Great Film: Hulk
The most introspective of the Marvel superhero movies that have come out so far
Of all the big name superheroes Marvel has to offer, HULK is one of the
easiest to gravitate to. It's not hard to find what makes him appealing.
Superficially, he is an unstoppable raging behemoth whose strength is
rarely
matched. This alone would be an obvious foundation for a film franchise.
What is surprising (and ultimately refreshing) about this one is its
willingness to explore the depth of the Hulk's dilemma. If the film's jade
giant were absent from this movie, its story could still be the frame for
another.
The movie starts with an army scientist named David Banner who performs
genetic experiments for the government. He carries one out on himself
before
fathering his son Bruce. After a few years into Bruce's childhood, a
tragic
event occurs, which results in David's incarceration for 30 years and
separation from his son.
Upon maturing, Bruce also becomes a scientist. Instead of his father's
obsession with genetics, he develops a fascination for gamma rays and
nano-med (almost subatomic medicinal) technology. He becomes victim of a
lab
accident that unleashes the Hulk; partly due to genetic mutation he
inherited from his father, who just happens to work on the base as
janitor,
recently released from his sentence. To make things more interesting,
Banner's co-scientist, Betty Ross is his former flame. And she just
happens
to be the daughter of General Ross, the man who jailed David Banner during
his family's tragedy. It is this terrible event that holds the key to why
Bruce transforms to his monstrous side, and to how their reunion will
end.
The movie starts slow, with admirable character development. By the time
the
Hulk appears, everyone's motivations are known with each personality
sharply
distinguished. Ang Lee loves showing humanity and human frailty in his
stories as he has done exceptionally in EAT DRINK MAN WOMAN, THE WEDDING
BANQUET, SENSE AND SENSIBILITY, and THE ICE STORM. We discover the hidden
storylines, the human aspects that can be just as interesting as the
action.
We discover that Bruce and Betty have both had fathers that they could
never
count on (that's probably what brought them together). We see David Banner
and General Ross not primarily as power hungry males, but as caring
fathers
as well. We experience Bruce Banner's awkwardness and inability to express
himself adequately, which makes us understand all the more why he begins
to
`enjoy' transforming into his raging alter-id.
Though it's true that the Hulk doesn't appear until 45 minute into the
movie, once he does, the action hardly stops. Sure there are scenes of
destruction, but they are calculated, punctuating turning points in the
movie, instead of bombarding the audience as mayhem in others. The
backdrops
upon which these action sequences are set upon are breathtaking. The
battles
rage from an underground base, to the vast majestic Monument Valley
landscape, all the way to the Golden Gate Bridge and even to the very
stratosphere. I can still vividly recall Images of the Hulk clashing with
`hulk-dogs' in the California Redwood forests and him being chased by
helicopter gunships in a concave rock formation in the Arizona
desert.
People remember Ang Lee for CROUCHING TIGER HIDDEN DRAGON, which many
consider (present company included) to be the greatest martial arts
picture
ever made. It left such big shoes to fill, even for Lee (At one point TIME
Magazine labeled him, `America's Best Director'). Those who recall
CROUCHING
TIGER remember its sublime images of combat, but what set it apart in its
genre was its poetic character involvement. We cared deeply for Li Mu Bai
and Yu Shu Lien, for their values, and for their quest for the green
destiny. Lee does the same for HULK. In exposing its characters to danger,
he wishes to reveal the gravity of their situations. Hardly ever does
anyone
utter a mutter a snappy line, emote a mushy sentiment, or deliver a cliché
expression.
Compare Bruce Banner's discovery of his newfound abilities with Peter
Parker's (of SPIDER-MAN). He reacts with deep fear and confusion, whereas
Parker reacts with excitement and exhilaration. The latter may be more
amiable for audiences, but if I found out that I was growing microscopic
claws on my fingertips and spewing webbing from my wrists, I'd be freaking
out. Spider-Man has the comfort of shooting off a few quips along with his
webs as he confronts his foes. Banner, along with other characters in HULK
have no such luxury. The movie is not without joy though. It has several
humorous moments, none of them in a light-hearted sense
though.
It should be said that this picture was blessed with a great cast. Eric
Bana
(BLACK HAWK DOWN & CHOPPER), who has star written all over him, conveys
inner turmoil-slash-solidity very effectively as Bruce Banner. The
ever-beautiful Jennifer Connelly reprises her
wife-of-a-brilliant-but-mentally-unstable-scientist
role from A BEAUTIFUL MIND as Betty Ross. I thought her main purpose was
to
appear as a captivating yet unreachable beauty for both Banner and the
Hulk,
and she serves her role perfectly. Nick Nolte has to my mind never given a
bad performance, and he appears valuably scruffy and deceivingly two-faced
as David Banner (he could be confused for one of the hulk-dogs). But of
all
of the main players, Sam Elliot (THE CONTENDER, WE WERE SOLDIERS, & THE
BIG
LEBOWSKI) impressed me the most with his controlled and palpable intensity
as General Ross. At one point, with his glistening complexion and bulging
neck veins, he looked more intimidating than the Hulk.
The movie has a lot of other assets. It has a memorable score by Danny
Elfman (who also did BATMAN and SPIDER-MAN). It has beautiful
cinematography
by Frederick Elmes (THE ICE STORM). It has wondrous visualization by using
split-screens like window panes in comic books, such as several angles in
one shot, or one window opening up into another (this is the most
inventive
use of the technique since Brian De Palma's FEMME FATALE). It also has
buried moments of lyrical dueling between different characters. When Betty
Ross says, `You weren't that hard to find.' and Banner retorts `Yes I
was.'
that instant carried a greater emotional weight. You'll understand it once
you see it.
Fans of the Hulk (like me) will be familiar with the several storylines
that
have been amalgamated into the screenplay, one of them being David Banner,
who is Bruce's character in THE INCREDIBLE HULK TV series (speaking of
which, Lou Ferrigno, who portrayed the TV Hulk, appears in a cameo with
Stan
Lee). The rest I leave up to the `Hulksters'. But for all the pluses that
HULK has, the ones that I will take home with me are its ideas. That the
Hulk is not just rage, he is pure innocence. He only smashes when
provoked.
He is a near mindless brute, but when calm, he is a child. He smites tanks
that fire at him as a toddler would kick a toy after tripping over it.
As a character, the Hulk is the ultimate childlike id, the source of all
instinctual impulses and demands for immediate satisfaction of primitive
needs. As a film, THE HULK is the most introspective of the Marvel
superhero
movies that have come out so far. The X-MEN films have had the
disadvantage
of having too many characters, resulting in too many protagonists to
follow.
SPIDER-MAN and the BLADE movies were all about entertainment. Many comic
book films barely touch on their themes, but HULK actually wants to deal
with the issues it raises. No wonder I gravitate to it.
Cast
- Betty Ross played by Jennifer Connelly
- Talbot played by Josh Lucas
- Bruce Banner played by Eric Bana
- Father played by Nick Nolte
- Mrs. Krensler played by Celia Weston
- Ross played by Sam Elliott
- Young David Banner played by Paul Kersey
