I did not love it. I am not even sure if it was The Hulk or just Hulk, and I don’t care enough to Google it, or even go downstairs and look at the DVD cover. The happy news is that I spent no money on it, since it was a free loan from my library. Unless I forget to return it today. Then it will cost me a buck, and that would be one dollar too many.
I didn’t hate Hulk, really. The story line was just okay. All the superhero movies get a little tedious as they give the back story on how said superhero acquired their powers, and this one was definitely no exception. There were some disturbing moments, and some of them seemed unnecessary. It was like Ang Lee couldn’t decide if this picture was going to be dark like Batman or not. I guess that was his goal because he was either going for dark and scary or flat and forgettable. Truthfully he vacillated between the two.
I wasn’t completely engaged in his version of the pre-monster story. I’ll be the first to admit that I haven’t read the comics, but I grew up on The Incredible Hulk TV show. I think David Banner may have been the first broken, brooding man I ever gave my heart to. And Lee’s version stomped all over my treasured memories. To add insult to injury, Lee didn’t even use the theme song, a tragic oversight if ever there was one.
The acting was, um, something. Yes, something. I know that Bruce Banner was supposed to be reserved, keeping all his emotions locked inside. Ham-handed dialog gave me that insight within the first 10 minutes. Apparently, all the other characters were, too, since they all offered the emotional depth of a popcorn carton. Maybe this was all as Lee intended, and short of hiring Kristen Stewart to play ALL the roles, this cast was the best he could come up with.
It sometimes seemed like Lee hadn’t actually read the script because all of a sudden, the dead-pan lead character is advised to “get ahold of that temper.” Temper? Really? I would give my life-size Severus Snape cutout (hey, sweetie! If you’re reading this, I’m getting one. That’s okay, right? I promise to keep him on my side of the bed!) to have a kid whose tantrums were pre-Hulk Bruce. I’ve had flip-flops with more emotional instability.
Anyway. The story wasn’t horrible. Except for the part about the mutated Poodle. Poodles are German, Lee, not French. Do your research! I’m not sure if scary poodle was supposed to be funny, or if it was supposed to take the sting out of Lee’s stereotypical use of Pit Bulls as vicious attack dogs. I was lost either way.
There were some very technically impressive, though not very interesting, scenes where Hulk bounds through the desert like a giant green bunny. There was also an extended shot of the backs of my eyelids. Or maybe fell asleep. I’m not fussed about it. I can pretty much fill in the blanks. Hulk bounces around. He smashes some stuff. He said “Puny human” once. Which made me ponder the frailty of human existence. Or not.
I asked my husband if Hulk killed the bad guy. He said “Um, I think so?” Which pretty much says it all. Will I see the others in the series? Only if Mark Ruffalo is actually in them. He nailed Hulk in Avengers. Would I recommend it to friends? Sure. Watch this movie if you have nothing better to do, like painting the dog’s toe nails or regrouting the bathroom.
Hulk bore puny human! ARRRR!
I’m super impressed. I’ve fallen asleep through both of the Hulk movies (there were only two, right?). You’re ahead of me!
Also, I don’t think you need backstory to get the Avengers. Really, just watch Iron Man for Robert Downey Jr and call it good.
We weren’t looking for back story so much as we were inspired to check out the awesomeness we may have missed. We missed nothing here.
Whedon didn’t do the other movies. Therefore, zero awesomeness. 😉
There was a modicum of awesomeness to a couple of the other movies, but not the cup-runneth-over awesomeness of Avengers.
I think I saw this. I have no memory of it, but something about the Hulk bouncing around like a “giant green bunny” in the desert rang true. Obviously it was very powerful.
There might be a mutant bunny movie out there somewhere.
Feeling guilty I didn’t speak up when I read you were thinking of watching it. All that valuable time wasted. Word of warning, Thor is not AS bad, but not up to par with Avengers. I SHOULD have told you to watch Iron Man and maybe Captain America, but avoid the others. Sorry friend.
I do not hold you responsible. I loved Thor. It was fun. Captain America was great, loved Iron Man. I think now all we have left is Iron Man 2. And then on to some X-men.
Was this the one that was so bad that they made a new one like 3 years later?
Maybe? I know there’s more than one.
Years ago, I saw a spoof 4-panel comic that had the same Hulk Rage expression for “Hulk angry!” “Hulk hungry!” and “Hulk sad!” The fourth panel looked the same except his eyes were x’s, and the caption was “Hulk dead!”
So after I saw whichever Hulk movie this was on an airplane (I haven’t made it through the one with Ed Norton), I called my fellow-comics-collector-and-brother and said, “I know what the problem with that movie was. Hulk boring!”
Excellent. i shall stick with my original decision to SKIP IT! c
I’m sorry to hear this. I had high hopes for the movie, though I never got around to seeing it. Didn’t Ang Lee direct Sense and Sensibility…and Brokeback Mountain (maybe)? I would expect more from him. And if it didn’t end with brooding David Banner walking along the highway, hitchhiking in white denim bell bottoms (as dramatic piano music swells in the background), then I definitely want no part of this remake.
Brokeback Mountain was a Lee film where his brilliance really showed. He stood out of the way of the story and let it tell itself. I am not sure what happened with the Hulky business.
What Speaker7 said. I had no memory of watching this one (interestingly, I do remember the Ed Norton version) until I saw Avengers. Something tickled my neuron number 2,964,832 and insisted I had seen this face before. And the green bunny jumps through the desert. Weird!
Haha another movie I have not seen and guess I will be skipping.