Film and Felt

With Hulk, director Ang Lee (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) viciously bucks the long-lasting trend that blockbusters are cash cows and little more. Hulk has divided the masses because it daringly attempts to say something, rather than ride a tidal wave of special effects to a $200 million dollar payday. Unlike the overblown The Matrix Reloaded, it succeeds without coming across as pretentious. Injecting subtlety into a picture about a 15-foot green monster might seem counterproductive, but for those with patience and an attention span, the payoff is far more rewarding than Spiderman or any other typical summer flick.

Unlike most comic book lead characters, the Hulk is neither hero nor villain. His alter-ego, Bruce Banner (played drearily but effectively by Eric Bana) can’t control his powers, transforming into the Hulk whenever his anger rises. As such, Bruce is a far more complex character than Spiderman or Wolverine, and Lee doesn’t shy away from that. There’s some telling but easy-to-miss banter early on between Bruce and his lab co-worker and ex-girlfriend Betty (an adequate Jennifer Connelly), where Betty mentions his lack of aggression as a reason for their breakup. Though Bruce is at this point unaware of his powers, his reserved nature is already apparent to the viewer, which is why Bana’s quiet portrayal is what’s needed. More importantly, it’s obvious that Betty’s line has a hidden meaning, referring to Bruce’s lack of sexual energy as well as his inability to open up about his past. Subconsciously, Bruce has always been reclusive (his condition, which emerged from a virus that his father passed along to him from birth, didn’t rear its head until a lab accident brought it out), and it’s evident that his passivity led to sexual frustration in his relationship with Betty. This scene is crucial for many reasons; it sets the tone for Bruce’s character and for the first 90 minutes of the film, which focus on development.

Contrasted with X2 or Spiderman, Hulk may seem plodding or even boring to today’s mainstream generation of action-hungry teenagers, but the amount going on under the surface here leads to the most complete lead that the genere had seen yet. As a result, the final scene between Betty and Bruce packs an astounding punch, feeling so authentic that the comic feel of the movie slips entirely away. Additionally, the sharp eye will notice that the Hulk never once initiates an attack. Even in his enraged state, he has enough control of his emotions to only fight in self-defense. The passivity that is internal for much of the film transcends itself to an external state, and results in many lives being saved. Utilizing split screens and other sharp editing techniques, Lee often mirrors the panels of a comic book strip, which keeps the pacing and tension up even during the deliberate stretches. The computer graphics, a source of much concern among the public prior to release, is surprisingly strong—no CGI character yet, with the possible exception of Gollum in The Two Towers, has had shown such genuine emotion in its face. The movements are fluid and the interaction with humans believable. And despite the extreme artiness of the film, there’s plenty of ass-kicking as well, particularly in the final 45 minutes. I suspect that the film is receiving such mixed reviews because many cannot bring themselves to accept that a film of this genre can be deeper than The Mummy. The lack of unfiltered action confuses them into a tizzy, and leads to a dislike of the film. The summary of reviews on Rotten Tomatoes sums up the misunderstanding of this film perfectly—”too much talking and not enough smashing.” I admire Lee greatly for avoiding the usual abundance of smashing, focusing instead on making Bruce Banner human. All in all, Hulk represents a quantum leap in summer entertainment—a thoughtful and moving superhero flick with enough action to keep our blood pumping.

© Gabe Leibowitz 2003