foot-tall green man is going to get. The special effects are good, no two scenes are the same and the green guy causes plenty of destruction (although it's limited mostly to deserted areas, not in the middle of the city). The creature seems nearly unstoppable, taking down tanks and helicopters alike and only manages to be captured when it is outsmarted. Continuing with the many themes present in the movie, the emotional drama is always there, even when the creature rages and pulverizes the threats against it. You see Betty cower in fear, unsure whether the creature that used to be Bruce is really defending her or just looking for a fight.

The film is beautifully shot with multiple locations that range from desert canyons to the giant sequoia forests. These locations give the Hulk plenty of room to move in while showing an eerie contrast of how small he actually is compared to some of nature's work. What people will remember most though, is the way that the scenes are pieced together, with several "comic book panels" stacked together to create the frames. What's ingenious about the way that these shots are put together is that they simultaneously evoke the original source material that created the Hulk character while also allowing the movie to move quickly. Montages of military vehicles being set up are condensed in just a few moments and shots that require you to see everyone's reactions are shown all at once, reducing the editing cuts. Some of the transaction are quite beautiful and clever and it's a wonder this technique hasn't been done more often for how effective it is. There are also some subtle touches in the movie that you can really appreciate if you know about them, like the uses of colour, particularly green seen throughout and the recurring themes of conflict between father and son/daughter. You'll also notice a lot of frogs, who go through a metamorphosis that's just as extreme as a butterfly or Bruce himself during their lifetimes. There's also something to be said about the "realism" of the movie. The military never refers to Bruce's alter ego as "Hulk" for example, instead giving him the codename "Green Man" and you never see anyone cheering for the big guy, everyone is always frightened by him on a certain level.

If you recognize the potential for emotion in the character of "Bruce Banner" and the "Hulk" you should take another look at Ang Lee's interpretation of the character. Not only is it unlike any other superhero movie that you've seen but there's a lot more going on here than just mindless action. You get to see the soft side of the green guy as well as the frightening animalistic rage that's inside. Along with the solid performances and some solid camera work it demands a second chance to please its audience. (Fullscreen Dvd, June 19, 2013).