I will be entirely honest with you-I wasn't expecting much from this Hulk movie. After viewing the initial trailers, I thought, 'Oh no, this is gonna be rubbish.'
However, I was glad to be proven wrong and actually found this an enjoyable movie out of all the summer movies I had seen and I anxiously await the DVD release and the inevitable sequel.
Firstly, I think there are different types of people who didn't enjoy it. I've read some good comments on here from people who didn't enjoy it and I could see their points. Some people judged it on it's own merits and didn't like it which I think is fine. However, some people-before it had even been released-were comparing it to the 70's TV show and I think this subconsciously affected their judgement. I've heard people saying they didn't enjoy it because the Hulk was not CGI, there was no Lou Ferrigno in it, there was no Jack McGee in it and it was different from the TV show.
The TV show was the finest piece of work ever seen on the small screen. It was directed by Kenneth Johnson who was a real visionary and I still have respect for his vision of The Hulk. But this new Hulk movie wasn't made to imitate the original series. It was more in line with the comic book. In the comic book, The Hulk could jump for miles, throw tanks in the air and was a giant. Obviously, the TV show didn't follow the same path and featured a more tragic story and realistic events. I respect the visions of both Kenneth Johnson and Ang Lee. I just don't think it is constructive to compare a 70's TV show to a 2003 movie. The original TV series was perfect so there was no need for it to be told again. I think this movie needs to be judged for what it is and if people don't like it, that is fine. But not liking it because it is different to the TV show is, in my opinion, wrong.
Eric Bana does a pretty good job as Bruce Banner. Again, I am not going to compare his performance to the late great Bill Bixby. Bana did a good job of making the audience feel sympathy for him and I hope he is given the opportunity to expand on this in any future sequels.
The big guy himself was CGI but early trailers were misleading. He looked great on that screen and I liked the close-ups of his face and the anguish on it. And he looked amazing as he threw tanks into the air and jumped for miles. Fans of the original comic book Hulk will love those scenes.
Jennifer Connelly did a good job as Betty Ross and succeeded in giving here character some depth. Again, a two hour movie cannot really do justice to an interpretation of a comic book character. Perhaps if we can see a Hulk 2 and Hulk 3, then we can see more of Connelly's portrayal.
Sam Elliot did a fantastic job as General Ross. He was quite different to the General Ross from the comic which was a good thing. The comic book General Ross barked orders and acted like a clown at times which would not have been good for a movie. Things do need to change when adapted from comic book to big screen.
Nick Nolte did a superb job as David Banner, who was the father of Bruce Banner. Fans of the comic book will know about the abuse young Bruce suffered at the hands of his father and Nolte does a good job here actually making the audience feel both sympathy and disdain for his actions.
Josh Lucas played the villainous Glen Talbot. To be honest, he did a fair job but I didn't feel too much for the character.
I strongly urge you to see this movie-there are some great scenes such as The Hulk's battle with three mutated dogs and a scene where The Hulk ends up in the troposphere whilst on a USAF jet. And there are several nice references and nods to the original TV series. Plus, Stan Lee is in it and there's a brief cameo by Lou Ferrigno.
There may or may not be a sequel. I certainly hope we see a sequel so we can explore everything in depth. So movie producers, if you're listening, please can we have a sequel? If we don't get one then I may get angry. Don't make me angry, you wouldn't like me when I'm angry.
However, I was glad to be proven wrong and actually found this an enjoyable movie out of all the summer movies I had seen and I anxiously await the DVD release and the inevitable sequel.
Firstly, I think there are different types of people who didn't enjoy it. I've read some good comments on here from people who didn't enjoy it and I could see their points. Some people judged it on it's own merits and didn't like it which I think is fine. However, some people-before it had even been released-were comparing it to the 70's TV show and I think this subconsciously affected their judgement. I've heard people saying they didn't enjoy it because the Hulk was not CGI, there was no Lou Ferrigno in it, there was no Jack McGee in it and it was different from the TV show.
The TV show was the finest piece of work ever seen on the small screen. It was directed by Kenneth Johnson who was a real visionary and I still have respect for his vision of The Hulk. But this new Hulk movie wasn't made to imitate the original series. It was more in line with the comic book. In the comic book, The Hulk could jump for miles, throw tanks in the air and was a giant. Obviously, the TV show didn't follow the same path and featured a more tragic story and realistic events. I respect the visions of both Kenneth Johnson and Ang Lee. I just don't think it is constructive to compare a 70's TV show to a 2003 movie. The original TV series was perfect so there was no need for it to be told again. I think this movie needs to be judged for what it is and if people don't like it, that is fine. But not liking it because it is different to the TV show is, in my opinion, wrong.
Eric Bana does a pretty good job as Bruce Banner. Again, I am not going to compare his performance to the late great Bill Bixby. Bana did a good job of making the audience feel sympathy for him and I hope he is given the opportunity to expand on this in any future sequels.
The big guy himself was CGI but early trailers were misleading. He looked great on that screen and I liked the close-ups of his face and the anguish on it. And he looked amazing as he threw tanks into the air and jumped for miles. Fans of the original comic book Hulk will love those scenes.
Jennifer Connelly did a good job as Betty Ross and succeeded in giving here character some depth. Again, a two hour movie cannot really do justice to an interpretation of a comic book character. Perhaps if we can see a Hulk 2 and Hulk 3, then we can see more of Connelly's portrayal.
Sam Elliot did a fantastic job as General Ross. He was quite different to the General Ross from the comic which was a good thing. The comic book General Ross barked orders and acted like a clown at times which would not have been good for a movie. Things do need to change when adapted from comic book to big screen.
Nick Nolte did a superb job as David Banner, who was the father of Bruce Banner. Fans of the comic book will know about the abuse young Bruce suffered at the hands of his father and Nolte does a good job here actually making the audience feel both sympathy and disdain for his actions.
Josh Lucas played the villainous Glen Talbot. To be honest, he did a fair job but I didn't feel too much for the character.
I strongly urge you to see this movie-there are some great scenes such as The Hulk's battle with three mutated dogs and a scene where The Hulk ends up in the troposphere whilst on a USAF jet. And there are several nice references and nods to the original TV series. Plus, Stan Lee is in it and there's a brief cameo by Lou Ferrigno.
There may or may not be a sequel. I certainly hope we see a sequel so we can explore everything in depth. So movie producers, if you're listening, please can we have a sequel? If we don't get one then I may get angry. Don't make me angry, you wouldn't like me when I'm angry.