Hulk Smash! (Hulk (DVD))

Member Name: utero

Product:	Hulk (DVD)
Date:	21/07/03 (68 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great SFX, Well Acted , More than just a popcorn movie

Disadvantages: 'Acid Trip' ending

There is currently a travesty happening at the US box office. A film was released a few weeks back that opened well but has quickly suffered dramatic downturns in business. It's not that the film is bad, it's because that film is a summer blockbuster that actually dares to have an intellectual level and actually deliver a film rather than just a mindless popcorn movie. That film is known as 'Hulk'.

Hulk is the latest Marvel comic book character to rise off the page and on to the big screen. It follows in the footsteps of the mega successful Spiderman, X-Men and to a lesser extent Blade and Daredevil. After Spiderman it's safe to say that Hulk is the biggest single comic book character in the Marvel universe. This as well makes the films mediocre success hard to fathom.

In all honesty I can say that half of it comes from pre-conceptions that moviegoers probably had to the film before it was released. The marketing started around a year ago with a simple but effective teaser. The Hulk itself was being kept under wraps until a Superbowl trailer earlier this year. At that point Universal really had to show the star of the film even though he was far from perfect in the CGI stakes. This meant that the trailer was met with some real negativity towards the Hulks look and movement. However you can never judge a movie from what it seen in a tiny PC window and only lasts two minutes. Sadly that's what a lot of people do. Then about 6 weeks ago a work print of the movie leaked on the web for download. A work print is just what it says it is. A rough version of the movie which will have unfinished effects, rough sound editing and far from the finished article. Even then some people who downloaded has something to say about the effects. It's a real shame that this fate has been dealt to the Hulk as Director Ang Lee has strived to deliver something different.

Most people will be familiar with the basics of the Hulk. Dr Bruce
Banner is exposed to gammer radiation in his work. When Banner is angered it triggers off a mutation in his cells that turns him into a towering green giant known as The Hulk. This creature is pure rage and possesses incredible strength as well as being immune to firepower and pain. The movie explores the back-story more as Banner (Eric Bana) is a man with repressed memories. He's adopted and believes his biological parents to be dead. However his father David (Nick Nolte) was also a scientist who was locked up due to his unconventional methods and the fact that he had a part in the death of wife. Banner Snr's experimentation on himself passed on genes to his sons that so far have been dormant. However now David Banner is back on the scene and Bruce is left to contend with unclear visions of his past. Banner is experimenting with Gammer radiation along with fellow scientist Betty Ross (Jennifer Connolly) when an accident occurs. This awakes Banner's dormant genes and soon his rage is getting uncontrollable, this leads to his transformation into the Hulk. Needless to say it has the military spooked and soon Hulk is being hunted by the military led by Ross's father General Ross (Sam Elliott).

This is the plot of the film in simple terms. However primarily it's a story about a repressed memories and a father/son relationship. It explores the misuse of scientific research and also explores the idea of the military being two faced by setting out to destroy something it fears while also seeing it as a huge money-spinner. Ang Lee has set out to take a comic book, literally put it on the screen but also get to the story behind the visuals and the hidden themes behind the original story of Hulk. When I say that Lee has taken a comic book and put it on screen, it's exactly that. The film's credits open with comic book style lettering while the editing adopts the style of a comic book and plays out as if you're moving from one window to
another. The editing can be called flashy by some and even
fobbed off as '24' style gimmicks. But it works brilliantly. In fact this is one of the best examples of editing I've ever seen from the comic book pans and wipes through to subtle transitions from scene to scene. If this achievement isn't recognized at awards time then they'll be no justice.

The acting is excellent throughout. I was looking forward to seeing Bana in the lead role after loving his performance in the Australian film Chopper. Some have heaped negativity on his performance as being a bit shallow. However I found Banner an interesting character and one that Bana portrays well. Connolly is one of the best actresses around and takes what could have been a simpering women character and actually gives her a lot of body. Elliott is also good as Ross, another character who could have been over the top but Elliot plays it straight and has some great moments with Connolly. However working on another level is Nick Nolte, he's playing a character that's probably not that far from Nolte's real life persona. He has some great dialogue and creates what is the real villain of the piece. Some may see it as over the top acting but personally I loved it. The only weak spot is Josh Lucas as Glen Talbot, a man who wants to get his hands on The Hulk and is potential to the military. It isn't really Lucas's fault; it?s just that he hasn't got a lot of purpose in the film.

Of course the main star isn't even a reality. Some people are saying they think the CGI Hulk is no match for the Hulk in the 70's TV show. This is frankly stupid as although it was good for it's time, a man in painted green is ever going to be able to capture the true spirit of what the Hulk is in the comics. CGI was the only way to go and ILM have done an amazing job. The first thing to realize is that there is no reference point for the Hulk. For example Jurassic Park
had dinosaurs and to an extent we already knew what these looked like and have skeletons as reference. The Hulk is a 15-foot green giant, I haven't seen one of those before in reality. Sure there are a few moments where he's perhaps a bit on the dodgy side but for the most part I didn't have difficulty believing he was there on screen. One of the things I look for is the expression in the character and there are moments when the Hulk is amazing. These generally come when The Hulk is face to face with Betty Ross. The expression in his eyes and face are quite moving. But as an unstoppable force he's also awesome and the films best moments come when Hulk faces off against a military arsenal of tanks, helicopters, jets and tremendous firepower. This is when the film goes from being a fascinating drama into a pure popcorn entertainment that really excites you.

My only negative thing to say about the Hulk is that it's ending comes across as a mind bending acid trip and actually takes things out of the reality that has been delivered in the two hours that precede it. This is a moment when it goes into pure fantasy and personally I couldn't make the jump.

But this aside I would go as far as saying that this is probably the best film of the summer and one of the best 2003 has offered so far. It's just a shame that the majority of the mainstream audience haven't embraced a film that delivers popcorn visuals but also a thought provoking drama. Ang Lee & Co must be commended for treating this film as something different when I'm sure a less tasteful director would have purely concentrated on the 'Hulk Smash!' elements for two hours.

I urge anyone not to listen to word of mouth on this one, go see it and make up your own mind.

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