|
Many people here remember the first Hulk film. It was maligned by nearly every critic, and that hatred was magnified by the movie going public. The film had a problematic production schedule, and a leak of a early workprint cemented the negative rumours that were already going about the internet about the film. But beneath all that hate and criticism it seems to me that the film is in fact a masterpiece. Let us look at all the facts. The film was directed by legendary director Ang Lee who had just finished filming Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. He is far from one to shy away from violence. We had the actors, they were all top class. Eric Bana, Jennifer Connelly, Sam Elliot, and Nick Nolte. All have been nominated or were nominated for Oscars at one point or another in the career. The filmed was cerebral and strange. Almost surreal in nature. I remember being drawn to it time and time again because of this. I feel that Ang Lee in analyzing the themes presented by the concept of the Hulk approached it in a very realistic manner, and a manner that is too dramatic for the common filmgoer. It feels like a art house film more than your modern blockbuster and that what makes me like it so much. In Eric Bana's troubled and brooding Bruce Banner you find a figure with so much mystery. The genius in this representation is that this troubled history is not only hidden by Banner, but Banner himself is not aware of it nor does he display it in his interactions with others. Even though all the warnings signs are there. It is not a part of his exterior image, but belongs to his inner psyche, his subconscious, bubbling beneath the surface of what he thinks is the real him. I don't think I've seen such a nuanced and well put together exploration of the human psyche in a film featuring a comic book character in my life before. It reminds me quite a bit of the film Unbreakable in it's pacing and nuance. The themes throughout the film were featured it in a time where they were neither politically wise nor popular. It is a post-obama film seemingly flung into the middle of a post-9/11 world. The destructive nature of the military-industrial complex and its leaders as depicted in The Hulk are the exact antithesis of later Marvel films with their SHIELD and Nick Fury. So many things ring so true in ways that are surprisingly fresh even today. I think the way this film has been treated is criminal. Its take on the superhero genre was far ahead of its time. It approached the subject matter in a way only other directors could dream of. Compared to this film Nolan's Batman treatment are mere hack jobs.
|
#
?
Jun 24, 2015 03:09
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 18, 2024 08:32 |
|
|
I didn't like it.
|
|
#
?
Jun 24, 2015 04:09
|
|
|
The true misunderstood masterpiece is Dolph Lundgrenn's Punisher.
|
|
#
?
Jun 24, 2015 04:11
|
|
|
I like this movie a lot but Hulk dogs was still real dumb.
|
|
#
?
Jun 24, 2015 04:25
|
|
|
Mr Hootington posted:The true misunderstood masterpiece is Dolph Lundgrenn's Punisher. I unironically agree with this.
|
|
#
?
Jun 24, 2015 04:36
|
|
|
It was actually just called Hulk. It did a couple things I liked, but it was not good.
|
|
#
?
Jun 24, 2015 04:57
|
|
|
It was better than the Ed Norton Hulk movie. 
|
|
#
?
Jun 24, 2015 09:49
|
|
|
I liked it, alot. The Hulk himself was just a manifestation of Bruces repressed memories as a child and was literally a fifteen foot tall toddler throwing a huge tantrum.
|
|
#
?
Jun 24, 2015 11:52
|
|
|
like a handful of overzealous posters will claim it's a masterpiece but majority in the world disliked it at the time personally I thought it was an ok movie regardless of loving hilarious CGI and monster poodles. probably wasn't what people expected from a "Hulk" movie. the dynamic with Bruce's father and past was a great touch even if making his dad the Absorbing Man was odd; that relationship was eons better than the majority of comic book movie villains because it was so raw. "Masterpiece" though is some heavy hyperbole because this movie drags at quite a few points. Definitely not a horrible film, though. PerpetualSelf posted:Compared to this film Nolan's Batman treatment are mere hack jobs. I think DKR was trash but even still, lol
|
|
#
?
Jun 24, 2015 13:24
|
|
|
I liked that movie a lot. Hulk poodles didn't bother me, even if they were stupid.
|
|
#
?
Jun 24, 2015 13:34
|
|
|
CAPTAIN CAPSLOCK posted:It was better than the Ed Norton Hulk movie. The Ed Norton version has a handful of scenes that are better than anything in Ang Lee's Hulk but yea it still isn't all that great. The college campus scene where Blonskey fights the Hulk, and the first action scene in South America are great though.
|
|
#
?
Jun 24, 2015 14:31
|
|
|
Nick Nolte angrily biting into a power cable is one of my favorite moments in cinema.
|
|
#
?
Jun 25, 2015 07:05
|
|
|
The main thing I remember about Hulk was the dog-fight sequence almost making me throw up. I think it was the combination of handheld camerawork and early-2000s CGI - there were times when 90% of the screen was filled with rubbery-looking fake flesh and fur framed way too close and squirming about as the camera thrashed all over the place. Blair Witch? No problem. This? 
|
|
#
?
Jun 25, 2015 07:12
|
|
|
The comic book framing stuff was pretty cool, as was the weird jellyfish dream desert.
|
|
#
?
Jun 25, 2015 07:45
|
|
|
Eric Bana was horrible casting for Bruce Banner. The guy's huge and handsome. Ed Norton and Mark Ruffalo aren't exactly ugly, but at least they look like nerdy, imperfect human beings when surrounded by super hot stars.
|
|
|
#
?
Jun 25, 2015 23:59
|
|
|
PerpetualSelf posted:Its take on the superhero genre was far ahead of its time. More like behind the times, moviegoers didn't and don't want a hulk that's smarter than they are
|
|
#
?
Jun 26, 2015 00:59
|
|
|
It's a beautiful weird experiment. It's weird that anyone gave Ang Lee the job. It's like they just watched the fight scenes in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and forgot that those fight scenes are nestled in a complicated romance movie and criticism of traditional Chinese culture.
|
|
#
?
Jun 26, 2015 02:09
|
|
|
I mean, Ang Lee's best film is Sense and Sensibility. How anyone could watch that and then Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and think they would get anything but an emotionally cerebral roller-coaster is a mystery to me. The films his talent was more officially recognized for, Brokeback Mountain, and Life of Pi came much later.
|
|
#
?
Jun 26, 2015 02:18
|
|
|
Brokeback Mountain was only a year or two after Hulk. Was Ang Lee's Hulk really so derided at the time? I never saw it but I remember when it came out it got mixed reviews in the literal meaning, a lot of people praised it as better than most of the recent comic book movies while a lot disliked it, but I don't feel like it got critically savaged the way Terminator 3 did when it came out at the same time. I feel like it's only after the Nolan movies and the new Marvel continuity in particular that fans moved on to disavowing any comic movie that came before/outside of Official Marvel Continuity. But maybe that's just my selective memory.
|
|
#
?
Jun 26, 2015 02:23
|
|
|
Chairman Capone posted:Brokeback Mountain was only a year or two after Hulk. quote:Was Ang Lee's Hulk really so derided at the time? I never saw it but I remember when it came out it got mixed reviews in the literal meaning, a lot of people praised it as better than most of the recent comic book movies while a lot disliked it, but I don't feel like it got critically savaged the way Terminator 3 did when it came out at the same time. I feel like it's only after the Nolan movies and the new Marvel continuity in particular that fans moved on to disavowing any comic movie that came before/outside of Official Marvel Continuity. But maybe that's just my selective memory.
|
|
#
?
Jun 26, 2015 02:38
|
|
|
Nick Nolte's monologue is loving amazing.
|
|
|
#
?
Jun 26, 2015 02:46
|
|
|
Armyman25 posted:Nick Nolte's monologue is loving amazing. Yeah, it's one of the best part of the movie in my memory. I don't think I've seen the whole thing since it came out.
|
|
#
?
Jun 26, 2015 02:48
|
|
Snak posted:Yeah, it's one of the best part of the movie in my memory. I don't think I've seen the whole thing since it came out. I like it be cause it's like a stage play. Just two actors acting, no special soundtrack or fancy camera moves.
|
|
|
#
?
Jun 26, 2015 02:58
|
|
|
Shanty posted:The comic book framing stuff was pretty cool, as was the weird jellyfish dream desert. People praise it, but I thought it was pretentious bullshit that didn't actually add anything to the film. Did the film really need to show multiple angles of a guy walking up to a door? X-men first class did something similar, but the comic book framing actually added something to the film, and was actually an interesting way to do a montage. The flashbacks scenes were dumb, and incredibly unsubtle. Yes movie, we get that the hulk is the manifestation of Bruce Banner's suppressed rage, don't show the same scene over and over again. The dog scene would have probably been ok if the movie was going for a campier tone, but it didn't work with the more surreal and cerebal tone the movie was going for. Also, the CGI was really really bad even for its time.
|
|
#
?
Jun 26, 2015 03:06
|
|
Snak posted:I think people weren't ready for how goofy it was. Spider-man had just come out the year before, and X-Men 2 opened the month before. Those movies helped set the standard for comic-book adaptions. The "comic panels" thing didn't go over well, and the movie had a very inconsistent tone, between swinging tanks around like a cartoon and smoldering rage. Not everyone hated it, but I think even people who liked it had a hard time comparing it favorably to its peers. There was also a serious mismatch between its marketing and the actual film. The marketing had kids playing with big Hulk Hand toys and punching plastic bricks, huge green slurpies with the Hulk on the glass, and badass rock music in the preview trailers. Then the movie was full of long, solemn scenes with super peaceful score and daddy angst. I saw it in theaters and saw like 3 families with 8-12 year old kids leave once the movie turned out to have absolutely nothing for a kid in it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaUPG-XyuT8 "Yeah! Let's go see a movie where an abusive father tries to murder a baby and instead stabs his wife in the heart!"
|
|
|
#
?
Jun 26, 2015 03:59
|
|
|
IShallRiseAgain posted:People praise it, but I thought it was pretentious bullshit that didn't actually add anything to the film. Did the film really need to show multiple angles of a guy walking up to a door? X-men first class did something similar, but the comic book framing actually added something to the film, and was actually an interesting way to do a montage. I agree with pretty much all of this. A few recent movies have done some comic panel style things and have pulled it off, but they did a lot more modern digital effects to make it look interesting and good. Hulk's editing was technically impressive, but took you out of the movie instead of helping tell the story. I think there was a lot of confusion over who the target audience was for this film. Despite its themes, a lot of its storytelling seems like it's aimed at children. The CGI is pretty bad. Lots of other films that came out the same year had much better CGI, even if that looks dated now. (Matrix: Revolutions, for example) Lurdiak posted:There was also a serious mismatch between its marketing and the actual film. The marketing had kids playing with big Hulk Hand toys and punching plastic bricks, huge green slurpies with the Hulk on the glass, and badass rock music in the preview trailers. Then the movie was full of long, solemn scenes with super peaceful score and daddy angst. I saw it in theaters and saw like 3 families with 8-12 year old kids leave once the movie turned out to have absolutely nothing for a kid in it. Every Hulk movie has "Derp military plot" but then serious adult issues thrown in. Hulk has domestic abuse and daddy issues, The Incredible Hulk has Banner unable to perform sexually, and The Avengers has him practically representing male violence towards women. You can't make movies about these things AND sell the big green fists that have been in stores for every Hulk film I can remember. They have to pick one. Snak fucked around with this message at 04:20 on Jun 26, 2015 |
|
#
?
Jun 26, 2015 04:09
|
|
|
Yeah, Superman works as a power fantasy for children. The Hulk is the manifestation of out of control rage, something that is out right terrifying for a child to deal with in an adult or parent. It's explicitly not a healthy thing. There are some subtle things in Hulk. Like Ross being a Captain supervising the project, then being shown later as a LT. Colonel with Vietnam service awards on his uniform. Also, then helicopters that bring Banner to the underground bunker are all Vietnam era, but the aircraft that fight him after he escapes as the Hulk are all advanced prototypes, like the Comanche helicopter and the F-22 Raptor.
|
|
|
#
?
Jun 26, 2015 04:36
|
|
|
The scene where Hulk breaks out of the desert base was one of the best action scenes that I had seen in a while although it is probably surpassed by recent Marvel stuff. However, the final battle of the film was a loving mess. I still have no idea what is loving going on in that scene.
|
|
#
?
Jun 26, 2015 08:27
|
|
|
I really liked that Hulk grew in size the angrier he got. It reminded me of the Fist of the North Star books where a bad guy would vary wildly in size from panel to panel depending on how powerful the artist wanted them to appear. I liked the whole movie in general, it's from that weird time when it was such a mindfuck that real decorated directors would make superhero movies. I was weirded out at first by the father issues in the movie because I had never perceived that as a part of the character, but it gave me back hobo Nick Nolte so I quickly learned to love it.
|
|
#
?
Jun 26, 2015 09:30
|
|
|
Armyman25 posted:Yeah, Superman works as a power fantasy for children. The Hulk is the manifestation of out of control rage, something that is out right terrifying for a child to deal with in an adult or parent. It's explicitly not a healthy thing. So many traumatic memories of playing superheroes on the playground, dreading when I would have to be Hulk because everyone else was already taken, my eight year old mind alight with the oedipal connections of pretending to be a big strong green man.
|
|
#
?
Jun 26, 2015 11:34
|
|
|
Yeah, children don't care about that just like they don't care about the comments on colonialism in Tarzan, they just like to thump their chests and go Aaaargh.
|
|
#
?
Jun 26, 2015 11:42
|
|
|
Grendels Dad posted:Yeah, children don't care about that just like they don't care about the comments on colonialism in Tarzan, they just like to thump their chests and go Aaaargh. Yeah, but this only works because the movies aren't really about the themes of the Hulk, they are some derpy "the military is being cartoon villains again and the hulk has to smash stuff" this is why they always turn out boring as poo poo. A good Hulk movie would be more of a drama and more about adult issues, and would not be as marketable to kids. For example, look at the differences between the live action Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan: Lord of the Apes and recent animated Tarzan films. Now, Greystoke is not a masterpiece, but it's explicitly about how Tarzan doesn't belong in human society because he believes in compassion and righteousness, things that has no place in "civilization". Animated Tarzan is about how cool running through trees and saving nature is. Hulk movies have been about how cool the Hulk smashing poo poo are, and how funny it is when people piss him off and have no idea what's coming.
|
|
#
?
Jun 26, 2015 14:23
|
|
|
I saw it with my dad, who's the biggest Hulk fan I know. Of course, he likes the Hulk because HULK SMASH and that's all he wants out of it. I ended up enjoying the movie for the reasons that my dad didn't, though we both thought the comic paneling was dope as hell. I can only hope the last sequence of the film came from someone happening to catch a rerun of the old Bixby/Ferrigno Hulk show on Telemundo, because that poo poo had me in stitches.
|
|
#
?
Jun 26, 2015 15:09
|
|
|
I enjoyed Banner's first transformation.
|
|
#
?
Jun 26, 2015 18:47
|
|
|
Baron Bifford posted:I enjoyed Banner's first transformation. I like Nick Nolte's reaction to it, because it's not what it looks like at first. Snak posted:Yeah, but this only works because the movies aren't really about the themes of the Hulk, they are some derpy "the military is being cartoon villains again and the hulk has to smash stuff" this is why they always turn out boring as poo poo. A good Hulk movie would be more of a drama and more about adult issues, and would not be as marketable to kids. For example, look at the differences between the live action Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan: Lord of the Apes and recent animated Tarzan films. Now, Greystoke is not a masterpiece, but it's explicitly about how Tarzan doesn't belong in human society because he believes in compassion and righteousness, things that has no place in "civilization". Animated Tarzan is about how cool running through trees and saving nature is. Or, they could try to make a Hulk movie that appeals to both children and adults, because this idea that the motherfucking Hulk of all fictional characters needs to be snatched out of children's hands so his full potential for intellectually satisfying (read: adult) entertainment can be fulfilled is kind of dumb.
|
|
#
?
Jun 26, 2015 19:07
|
|
|
If you take it that far, consider making a Jekyll/Hyde movie instead. Or just create a new IP that doesn't carry the weight of childhood comic book memories if the actual hulking out part is too dull. Even with adult-focused heavy emotional family beats, your script still has to be saddled with parts where he turns into a giant green monster and smash stuff by necessity - inherently childlike tantrums really.
|
|
#
?
Jun 26, 2015 19:29
|
|
|
Good scenes, good rewatchability, good music, good cameos, and good length. Enjoyed the movie, figured all the hate was that it was the hulk or super old wizard magneto that pissed everyone off. Favorite scene is where he is falling dreaming hes shaving his beard. He wipes the steam off the mirror to show the hulk and the hulk grabs him saying "puny human". Lou Ferrigno, the actor who played the Hulk in the old tv show was the other security guard with Stan Lee. Tenzarin fucked around with this message at 20:04 on Jun 26, 2015 |
|
#
?
Jun 26, 2015 19:54
|
|
|
Grendels Dad posted:I like Nick Nolte's reaction to it, because it's not what it looks like at first. Yeah, I said they have to pick one, between fun smashy poo poo or adult themes. They could make a fun smashy movie that appeals to adults and children alike, but so far they haven't tried. They are doing a pretty good job in Avengers, comparatively.
|
|
#
?
Jun 26, 2015 19:58
|
|
|
I think you could probably get a C or C+ on that intro film essay, OP, but your sentence structure and overall flow could use some work. good luck in class and with finals.
lesbian baphomet fucked around with this message at 02:09 on Jun 27, 2015 |
|
#
?
Jun 27, 2015 02:06
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 18, 2024 08:32 |
|
|
I remember feeling like the movie was taking way too long to get to the parts where Hulk smashes stuff, and then the first time he does it's... mutated poodles. I might be misremembering but I don't think anything cool happens for a while after that either. I didn't actually finish the movie though, so can't say if it pays off in the end.
|
|
#
?
Jun 27, 2015 07:45
|
|
