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Hulk: iVillage review
Starring: Eric Bana, Nick Nolte and Jennifer Connolly
Released: July 18th 2003
Certificate: 12A
What's it about?
Most people probably remember The Incredible Hulk television series: Dr David Banner (Bill Bixby) wandering the highways and by-ways of America, like a human version of The Littlest Hobo, until someone got him angry and made him turn all green and Lou Ferrigno-ish. For fans of the Marvel comic, the Hulk is a big, green manifestation of unstoppable rage unleashed, the spawn of 1960s nuclear paranoia.
Hulk, the movie, is closer to the character's comic book roots, but it does update the story for more sophisticated film tastes.
Dr Bruce Banner (Eric Bana) is a brilliant young research scientist working in genetics, ably assisted by Dr Betty Ross (Jennifer Connolly), his much put-upon girlfriend. However, the meek Dr Banner is troubled by terrible, repressed memories and a ticking, genetic time bomb in his blood - both the work of the mad scientist father he never knew (Nick Nolte).
After a freak lab accident bathes Dr Banner in gamma radiation, it isn't long before his towering, green id is unleashed. This, inevitably, draws the attention of both Bruce's father and the US military, all of whom have designs on the powerhouse. And poor, old Hulk just wants to be left alone.
Is it any good?
As it is an Ang Lee film, it was unlikely to be bad. The director who gave us The Ice Storm and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon mostly achieves a healthy balance between character-driven drama and choreographed action spectacles. For the first 45 minutes or so, the pace is slow, but Lee keeps things moving with some clever cinematic tricks and a colour palette that mimics the Hulk's comic book roots.
It's when the Hulk finally shows up that things really get good. Granted, no CGI is perfect, but the Hulk is pretty close. The action sequences are all spectacular, from his forest battle with three vicious, mutated dogs (including a French poodle) to his escape from a high-security military facility in the middle of the desert, it's like a big, over-the-top cartoon made real. Fans of the television show, more used to seeing the Hulk strain to kick down a door, may find the film version a bit too unrealistic: here, he's an absolute giant who dispatches tanks, helicopters and jet aircraft with relative ease. A lot of suspension of belief is needed, but hey, it is based on a comic book, and it's all in good fun.
Moreover, for all of the on-screen violence, the actual body count is remarkably low, making it family-friendly.
Best bits
The Hulk bouncing/flying through the Southwestern desert like a more manic version of a Warner Bros. cartoon, or Nick Nolte literally chewing the scenery in his final confrontation with his son.
Marks out of 10: 7
Ang Lee should be given credit for trying to add some new depth to the comic book film genre, but he tries a bit too hard in the opening sections the film and it drags, stick around for the action though, because it's worth it.
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Created: 07/07/2003 Updated: 19/01/2007
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