review: the hulk

I watched the Hulk, and I don't know what everyone is talking about when they say it's not very good. I thought it was an exceptional film. Better than Spiderman in every conceivable way. If anything, I thought Spiderman was slow and dull.

The acting in the Hulk is far superior to anything that Spiderman offers. I can't stand Toby MacGuire. Not only is he a terrible actor, he's not that good looking either. Jennifer Connely is also a lot hotter than Kirsten Dunst. Lee didn't have to resort to a "rain" scene either.

The early screener leak of the Hulk hinted that the CG work wasn't very good. But the final is definately much better than early previews. There were only two points when the CG failed. One was when the Hulk was walking through a hallway in the underground base and you see him from a security camera. He looks too bright and shiny. The second time was when the Hulk was encased in foam. The Hulk himself looked fine, but the foam looked terrible. It looked more like terrible goo than the rough texture of dried foam.

Lee did a really good job of bringing the comic book feel to the big screen by using a lot of split screens to simulate the cells of a comic. If you've seen 24, it's very reminiscient of what they do there, but done much more cleanly and precisly. 24, they tend to just have multiple screens for the sake of it. Lee actually uses the different screens to make interesting cuts and transitions that flow very naturally.

Lee also uses this fade in fade out transition where part of the scene will be stripped away as if a window blind was opened to reveal the next scene or next cut. At first, it was done very well, but the technique is used a little too frequently and becomes old by the end of the 2 hour plus film.

These issues may seem like a big deal, but they are really minor nitpicks because the rest of the film is so phenomenal. In all the other comic book adaptations, it still feels like a comic book, or at least, it doesn't feel real. Even with Tim Burton's Batman, there was hyper-reality to it where things were a bit over the top. In Lee's Hulk, there is none of this. The Hulk is portrayed as a real feeling character. There is such emotion and pathos in the Hulk's face that you can't but feel sorry for him. This isn't a stupid lumbering oaf, he's an inprisoned person with real feelings and emotions. Towards the end of the film, where the Hulk picks up a stone to hurl at a helicopter, but hesitates and stops when he sees Betty. The look of love, caring, longing, sadness, guilt and shame is so amazingly powerful that I completly forgot that he was CG. Even now, as I type this review, feelings well up inside me as I recall the scene.

The acting is superb. Eric Bana's Bruce Banner is a mixed anger. It's not a blind rage, but a hurtful anger full of sadness and deep pain. He brings across that his character has gone through such deep emotional scarring that the climax is rewarding and extremely sad at the same time. It's a beautiful scene where his weakness is turned into power. And you feel your hurt reach out to him, to want to comfort and hold him.

Jennifer Connely does just as well, as over the course of the film, groes to love not only Bruce, but the Hulk as well. When she is betrayed by her father again, you can see the deep hurt that that causes her.

As the final scene closes, you realise that it's a love story. Just like all good love stories, it is one that is impossible, but they choose to love each other anyway. It is a love that sacrifices no matter how much it hurts them and no matter how much they long to be together.

The action is also exciting and riveting. Even though the Hulk isn't pitted against the entire US Army, you get a sense of his strength as he is hunted down. He isn't this completely unstoppable juggernaut, but you can see that he grows stronger as his rage is fueled by the constant bombardment of artillery, bombs, missiles, and high velocity bullets. Yes, he is invincible, but he still feels the pain of each high speed impact against his skin.

Lee also does an amazing job of showing the Hulk as a caring creature. He goes out of his way to make sure he doesn't kill anyone. The attention is so subtle and strategically spaced, that you don't come to full realization that he is only fighting back because he is being attacked, until near the end.

So much of the story is told through the action and visuals that the dialogue is almost unnecessary. All the different bits of the film, from the opening credits to the ending credits are all tied together and interconnected it leaves you satisfied with the final product.

This isn't just a movie for comic fans or for science fiction fans. This is a film for people who enjoy real stories of real people and real characters. It is a story about a man who struggles with the same emotions and hurts that everyone struggles with.

This film is 4.5/5.