The Hulk (2003)

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Hulk (2003)

The movie Hulk, the first in ‘The Avengers’ series, features an all-star cast bringing the giant green monster to life. Yet this is more than a ‘monster’ or even superhero movie. It has a complex and thought provoking storyline that keeps the viewer thinking about it long afterwards.

The main character Bruce Banner, played by Australia’s Eric Banner, is the victim or beneficiary from a gamma ray scientific experiment gone wrong. The main story is about Bruce’s present day relationship with his girlfriend Betty Ross (Jennifer Connelly) and scientist colleague. She is a green eyed dark haired beauty with brains who wants to help Bruce but is continuously thwarted by her military Father General Ross (Sam Elliott) who does not think they are suited. 

Nick Nolte plays Bruce’s Dad who is a woolly haired unshaven scientist himself and not in complete control of his faculties who wants to rediscover the power that altered his son and use it for his own nefarious devices. 

The subplot deals with Bruce’s Dad experimenting on himself and unwittingly infecting his son by planting the seed, so to speak, of the then dormant green demon  and lacing it through his DNA.

Baby Boomers and Gen X’ers will remember Bill Bixby as Bruce Banner and Lou Ferrigno as the Hulk in the 1970s television series The Incredible Hulk. 

Bruce Banner is the hero in a Jekyll and Hyde fashion who needs to control his heart-rate and temper to stop from transforming into the hulking green monster. His girlfriend’s Father and his own Father are the main villains, although it could be argued that the Hulk is also a villain due to his inability, like a steroid riddled bodybuilder, to manage his temper. 

The Bruce Banner character (Eric Bana) is on a personal journey of discovery battling himself more than his protagonists. The distant scientist with a number of distinctive autism spectrum traits is arguably more loveable and human in his Hulk form. There is no real winner from this story of tampering with nature and the quest for power.

He is harassed and bullied by the military, his own Father and society but ultimately protects his girlfriend from the prevailing threats. This makes him easy to support, while he is a ‘King Kong’ like indomitable force ‘it was beauty killed the beast’ within.

Jennifer Connelly’s performance is relaxed and heartfelt. The two leads have chemistry and this gives credibility to the story. Nick Nolte is a standout for his over-the-top portrayal of Banner’s Father.

The changes in time from present to past, environments from sterile labs to forest cabins to San Francisco Bay, to the stratosphere, subterranean bunkers and the desert where Banner’s childhood and post traumatic stress disorder originated are captivating. 

The use of the split-screen, in the editing process, to create a comic book style presentation was clever but not necessarily easy to follow. The rendering of the Hulk with his giant feet and hands, ungainly running and jumping style worked to some extent, although they made him more creature than human in appearance. Something rectified in The Avengers. This detracted from the believability of the character. The transformation scenes are brilliantly conceived and reminiscent of the werewolf morphing in the movies American Werewolf in London and The Howling.

Ang Lee the Chinese Director of Hidden Dragon Crouching Tiger has made a complex story that is very intriguing for two thirds and then becomes confused and bogged down in the conclusion. Like Hidden Dragon, The Hulk changes settings and blends action scenes with romance and tragedy very adroitly. Ang Lee respected the comic book origins and fully explored the premise of the movie about what it means to be a male, messing around with science and genetics and what are the components of a human such as the ability to love, fight, show courage and be vulnerable.

The Danny Elfman score, yes the same guy who did the Spiderman movies, Batman Returns, Daredevil etc. uses a staccato and scale progression style that sounds almost scientific or molecular. It is very appropriate but I know I’ve definitely heard it all before in what is becoming a ‘cookie cutter’ staple.

The filming is very well done with close-ins on the main characters engaging with each other and wide sweeping shots for the outdoor Hulk scenes where his size and power needs to be emphasised. It is a visually interesting and textual movie  combining the special effects nicely with the story and is a tremendous showcase for San Francisco tourism.

The use of light and darkness is used masterly by Director Ang Lee. The Hulk lurks in Bruce Banner’s subconscious in the dark or hidden behind the condensation on the bathroom mirror. While the sound of the Hulk’s menacing guttural growl raised to a fury riddled raw definitely gets the blood flowing.  

In an age where bigger is better both in Western society’s obsession with materialism and the dominance of China as the biggest economic player in the world, terrorist attacks, middle eastern wars and performance enhancing drugs in sport this is one superhero movie that engages the viewer’s mind and imagination. 

Crouching Bana Hidden Hulk [3 stars out of 4]

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