“‘Hulk’ Smash!”
by Scott Mantz

"The Hulk"
Eric Bana, Jennifer Connelly
Directed by Ang Lee

Anger Management! "The Hulk" takes on San Francisco!

Faster than a speeding film projector! More powerful than a major Hollywood studio! Able to leap box office records in a single weekend! Look…up on the big screen! It’s a drama…it’s a comedy…no, it’s another comic book movie! That’s right, folks, not even two months after the pulp heroes of “X2: X-Men United” kick-started the summer with a phenomenal opening weekend, the biggest, meanest, greenest comic book hero of them all, the Hulk, is ready for his close-up.

Actually, the Hulk isn’t really a superhero at all—at least, not in the classic sense. But he is a Marvel comic book character (like Spider-Man, Daredevil and The X-Men), and ever since he smashed his way through a TV spot that aired during the Super Bowl last January, internet chat rooms have been buzzing with talk about how fake he looks (“Shrek on steroids,” anyone?). While I can honestly say that he does look better in some scenes than in others, we are talking about a special effect here (albeit a very expensive one—the movie cost a reported $150 million), and after a while, you get used to it.

Besides, the story is the thing, and that’s where the film gets…well, interesting. Not great, mind you, but interesting. “The Hulk” is easily the most ambitious movie of its kind to hit the big screen yet, and that will surely please open-minded moviegoers looking for a break from the formula. Then again, this is not your typical comic book movie, and all others expecting the usual allotment of mindless summer entertainment are in for a rude awakening by its deep, psychological, cerebral approach.

In a freak mishap, scientist Bruce Banner (Eric Bana) is exposed to massive amounts of gamma radiation that would have killed a normal person, but it instead triggers a biological transformation within him that turns him into a huge, raging, indestructible juggernaut who smashes through everything in his path. His would-be girlfriend—and fellow scientist—Betty Ross (Jennifer Connelly) must stop her father (Sam Elliott) before he uses military force to destroy the monster, but she has to act fast if she is going to save both the man and the creature.

Screenwriter James Shamus and director Age Lee—hot off the incredible, Oscar-winning success of 2000’s “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”—remain true to the Hulk’s Stan Lee-created mythology, but they take some very interesting creative liberties when it comes to making the film more of a character study. There’s an obvious sympathetic beauty-and-the-beast element that recalls the original “King Kong,” and the presence of Bruce Banner’s father (played by Nick Nolte, looking much like he did in DUI mug shot) gives the film a paternal mad-scientist angle like the one found in “Frankenstein.”

On a stylistic level, “The Hulk” looks more like a comic book movie than any of its predecessors. Lee uses a lot of ambitious, arty split screen techniques that resemble comic book panels, while the opening and closing credits use the type of lettering that have been used in comics for decades. There are also a lot of quick zooms in and out of the action, while transitions between the various scenes literally morph and blend into one another.

The problem is that this zippy style is a stark contrast to the overall tone of the movie, which, it must be stated, takes itself way too seriously. While there’s certainly nothing wrong with taking a different approach to tell the story, Lee seems to have forgotten that comic book movies are supposed to be fun. There’s too much brooding, talking, sulking and psychological analysis for this to be considered “fun,” and a lot of the initial character development feels fabricated, contrived and—at times—poorly written.

Then again, when the not-so-jolly green giant finally does lose his temper, look out! The sight of the computer-generated character may be a bit jarring at first, but once he breaks out of his prison and hops across the desert to reach San Francisco, the movie kicks into the “fun” gear that it should have been in the whole time. During these scenes, the film ranges from the sublime to the ridiculous, which is especially the case when the Hulk takes on a few genetically-enhanced dogs (including, of all things, a giant killer poodle!).

For a comic book movie that puts so much emphasis on character development, the acting is surprisingly stiff. Eric Bana, who made a killer turn in the critically acclaimed “Chopper” and stood out from a crowded cast in “Black Hawk Down,” doesn’t really resonate as Bruce Banner (then again, he is playing second-fiddle to a special effect). Oscar-winner Jennifer Connelly (“A Beautiful Mind”) does her best as Bana’s would-be girlfriend, while Josh Lucas (also from “A Beautiful Mind”) is a little too one-dimensional as Bana’s scientific and romantic rival. Probably the best performance belongs to Nick Nolte, who manages to make his mad scientist somewhat sympathetic despite his selfish motivations.

Ang Lee has one of the most varied resumes in the business (“Sense and Sensibility,” “The Ice Storm,” “Ride with the Devil” and “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”), so it’s no surprise that he took his first Hollywood blockbuster in such a different direction. He certainly deserves a lot of credit for doing so, but the results are decidedly mixed (the film drags on for 2 hours and 18 minutes, and the dialogue is corny at times). It may not be the kind of Hollywood blockbuster that’s going to sell a lot of Happy Meals, but as long as moviegoers are in the mood for a challenge, then there’s no doubt that “The Hulk” will keep them from getting angry.

And believe me, you won’t like them when they’re angry!

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