You can always tell when a movie takes itself far too seriously. Not only does Taiwanese director Ang Lee stretch "Hulk" to the breaking point over an overwhelming two-hour plus running time, but also he violates the cardinal rule: 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it.' First, Lee and Universal have omitted the adjective "Incredible" from the Marvel Comics title. Instead of "The Incredible Hulk," it's simply "Hulk." No big deal,unless you are a hardcore "Hulk" fan. Second, whenever Hollywood feels self-conscious about how absurd some of its summer sagas seem, they endeavor to dignify them. Lee and Universal have gone to drastic lengths to turn "Hulk" into a tragedy of Shakespearean proportions. While this bombastic revision of Jack Kirby & Stan Lee's tragic mutant hero may enhance the literary status of "Hulk," audiences impatient for action rather than angst may chafe at these changes, especially when they have to wait about 40 minutes for their first glimpse of the "Hulk." Furthermore, they have changed Bruce Banner's back story with the introduction of Bruce's dad David, who emerges as a child molester and a wife-killer. Imagine how that is going to play to the under-20 audience? Beware of dad, he might tamper with your genetic make-up. Third, Lee and his writers have given us three villains who barely register with the strength of one, and only one decent but drawn-out daylight scene of the jade green giant having a tantrum. Essentially, "Hulk" qualifies as nothing more than a "Hulk" of a movie. Mind you, everything admirable that Lee and company have done to upgrade the story backfires. "Hulk" is too long, too complicated, and too tame. Although the Hulk himself looks formidable up close (they based his expressions on the director's face more than Eric Bana's visage), he looks ridiculous in the long shots, especially when he bounces along the desert like a giant green jackrabbit.
Anybody who knows anything about "The Hulk" knows Jack Kirby and Stan Lee created this gargantuan galoot back in 1962 in a series of six Marvel Comics. According to Lee, "Hulk" was not green at first but gray. Unfortunately, gray didn't translate as a consistent color scheme, so Lee changed him when they revived "Hulk." No, I'm not a "Hulk" fan, but I know "Hulk" fans. Moreover, I've seen the Bill Bixby/Lou Ferrigno TV pilot episode of "The Incredible Hulk" as well as the three NBC-TV movies that followed after CBS-TV canceled the series. "The Incredible Hulk," which lasted from 1977 to 1982, remains the longest-running super-hero TV show. Originally, in the Marvel Comics, a bomb explosion transformed Bruce Banner into "The Hulk." When the TV show premiered, Bruce (whose name got changed to David because CBS-TV felt Bruce sounded too wimpy) absorbed too much radiation in a lab experiment he conducted on himself. You can see where Lee and his three scenarists, long-time collaborator James Schamus of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," Michael France of "Cliffhanger" & "GoldenEye," and newcomer John Turner of the 1998 TV movie "The Crow: Stairway to Heaven," drew their inspiration for Bruce's deviously degenerate dad. In "Hulk," David (Nick Nolte of "48 HRS") behaves like Dr. Frankenstein by monkeying around with his own DNA against the orders of project supervisor General "Thunderbolt' Ross (Sam Elliot of "We Were Soldiers") who threatens to pull the plug on the project. Seems that dear old dad not only conducted tests on himself, but also he had conducted genetic experiments on his innocent son. Eventually, Ross banishes David Banner from his research lab and imprisons for homicide. Meanwhile, Bruce grows up with foster parents. Ironically, he becomes a scientist, too, following in his father's footsteps. Bruce (Aussie actor Eric Bana of "Black Hawk Down") and Betty Ross (Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Connelly of "A Beautiful Mind") are working on a way to regenerate damaged cells when sleazy corporate headhunter Glenn Talbot (Josh Lucas of "Glory Road") shows up to takeover the project. During a lab snafu, Bruce exposes himself accidentally to gamma rays and develops an anger management problem. When he gets really ticked off, he turns into a 15-foot monster who looks an overgrown Hobbit. Things sour even more when he learns that the lab janitor is none other than daddy, back with a vengeance to wreck havoc on him as well as everybody else.
Director Ang Lee, whose impressive credits include "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," "Sense and Sensibility," and "Ride with the Devil," treats the superhero subject matter with respect than you'd imagine and evokes strong performances from his gifted cast. Finally, when Lee shows the Hulk in all of his great green glory, Lee conceals him in darkness during a life and death fight with three mutant dogs, one of them a clipped white French poodle, dispatched by dad to kill Bruce's ex-flame Betty. This harrowing nocturnal fight is the best thing about "Hulk," even though it resembles a homage to Stephen King's "Cujo." Of course, "King Kong" fans will recognize the resemblance between this ruckus and Kong's fight with the dinosaurs in the 1933 classic. All of the villains live up to their villainy, but some more than others. Glenn Talbot goads Bruce with a cattle-prod in one scene, but he exits far too early for us to free anything more than relief. Meanwhile, David Banner undergoes his own mutation, never adequately explained, and turns into a Magneto/T-2 Terminator monster. Through it all, Lee directs this misfire of a movie with a heavy-hand. They talk, talk, and talk. Sometimes, they snarl. Sam Elliot mainly snarls as Gen. Ross. Then we get the big finale where the "Hulk" goes toe to toe with helicopters, jet fighters, and tanks. Reluctantly, I'd give this sequence the only star that this misbegotten movie deserves, but if you've seen the remake of "King Kong" (1976) it's painfully obvious where they got their ideas. Worst, "The Hulk" lacks any semblance of humor.
Anybody who knows anything about "The Hulk" knows Jack Kirby and Stan Lee created this gargantuan galoot back in 1962 in a series of six Marvel Comics. According to Lee, "Hulk" was not green at first but gray. Unfortunately, gray didn't translate as a consistent color scheme, so Lee changed him when they revived "Hulk." No, I'm not a "Hulk" fan, but I know "Hulk" fans. Moreover, I've seen the Bill Bixby/Lou Ferrigno TV pilot episode of "The Incredible Hulk" as well as the three NBC-TV movies that followed after CBS-TV canceled the series. "The Incredible Hulk," which lasted from 1977 to 1982, remains the longest-running super-hero TV show. Originally, in the Marvel Comics, a bomb explosion transformed Bruce Banner into "The Hulk." When the TV show premiered, Bruce (whose name got changed to David because CBS-TV felt Bruce sounded too wimpy) absorbed too much radiation in a lab experiment he conducted on himself. You can see where Lee and his three scenarists, long-time collaborator James Schamus of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," Michael France of "Cliffhanger" & "GoldenEye," and newcomer John Turner of the 1998 TV movie "The Crow: Stairway to Heaven," drew their inspiration for Bruce's deviously degenerate dad. In "Hulk," David (Nick Nolte of "48 HRS") behaves like Dr. Frankenstein by monkeying around with his own DNA against the orders of project supervisor General "Thunderbolt' Ross (Sam Elliot of "We Were Soldiers") who threatens to pull the plug on the project. Seems that dear old dad not only conducted tests on himself, but also he had conducted genetic experiments on his innocent son. Eventually, Ross banishes David Banner from his research lab and imprisons for homicide. Meanwhile, Bruce grows up with foster parents. Ironically, he becomes a scientist, too, following in his father's footsteps. Bruce (Aussie actor Eric Bana of "Black Hawk Down") and Betty Ross (Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Connelly of "A Beautiful Mind") are working on a way to regenerate damaged cells when sleazy corporate headhunter Glenn Talbot (Josh Lucas of "Glory Road") shows up to takeover the project. During a lab snafu, Bruce exposes himself accidentally to gamma rays and develops an anger management problem. When he gets really ticked off, he turns into a 15-foot monster who looks an overgrown Hobbit. Things sour even more when he learns that the lab janitor is none other than daddy, back with a vengeance to wreck havoc on him as well as everybody else.
Director Ang Lee, whose impressive credits include "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," "Sense and Sensibility," and "Ride with the Devil," treats the superhero subject matter with respect than you'd imagine and evokes strong performances from his gifted cast. Finally, when Lee shows the Hulk in all of his great green glory, Lee conceals him in darkness during a life and death fight with three mutant dogs, one of them a clipped white French poodle, dispatched by dad to kill Bruce's ex-flame Betty. This harrowing nocturnal fight is the best thing about "Hulk," even though it resembles a homage to Stephen King's "Cujo." Of course, "King Kong" fans will recognize the resemblance between this ruckus and Kong's fight with the dinosaurs in the 1933 classic. All of the villains live up to their villainy, but some more than others. Glenn Talbot goads Bruce with a cattle-prod in one scene, but he exits far too early for us to free anything more than relief. Meanwhile, David Banner undergoes his own mutation, never adequately explained, and turns into a Magneto/T-2 Terminator monster. Through it all, Lee directs this misfire of a movie with a heavy-hand. They talk, talk, and talk. Sometimes, they snarl. Sam Elliot mainly snarls as Gen. Ross. Then we get the big finale where the "Hulk" goes toe to toe with helicopters, jet fighters, and tanks. Reluctantly, I'd give this sequence the only star that this misbegotten movie deserves, but if you've seen the remake of "King Kong" (1976) it's painfully obvious where they got their ideas. Worst, "The Hulk" lacks any semblance of humor.