The Hulk

[Jedi Master Carr]

Since it comes out Friday might as well start a thread. I have found some early reviews here is one from Richard Roeper
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/click/movie-1123219/reviews.php?critic=columns&sortby=default&page=1&rid=1162993

Its an audio file though

Also it looks like Ebert is giving it a good reviews.

Also here is a really good one from the Hollywood Reporter

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/click/movie-1123219/reviews.php?critic=columns&sortby=default&page=1&rid=1162993

So far the reviews look very good. Hope this continues.

Edit
Ebert's review is that audio file. Roeper liked it a lot better. Ebert's only problem with it is the FX to him are a problem. Roeper liked the FX better.

[Jinn Fizz]

I will probably be seeing it on Sunday! :)

[sirdizzy]

going to the midnight on thursday

the fx looks bad to me too

i have heard rumors that ILM did an original cut and the fx was so horrid that ang lee told them to start over

thats why the looks in the trailers are so different, did anyone see the first trailer the fx look autrocious, he later trailers he looks better

[Charley]

I'll probably wait till video unless my hulk-fanatic friend drags me to see it.

[ReaperFett]

The SFX looks great to me, but we dont get it for another month :(

[Jedi Master Carr]

I am going to see it Saturday to me the SFX look very good but that is just my opinion.

[Charley]

Originally posted by ReaperFett
The SFX looks like Jar Jar's pixelated low budget boogers to me

fixed for you.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Hey thats cruel, so what if we think the effects are great, we aren't the only ones. Richard Roeper agrees with us :)

[ReaperFett]

Originally posted by Agent Charley
I don't like good SFX, I'd rather go at watch Dumb and Dumberer.


:D




Oh, and the Punisher teaser before Hulk is on Access Hollywood tonight. Bare in mind this was made before Jane dyed his hair black and started training with the Marines or whoever it was.

[Charley]

Originally posted by Jedi Master Carr
Hey thats cruel, so what if we think the effects are great, we aren't the only ones. Richard Roeper agrees with us :)

OMG! If Richard Roeper is on our side, who dare opposes us, AM I RITE??? :cool

[CMJ]

OMG! If Charley ISN'T on your side, why even bother, AM I RITE??? :rolleyes

I don't believe they went looking for trouble. Kind of unfair you went after them if you ask me.

[Jedieb]

Ya know, when i was a kid I use to love watching Mighty Joe Young and King Kong. The stop motion was beyond crude, but it never stopped me or audiences from enjoying it. The Hulk's CGI doesn't have to be perfect. We're talking about a giant, green comic book character! The story itself, like most comic book stories, is BEYOND ludicrous, so why does it have to look absolutely real? As rough as it may look in certain spots it's a step up from Lou F. in green body paint.

[James Prent]

I agree with Jedieb. He is a smart, smart man.

[Jinn Fizz]

Yes, yes, listen to Jedieb, you must. Much sense he makes. :)

[Jedi Master Carr]

Thanks Jedieb you are exactly right :)

[sirdizzy]

i freaking hate roeper, then again i hated siskel

i'll stick by man ebert


but i watched this sci fi channel exlusive on the hulk tonight, loooked really good got me pumped about the movie something the trailers never did

[sirdizzy]

Movie Review: Hulk (2003)
Action/Adventure, Drama and Science Fiction/Fantasy 2 hrs. 18 min.
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sci-fi action violence, some disturbing images and brief partial nudity.
Release Date: June 20th, 2003
Starring: Eric Bana, Jennifer Connelly, Nick Nolte, Sam Elliott, Josh Lucas
Directed by: Ang Lee

Bruce Banner is a close off and distant scientist who is about to have the biggest life altering change happen to him. Part of the reasons he is so closed off is that his past is no so glorious and there are many secrets there that are both dangerous and painful. Bruce has created a wall around himself and around his memories shutting everyone out even the woman he most likely loves Betty Ross. His father was also a scientist who most considered mad, and who had been experimenting with genetic improvements in healing and genetic regrowth. But he was also so far gone that he was willing to do experiments on himself creating mutations not only in himself but also in his son. Now unbeknownst to Bruce he is following in his father’s footsteps working in the same field and trying to make the same genetic abnormalities possible. But when a horrible accident befalls Bruce in his lab he throws himself on a machine that produce gamma radiation to protect a coworker and takes in a mega dosage of the highly dangerous element. Through the exposure of the radiation and his mutated genetics a monster is released, The Hulk. The Hulk is a 12 foot green behemoth that’s rage only makes him more powerful and unstoppable. But Bruce’s father is not done with him and soon he will not be the only one out to get Bruce and the monster within as Betty’s father nails General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross is about to start a personal manhunt of the monster using the entire military’s support.

Now this is more like how a comic book can be adapted to the screen and should be adapted. It doesn’t have Spiderman’s sappiness, nor does it have Daredevil’s forced appeal and sub par acting. Instead it tells a compelling story about the anti superhero who is not really out to protect justice but instead his only motivation is destroying his enemies. The movie was almost like two movies in one, the first movie dealt with all the drama and issues like man playing god and the man who unwillingly got caught in the middle. The second part of the movie was the madcap fun of The Hulk destroying and rampaging. Also the movie does itself an incredible injustice with its mediocre trailers showing The Hulk in an unfavorable light of visual and special effects. The movie was vastly improved on from the CGI Hulk of the trailers with a much more believable and less cartoonish Hulk in the movie. Granted the CGI wasn’t perfect and at times the Hulk looked gangly and not totally real but for the most part the Hulk will entrance you and compel you. I busted up in laughter at many of the scenes of the Hulk as the character was played with the fun and wonderment that is the Hulk. This is the excitement you got when you were a kid and read the comic books or so the TV show, the Hulk is much like a child himself and they did a wonderful job of bringing that to the big screen. The only thing missing was a few of my favorite lines that they did not use like Hulk Smash, and a sympathetic Hulk going Betty. The acting all around was superb from Eric Bana as Bruce to Jennifer Connelly as Betty and even Nick Nolte as Bruce’s father. I have to say one thing about Nick Nolte and that is he has become one of the scariest look human beings on the planet and that combined with his over the top part made him the highlight of the films at times. The only thing that seemed to detract from the movie was some of the directing techniques Ang Lee chose to employ. I am dumbfounded at his use of multi camera angles that made no sense and added nothing to the movie. There has been a movie recently Phonebooth that used these techniques to perfection and I am wondering if Mister Lee so that movie and said to himself I gotta try that. It detracts from the story and distracts the audience. All in all though this was a wonderful movie and very well done. Hulk Smash.
4.5 stars out of 5

[Jedi Master Carr]

Cool Dizzy I can't wait to see it tomorrow now.

[JMK]

I won't be able to see it this weekend but now I'm pumped for this one!

[Jedieb]

Can someone please give me a sugestion as to how I could possibly con my wife into seeing this? I think I'll lose most of the films impact if I wait to catch it on cable or DVD.

[ReaperFett]

- The GREAT reviews

- Eric Bana

- You'll be her slave for the next week

- You'll go shopping with her to all those shops you hate.


They do? :)

[Jedi Master Carr]

Tell her its a love story :p

[sirdizzy]

yea there is a partial nude scene of eric bana that should do it

[JediBoricua]

Promise her you'll go see Alex and Emma...ugh...nevermind wait for the DVD!!!

[Charley]

Ok I saw it.

They really should've made their trailers look less sucky, because the movie was actually pretty dang good. They must have worked over the CG a few zillion times, because a few parts aside, it was very well done. Love the comic cell splitscreen effect, nice touch. The movie DRAGGED LIKE EVERLOVING GOD in the first hour, but that's ok I guess. Its a bit deeper than most comic movies. Also, Ang Lee did his homework for the military stuff, with neat little additions like Comanche attack helicopters (even though they're only supposed to have four missiles, and the tips of those missiles aren't the warhead, but the tracking sensors), F-22's (even though a Raptor doesn't have a flight ceiling anywhere near that high) and even little details like the new smart camoflage that's worn by the Marine Corps (OO-RAH). It had its faults, but an enjoyable movie overall. I liked it better than Spiderman, so I'm happy.

[Jedi Master Carr]

I agree with you it was better than Spiderman I liked X2 better but that is more because I love the X-men. Also for spoilers Did Nolte become the Absorbing Man in the end? He sure looked like it to me. Also I was disapointed no Casey Jones, they could have at least called that guy he saved Casey. Still I loved the movie. Nolte did a great performance. And I thought Elliott did as well. Sure the movie was different less action and I wonder how the average moviegoer will apreciate it but it was a great film and it actually had a story which I know is a shock for a summer film :p

[sirdizzy]

i thought x2 was better then hulk too, i would rate the recent comic book movies

#1 X-Men 2
#2 Hulk
#3 Spiderman
#4 Daredevil
#5 X-Men

[Jedi Master Carr]

I would put X-Men above Daredevil but that is mostly coming from a X-Men fan :)

[ReaperFett]

For Marvel and DC ones I remember, baring in mind I haven't seen Hulk. No Superman, I dont remember much about them. Wasn't too big a fan.

1. Daredevil
2. X2
3. X-Men
4. Batman Forever
5. Blade
6. Batman
7. Spiderman
8. Blade 2
9. Batman Returns
10. Batman and Robin
11. Generation-X
12. Justice League of America


Unlisted - Fantastic Four. Classic in every way, I will review it one day :D

[Jedi Master Carr]

Which Justice League of America are you talking about that horrible TV Pilot?

[ReaperFett]

Yep, the TV movie :D

[Jinn Fizz]

Saw The Hulk today, and I liked it very, very much. Ang Lee has made a damn fine comic book adaptation. Different, to be sure, but damn fine.

Yes, some fans and non-fans alike will probably complain that it was boring, but personally, I liked how the movie took the time to develop the characters--ALL of the characters--so that we could connect to them in one way or another. I also liked how they took great pains to explain how the Hulk came into existence, rather than just the simple *zzzzzaaappp* oops, look what the gamma radiation did to me.

I loved the whole comic book look to the movie, starting with the opening credits themselves. And the CGI was, with rare exception, superb. You could see how they based the Hulk's face on Eric Bana's, and they were able to give the big green guy some great expressions that said a lot. Like in the scene where Bruce first turned into the Hulk, and his father saw him...I thought that was a wonderful moment where his father ran his hand over the Hulk's face, and how the Hulk looked sad.

The acting, all around, was also superb. Eric Bana has what it makes to be a big star, and his naked tushie isn't all that bad to look at ;). And Nick Nolte was surprisingly good, very effective. I read a blurb somewhere where he said the look of his character was based on his mug shot when he was arrested last year, and it definitely showed! :lol

LOVED Stan Lee's cameo, especially since he was accompanied by Lou Ferrigno. That got a big laugh out of the audience I saw it with.

And I also loved how the movie ended with my favorite lines of dialogue...."You're making me angry. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry." That also got a big laugh.

Quite a few people applauded when the credits rolled, and I was one of them. Overall, not as good as X2 (but I don't know what will be ;)), but better than Spider-Man and Daredevil. Great movie. :)

[BUFFJEDI]

OMG!!!!! It's a dang good thing I believe that the Box-office is fixed , It looks as if the hulk will open barely over 60 mil!!???!!!!!If there was ever a cause for the Numbers to be researched now is a dang good time. I must say that boxing is more realistic than the Box-office figures,and that ain't saying alot if you watched the fight last nightO_o I'll just leave it at that.


HULK still RULES!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ReaperFett]

Buff, this is a record opening for June.

[BUFFJEDI]

Thanks alot Reap;)

That maybe so BUT I had predict like 115 mil opening weekend.And with the crowd reactions the pact theaters ,The actual good for the most part reviews,I can't see it only doing a little over 60 mil. Heck Jason vs freddy will do that??

I think someone has it out for ILM .Which of course Lucas owns















JUST KIDDING I"M NOT GOING THERE ;)

[Jinn Fizz]

Here's some info that might help clarify all this, BUFFJEDI....

Normally a big summer movie opens on at least 2 screens at my local theater, sometimes on 3. But The Hulk opened on only 1 screen at my theater, and the time of the first showing was so late that it meant they could only have 4 showings of it throughout the day. Compare that to other movies who have at least 2 screens and at least 5 showings on each screen...that's 10 showings a day, 6 more than The Hulk got at my theater. I actually ended up going to the next town over to see it, because of the first showing at that theater having an earlier starting time. But it was still only on one screen there. So $62 million may seem puny to other totals, but it all makes sense in light of this.

And here's an interesting quote from BoxOfficeGuru.com:


The Hulk delivered the fifth best opening of the year and the third best for the Marvel family of comic book films trailing Spider-Man's $114.8M and X2: X-Men United's $85.9M. Those two blockbusters, however, opened on the first weekend of May when the marketplace offered no competition and tentpole pics could dominate more screens in every theater. The Hulk went out with an estimated 6,000 prints while Spider-Man and X2 had 7,500 and 8,000 prints, respectively. On a per-print basis, The Hulk's bow was almost identical to X2's.

So this shows that The Hulk actually performed quite well. :)

[BUFFJEDI]

Ahh, Thanks Jinn:) I see ,I see.I think that's what Reap was getting at BUT sounds better coming from you ;)


Still sucks to be wrong, Agian:x

[Jinn Fizz]

Originally posted by BUFFJEDI
Ahh, Thanks Jinn:) I see ,I see.


Still sucks to be wrong, Agian:x

:lol

*gives BUFF a cookie*

Just remember, Hulk rules. Hulk thump competition. Terminator no match for Hulk.

:cool

[ReaperFett]

From the sounds of it, this time next year will be when The Punisher will appear, which to me is in the big 5 (X-Men, Spiderman, Hulk, Fantastic Four and this) of Marvel movies which are deep in people psyche. EVERYONE knows the Skull. So to see Hulk do so well bodes well for Punisher.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Well the box office is crowded and plus I think the new Potter book effected the box office some, I have no clue what. Well Hulk set a June record thought that will be squashed next June as it looks like Harry Potter 3 will open, I am certain that will make at least 80 million.

[sirdizzy]

honestly i only really loved the first batman, i mean batman forever and batman returns were ok but they didn't blow me away

i have yet to see a specatular batman movie that was not animated (yes i loved batman beyong and the return of the joker which is my favorite batman movie)

superman's feel too dated to me, heck they did come out in the 70's and early 1980's, i liked em when i was a kid now they just aren't that exciting to me

i would like to see them do an updated superman with today's technology

and i know blade is based on a comic book, but it never felt like a comic book movie to me

then theres movie like spawn which are just silly and fun at the same time

[Jinn Fizz]

Something that hit me a while after seeing The Hulk, something that's pretty significant if I'm right about it...correct me if I'm wrong, but....

Did anybody else notice that, technically, it appeared as if the Hulk didn't kill anyone?

He did beat the tar out of bad-guy Talbott, but he didn't kill him. There was a reference made later to the other military/police guards or whatever you want to call them, but they were in the hospital, none of them were dead. When the time came for Talbott to finally get his just desserts, it was because of a big boo-boo he made, not by any action on the Hulk's part. Talbott fired the round at the Hulk, which bounced off the Hulk, flew back, and embedded itself in the wall behind Talbott. *Boom!*

Hulk vs. the tanks...hm, he ripped the top part off of one and shook the guys out before he whaled on the tank. He bent the cannon barrel back on another so that it was pointing right at the one guy's face. But the cannon was never fired. Even with the tank he spun around and threw a mile away, you later saw one of the crew members having climbed out of it and looking back toward where the Hulk was.

Hulk vs. the helicopters...yes, the copters crashed, rotor blades broke, Hulk smashed...but none of the helicopters ever exploded like you would expect them to in a movie like this. With one of the choppers, you could see the pilot moving around when the Hulk was done with him.

Hulk riding on the fighter jet...it seems pretty clear that pilot made it back without being badly hurt, if at all, since the Hulk finally fell off the jet.

Hulk in San Francisco...yes, he caused much mayhem, people were no doubt hurt, but no one appeared to be killed.

I have to believe this was done intentionally, so that the audience could still have sympathy for both the Hulk and for Bruce...so am I right? Or did I miss something that messes up my theory? ;)

[Charley]

Yes, it was the return of the "GI Joe effect"

[Jinn Fizz]

:\

[JMK]

I was impressed big time with the Hulk. I liked that he was excessively violent, like when he punched through the mutated dog's head and then smashed it on the ground for good measure. That's what I was hoping for with the Hulk and that's what I got so I'm a happy camper. My only gripe is that I thought it dragged on a little too long.

[Park Kraken]

Being a military fan, I loved the Comanche's, which I didn't even know existed before seeing the movie. I certainly haven't seen, or heard of them in any military operation, like the second Gulf War. I liked the scatterfire artillery shell they fired on the Hulk's former home, I also didn't know the US military had such weapons, but that seemed to be a strictly area-whatever defense piece. The tank bashing was cool. The Comanches's, and parking lot was cool. The anit-Hulk matter Nuke missile or whatever was cool also.

[Charley]

Originally posted by Admiral Kraken
Being a military fan, I loved the Comanche's, which I didn't even know existed before seeing the movie. I certainly haven't seen, or heard of them in any military operation, like the second Gulf War. I liked the scatterfire artillery shell they fired on the Hulk's former home, I also didn't know the US military had such weapons, but that seemed to be a strictly area-whatever defense piece. The tank bashing was cool. The Comanches's, and parking lot was cool. The anit-Hulk matter Nuke missile or whatever was cool also.

Do you live under a rock? The Comanche has been in development for at least a decade now. It hasn't been deployed in active duty yet. The one's in the movie carried far more payload than they do in real life (I believe they're limited to chaingun and 4 Hellfires only). Also, do you know what cluster munitions are at all?

You need to dig a bit deeper on military info.

[imported_QuiGonJ]

I'll give another figure that should make the Hulk opening look better.. the Green Guy had to go up against a $90 million+ opening... of some book that sold 5 million copies the first day. Assuming an average price of $18 times 5 million, that's $90 million folks.

[Jedi Master Carr]

And that was only one day I bet it sold another million or two easily on Sunday. I do think that affected the box office some, hopefull WOM will help the Hulk with those who haven't seen it.

[Marcus Telcontar]

I really doubt Harry Potter had any real or lasting effect. If you look at the the weekly takings, The Hulk is being closed in on by Nemo. it will be lucky to have a 50% drop off from the opening weekend.

No, the real answer is that The Hulk is just not appealing enough to the audience. With all that publicity, it shoud have done better. Note how every single prediction was wildly too high. 62 million openingis good, but for the number of theatres it opened on and the publicity it had, it should have been better.

[ReaperFett]

Best June opening ever says a lot. It's not Hulk's fault if people expect it to open like a May or July opening :)

[Jedi Master Carr]

Yeah but it didn't have any publicity, IMO I saw more stuff about Harry Potter on the news than the Hulk. And actually Reaper Next June is going to have a big opening with another Potter movie coming out.

[Diego Van Derveld]

Originally posted by Jedi Master Carr
Yeah but it didn't have any publicity, IMO I saw more stuff about Harry Potter on the news than the Hulk. And actually Reaper Next June is going to have a big opening with another Potter movie coming out.

What? What TV were you watching? How did you not get assailed by one of the largest marketing pushes ever?

[Dasquian Belargic]

I haven't seen much publicity for it over here. One bus and a couple of game ads, but nothing compared to what we had/have for Harry Potter.

[ReaperFett]

Dasq, difference is our release is a month away ;)

[Dasquian Belargic]

I know but still, I mean I remember a month before HP came out it was all over the place! Hulk... nada!

[Jedi Master Carr]

I am talking about the morning shows, CNN, Fox all they did was talk about Potter on Friday, to me it had a bigger marketing push. Was Hulk on the cover of magazines the week before no, Time, and others had Harry on the cover I think that marketing push hurt a little bit.

[Charley]

Originally posted by Jedi Master Carr
I am talking about the morning shows, CNN, Fox all they did was talk about Potter on Friday, to me it had a bigger marketing push. Was Hulk on the cover of magazines the week before no, Time, and others had Harry on the cover I think that marketing push hurt a little bit.

Publicity != Advertising. That is not a part of marketing.

[ReaperFett]

Dasq, seena few TV spots today :)

[Jinn Fizz]

Well, I'm extremely sorry to report that The Hulk had the biggest drop-off in its second weekend that I think I've ever seen...an estimated 70% :(.

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/?yr=2003&wknd=26&p=.htm

No doubt this piece of info will make The Hulk land at the top of the list for all those critics and commentary writers that just love to point out how big blockbusters are actually big failures. You know, the same ones who still claim that AOTC was an utter failure at the box office, despite grossing over $300 million.

That's too bad...I still enjoyed The Hulk quite a bit, and would still recommend it to people who are interested in seeing it.

[Jedi Master Carr]

I really don't understand what happened to it, I do think the Potter effect, effected it the first weekend, but I thought it would have better legs. I guess not, really I think what has happened is the movie is very story orienated which teenagers don't like in the summer and most adults won't go see a Comic book film.

[sirdizzy]

i blame it on all those teeny boppers with short attention spans who cannot enjoy a good drama

[Jedieb]

I'm stunned at how big of a drop off the Hulk had. This was similiar to what happened with Godzilla and Batman and Robin. 70%?! How bad could its word of mouth have been? It may come up short of $125M. That's unbelievable for such a big opening. Then again, maybe buff knows something we don't....

[Jedi Master Carr]

I have no clue it got an A- from cinemscore which polls audiences opening weekend. I can't see how it could get such poor word of mouth maybe Dizzy is right some of these teenagers only want to see crap that blows up and has no thought to it.

[Mortaniuss]

It was pretty good, but only worth a single viewing, IMO. The beginning was simply too rushed and could have been handled just as well in a flashback later. I didn't really need a complete summary of his life before the plot really started moving forward. Also, the fight at the end was a bit silly. The Hulk himself didn't look as bad as I feared, but there were still some parts that made me cringe at just how terribly mis-proportioned he was.

What I really liked was the comicbook-y approach the director took. I mean, a 10 foot tall green guy really stretches the suspension of disbelief. Giving it a comicbook feel made it easier to believe.

[ReaperFett]

Funny thing I found out today. A lot of the Hulk's movements were done by Ang Lee himself in one of the motion capture suits :)

[Droo]

Just got back from seeing this film. It's excellent. Acting. Story. Direction. And yes, the CGI is superb. The action is top-notch and I have only one aggrievance and that is the atrocious ending, the more I think about it the more it annoys me. I thought the whole sequence prior to the last scene or two was preposterous and unneccessary. But apart from that an excellent film all round.

[Peter McCoy]

I completely echo Dru's words. And I'd just like to also commend the audio too. I think the sound effects and music were a brilliant complement to the film. And the direction deserves particular commendation from me. The use of the comic-book direction (split-screen stuff) was extremely good and clever. It made it seem like there was more happening than there actually was - keeping the viewer interested without them knowing it. There's one thing I'll always remember from psychology which is that the brain cannot cope with no stimulation at all, so it makes stimulation for itself. We like things happening that we can see and hear. The director made things seem more interesting and busy than they actually were, which I think was brilliant and extremely clever. Well done Ang Lee! My opinion of you has certainly risen.

[ReaperFett]

Seen it, liked it. Loved the comic styling, although possibly not right for Hulk as opposed to, say, Spiderman. CGI was great, acting was top notch. I did have some gripes though:

- WAY too slow at the start. I was losing interest. And then to make it worse, the accident happens in about two minutes, with no buildup. It was almost as if they were desperate to rush it in.

- No humour. I feel a film like Hulk would benefit from some moments of humour. Only thing I can think of was David mocking Bruce getting angry. Someone in a role like Foggy in Daredevil would have helped a lot, IMO.

- Fights were quite poor. They were always in the dark, or too short. There needed to be a real Hulk Smash-athon.

- The final fight in particular was poor. I had NO idea what was going on at times. Should have been better

- The last but one scene. Not the Bruce scene, I loved that. But the scene after. A YEAR later, Thunderbolt calls Betty to talk about Bruce? WHY? Nothing had suddenly happened. It just seemed a weak part, just to show that Betty is moving on.




How it stands for Marvel comic movies:


8. Generation-X
7.Blade II
6=. Fantastic Four (Sorry, but this is definately a so bad it is good movie )
6=. Spider-Man
4=. Hulk
4=. Blade
3. X-Men
2. X2: X-Men United
1. Daredevil

[Vega Van-Derveld]

I just saw this today too and it was alright at best.

The final fight with David Banner turning into all that stuff definetly made me go :\.

I agree that it seemed like it took too long to start.

*thought the Hulk-Poodle was entertaining :D

[Lilaena De'Ville]

I think I saw Generation X ...made for TV was it not? Had a guy who was rubbery in it?

[ReaperFett]

That's the one :D

[CMJ]

I just now finished Ang Lee's movie. This one was something I didn't feel compelled to see in the theater. That said....

This was a really interesting movie. Although, it appears that most of yall didn't care for the first hour(or at least not at the time), I found it to be the very best part. The examination of the charcters was really interesting. The contrasting father/kid relationships were done very well IMHO.

The film lost me a bit with the tacked on fourth act, with Banner and his father. It just felt *really* misplaced. Nonetheless, it was an enjoyable movie(and one that gave you something to sink your teeth into).

I'll have to think on it for awhile, so I know EXACTLY how I felt about it, but I did like it quite a bit.

[Master Yoghurt]

Agreed. Hulk was a great movie for the "Superhero" genre. IMO, the best Marvel comic adaption yet

[Jedieb]

I picked it up on DVD last week. It was my first viewing as well. It was decent. The beginning did seem to plod along at times. The CGI wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Still, I can see how this movie had problems with younger audiences. It's just so slow at times.

[JMK]

The film lost me a bit with the tacked on fourth act, with Banner and his father.
YUP. I thought they should have saved Nick Nolte's super creature character for part 2. That whole segment took away from the movie IMO.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Well I am wondering how many people got lost at the end of the movie I knew what Nolte had become the Absorbing Man, but most people don't know the comics that well and I wonder if people got totally confused by that ending, it was something they should have left for a sequel If there is a sequel though I hope they go with the Leader, he is just a villain who wants to conquer the world will be easier to tackle IMO. Also I would make the Hulk more intelligent like in the comics. Probably put more action in the movie, there is still a chance the sequel could be a lot better like X2 vs X-Men.

[Ardath Bey]

The father-son deal detracted from the original comic origin of the Hulk. But I guess it spurred more human drama in the Bruce Banner character. The first hour was pretty grueling to watch because by the end of the film all I cared about was the Green Goliath appearance, cheering him on as he ran and fought for his freedom. In order to rejoin the love of his life Betty Ross. Like a modern King Kong and Fay Wray. :) The best part of the film was the Hulk himself especially Big Green's interaction with deadly rival General Ross (portrayed by Sam Eliott), never have I have felt more sympathic towards a film adapted superhero, on relative terms the Hulk is quite an endearing character. Ang Lee's film is right up there with the X-Men. Too bad the rest of the story and players weren't half as interesting or this movie would have easily surpassed the two mutant films. Rewatchable value is high only to witness the magic of bringing the Hulk vividly alive again.

Looks like the Absorbing Man did have a rewrite, in the comics he was an unrelated escaped con or something. Actually, the movie maybe made an improvement. Maybe, because the original concept may have been interesting if done right or extremely cheesy if it followed the comics too literally.

[Ardath Bey]

Here is my ranking of favorite superhero films, those that I didn't like will not be noted.

1. X-Men
2. The Hulk
3. X-Men II
4. Spider-Man



I would have ranked The Hulk number one but as someone that used to follow the comic series, the Bruce Banner (Bana) and the support characters are not too familiar. Save for Betty Ross (Connelly) and General Ross (Elliot), both of whom are fairly accurate. In the books, Bruce was compassionate and humane minded. But closing sequence had great accuracy, that's a quality to Banner we should have seen throughout the film. Ang Lee brought his own ideas and vision to the adaptation, some not particularly agreeable or swallowable, yet I am just pleased he brought the Hulk to cinema life like nobody else could. For that I am fairly forgiving. I want ... I demand a sequel and hopefully it will be a much more familiar ground. And I think the Leader or maybe the Abomination would be in the next one, both Gamma Ray products themselves.

I ranked the original X-Men above it's sequel because I feel it is a more solidly packaged movie and the Wolverine/Rogue introductions are too memorable. Among my favorite moments of either film involve those sequences of the original. The second film put doubt on my enthusiasm for the upcoming third.

Spider-Man made a killing at the box office and half decent at best. Wished Ang Lee's film would have surpassed it. Yet Willem Dafoe was great. Loved the Goblin schizo scene in office den and in front of the mirror.

[ADarksideJedi]

:rolleyes I hate that movie!I am not realy into comic book movies!I did not even like spiderman!and that is weild for me.Anywya to me it was a waste of money!Seee u around!JM:angel

[Ryan Pode]

I just saw the Hulk via DVD. I like it alot. Moreso than I did Spiderman. Ang Lee is a genius, I loved the cinemetography he used in this film. And the plot satisfied my expectations. I didn't expect some deep, rich plot. I got the Hulk. "Hulk mad. Hulk smash!"

[Ardath Bey]

The Hulk earned $132,122,995 in Box-Office totals, I hope that warrants Universal Pictures to create a sequel. But doubt it will be directed by Ang Lee. One thing I loved most about Lee's adaptation was how the Hulk himself was depicted. Misproportioned musculature; near impenetrable skin, and the ability to leap miles on a single bound. Lee followed the characteristics in the books with scrupulous detail.

Columbia Pictures was quick to capitalize on a new Spider-Man franchise that earned a mindblowing $403,706,375 in Box-Office totals. And Sam Raimi is of course returning as director. I think The Hulk was cursed with poor timing, instead of riding on Spider-Man's heels of success, it was treated by movie-goers like an afterthought. Like an afterdinner dessert. *lol* The purpose of this post is to say Hulk is my most desired superhero to return to the big screen. As is Batman.

[JMK]

I hope to see a Hulk sequel as well. Hopefully this time he gets a villain he can really scrap with.

[ReaperFett]

A Hulk sequel was announced after about a week, and is on Marvel's schedule. 2006 IIRC.

I believe the writer was considering Leader and Abomination as possible bad guys.

[Ardath Bey]

Originally posted by ReaperFett
A Hulk sequel was announced after about a week, and is on Marvel's schedule. 2006 IIRC.

I believe the writer was considering Leader and Abomination as possible bad guys.

Awesome News. Thanks for the flash Reap. I need to check out these comic film sites you hit. ;) I can't think of two regular villians of the Hulk that would be better choices. Maybe the next movie will have both. Just to the fact they were also transformed by gamma ray radiation poisoning, one became a superhuman genius and the other became a brute more monstrous than Bruce Banner's alter ego.

[Jedieb]

A sequel should be much better because they got rid of so much exposition in the first one. I'm not surprised by the B.O. Spiderman and X-Men you can take kids to. But the first hour of the Hulk will just put kids to sleep. That's a lot of tickets to pass on.