WARNING! MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS! LOOK AWAY IF YOU WANT TO BE SURPRISED, BUT KEEP READING IF YOU DON'T (OR HAVE ALREADY SEEN IT)!
The Hulk turned out to be a curiosity more than anything for me. Sure, I love action movies like I love ice cream. It's just my genre of choice. But before actually seeing The Hulk, I had some serious doubts. Part of that skepticism arose when I saw the first previews, revealing the hero as a bastardization of the comic character. The CGI was what worried me the most, considering my favorite action movies tend to tone down on such fake effects. The only incentive which really drew me to this movie (honest to God) was Connelly. If that was all I was looking for, I was in trouble.
Luckily, now that I have seen the movie, I can easily say that all of my fears and doubts were squashed just like that crazy mutant poodle. Getting over early that this movie was showcasing nothing but a CG Hulk, I soon became fascinated with the story. It didn't bother me that they focused on actually developing his person before having him go berserk and smash the place to bits. (Gee...it makes you think, doesn't it?) The creative direction, Elfman's innovative score, and the enigmatic plot only added to the flavor of this menacing blockbuster.
Ang Lee is an incredible director, and his talent shows through here beautifully. He uses a device which made me love the movie even more than I would have. Using a lot of split screens, he turned the live action movie into a living comic book. The action, however brutal, was calmer than, say, Daredevil or Blade II. There was also a serious tone which I credit to Ang Lee, making the story more mysterious and dramatic. It may be had to feel any empathy toward a green giant who tosses tanks like shot-put, but I feel for the man. (I really do.)
Eric Bana, Jennifer (The Most Beautiful Woman on the Planet) Connelly, and Sam Elliot star as the main characters, giving each their own outstanding performances. Elliot surprised me the most, being both rational and irrational at the same time (weird, huh?). Unfortunately, I am not a big Nick Nolte fan, so his dimension was lacking a bit. But Bana really did a fantastic job as Bruce Banner, better than I had thought. As for Jennifer...enough said. (DYNAMITE!)
I love this recent boom of comic book movies. My Marvel Comic dreams have finally come to light with X-Men, Spider-Man, Daredevil, the works. Counting out Blade II, this is the best of all of the recent Marvel movies. The reason, I feel, is that The Hulk is not so quick to be an action movie. It is a story which must be developed before it can be exploited. Much like Spider-Man, you get the background of the hero in extreme detail. Yet this film weaves the entire tale of his becoming throughout the film, ultimately revealing his dreams and nightmares when the time is right.
Overall, this is a fantastic movie which impressed me greatly. I would have given it more credit, if it had not gone the way it had at the end. (Sorry, I just didn't get the Absorbing Man ending) Aside from that, Ang Lee has created another work of art. While with Crouching Tiger, it was the complacency and art of war. Here...it's the all out fury.
The Hulk turned out to be a curiosity more than anything for me. Sure, I love action movies like I love ice cream. It's just my genre of choice. But before actually seeing The Hulk, I had some serious doubts. Part of that skepticism arose when I saw the first previews, revealing the hero as a bastardization of the comic character. The CGI was what worried me the most, considering my favorite action movies tend to tone down on such fake effects. The only incentive which really drew me to this movie (honest to God) was Connelly. If that was all I was looking for, I was in trouble.
Luckily, now that I have seen the movie, I can easily say that all of my fears and doubts were squashed just like that crazy mutant poodle. Getting over early that this movie was showcasing nothing but a CG Hulk, I soon became fascinated with the story. It didn't bother me that they focused on actually developing his person before having him go berserk and smash the place to bits. (Gee...it makes you think, doesn't it?) The creative direction, Elfman's innovative score, and the enigmatic plot only added to the flavor of this menacing blockbuster.
Ang Lee is an incredible director, and his talent shows through here beautifully. He uses a device which made me love the movie even more than I would have. Using a lot of split screens, he turned the live action movie into a living comic book. The action, however brutal, was calmer than, say, Daredevil or Blade II. There was also a serious tone which I credit to Ang Lee, making the story more mysterious and dramatic. It may be had to feel any empathy toward a green giant who tosses tanks like shot-put, but I feel for the man. (I really do.)
Eric Bana, Jennifer (The Most Beautiful Woman on the Planet) Connelly, and Sam Elliot star as the main characters, giving each their own outstanding performances. Elliot surprised me the most, being both rational and irrational at the same time (weird, huh?). Unfortunately, I am not a big Nick Nolte fan, so his dimension was lacking a bit. But Bana really did a fantastic job as Bruce Banner, better than I had thought. As for Jennifer...enough said. (DYNAMITE!)
I love this recent boom of comic book movies. My Marvel Comic dreams have finally come to light with X-Men, Spider-Man, Daredevil, the works. Counting out Blade II, this is the best of all of the recent Marvel movies. The reason, I feel, is that The Hulk is not so quick to be an action movie. It is a story which must be developed before it can be exploited. Much like Spider-Man, you get the background of the hero in extreme detail. Yet this film weaves the entire tale of his becoming throughout the film, ultimately revealing his dreams and nightmares when the time is right.
Overall, this is a fantastic movie which impressed me greatly. I would have given it more credit, if it had not gone the way it had at the end. (Sorry, I just didn't get the Absorbing Man ending) Aside from that, Ang Lee has created another work of art. While with Crouching Tiger, it was the complacency and art of war. Here...it's the all out fury.