Release Date:
06/20/2003
You know the drill: Hulk lose temper. Hulk smash things. Hulk hair look surprisingly realistic for such a vociferous prerelease uproar over shoddy special effects. And even with all of the anxiety about how well a computer rendering of the gi-normous green monster would play on the big screen, there’s plenty more going on in this weekend’s hyped-up summer block (and house, and tank, and lab) buster to make it more than your average mindless monster mash.
As usual, once the green guy splits his pants, the military sets out to tame his beastly ways and harness them for their own purposes. Despite his protests, you really will like Eric Bana as Bruce Banner when he’s angry, and Nick Nolte, bless his heart, cleans himself up just enough to portray Banner’s tousled mad-scientist father. Jennifer Connelly is as hot as she can be as the geeky Betty Ross, and General Ross (Sam Elliott) sports a militant mustache you could set your watch to. Now for the special effects: Sit down, geeks, Ang Lee didn’t miss a pixel. Despite our issues with the lighting during some of Hulk’s smashing (Hulk struggles more in the dark than we do), the animation and detail far exceeded our expectations. But one thing to consider before you shell out your 10 bucks for a two-hour romp through CGI-inspired destruction: Lee includes plenty of Hulk rage, but he’s also looking to tell the story of Bruce Banner and why he pops off such powerful temper tantrums. The pacing ebbs and flows from Hulk’s mashing mayhem to his King Kong–like encounters with Betty (can you blame him?), providing the momentum an occasional speed bump along the way. So check your temper at the door and be prepared for a real movie with real substance, not just a battle royal of furious effects.
As usual, once the green guy splits his pants, the military sets out to tame his beastly ways and harness them for their own purposes. Despite his protests, you really will like Eric Bana as Bruce Banner when he’s angry, and Nick Nolte, bless his heart, cleans himself up just enough to portray Banner’s tousled mad-scientist father. Jennifer Connelly is as hot as she can be as the geeky Betty Ross, and General Ross (Sam Elliott) sports a militant mustache you could set your watch to. Now for the special effects: Sit down, geeks, Ang Lee didn’t miss a pixel. Despite our issues with the lighting during some of Hulk’s smashing (Hulk struggles more in the dark than we do), the animation and detail far exceeded our expectations. But one thing to consider before you shell out your 10 bucks for a two-hour romp through CGI-inspired destruction: Lee includes plenty of Hulk rage, but he’s also looking to tell the story of Bruce Banner and why he pops off such powerful temper tantrums. The pacing ebbs and flows from Hulk’s mashing mayhem to his King Kong–like encounters with Betty (can you blame him?), providing the momentum an occasional speed bump along the way. So check your temper at the door and be prepared for a real movie with real substance, not just a battle royal of furious effects.