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Laramie Movie Scope:
The Hulk

A classy, glossy comic book adaptation

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by Robert Roten, Film Critic
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June 21, 2003 -- “The Hulk” is the latest, and one of the classiest, glossiest and most thoughtful comic book film adaptations yet. It is very similar to “Batman” in that regard, but without the humor and without the hero.

Eric Bana of “Black Hawk Down” stars as Bruce Banner, also known as the Hulk (Lou Ferrigno, who played the Hulk in the TV series of the same name, has a cameo as a security guard in the film). Jennifer Connelly of “A Beautiful Mind” plays love interest Betty Ross. The movie goes to unusual lengths to establish these characters and their motivations, as well as those of Banner's father, David (Nick Nolte of “The Golden Bowl”) and Ross's father (played by Sam Elliott of “We Were Soldiers”). These complex, interrelated characters form the core of the story. Betty is in love with Bruce, who of course, turns into a big, green monster when he gets mad. She tries to help him, thus playing the same martyred woman role she did in “A Beautiful Mind.” The two fathers both play roles of obsessed men. Ross, a general, is obsessed with following orders and protecting the world from David Banner, who is a mad scientist hungry for power and revenge. Bruce Banner is struggling to come to terms with the legacy of his father. He seems doomed to suffer for his father's sins, from the terrible tragedy he witnessed as a child, to the monstrous legacy of his father's genetic manipulations.

Bruce Banner's hulking green mood swings are kicked off by a high dose of radiation, combined with his father's genetic tinkering and a high-tech laboratory accident. General Ross is called in to take charge of the situation, causing friction between Ross and his daughter. About the same time, Banner meets his long-lost father, who he thought was dead, and learns about his strange genetic legacy. In most action films, this stuff would be glossed over or left out completely, but this film takes the time to develop all of these characters. This is a very dark film, again, along the lines of Batman, but the story borrows much from “Frankenstein” and “King Kong.” There are no real heroes, but there are real villains, the main one being Talbot (Josh Lucas of “A Beautiful Mind”), who wants to use Banner's genes for military uses.

The real achievement of the film is its distinctive cartoon-like look. Director Ang Lee utilizes split screens and extreme closeups to make the screen look like panels from a Marvel comic book at times. The Hulk himself is largely a creation of computer animation. He doesn't look completely realistic, but that in itself maintains the impression that this is as much a comic book with motion as it is a movie. Lee also uses some visually stunning transition shots. A window reflection is morphed into the moon in one memorable transition, another scene has a transition from a closeup to a distant wide angle shot, but both images look remarkably similar. This is a very visually imaginative film. Kudos to cinematographer Frederick Elmes (“The Ice Storm”) and production designer Rick Heinrichs (“Planet of the Apes”) and the whole Industrial Light and Magic effects team.

Impressive as the film looks, and as interesting as the characters are, it is kind of like a song with one note. It is an exercise in form without a point. It seems to end about where it started. Nothing is gained, nothing is affirmed and nothing is really lost, either. It needs a hero and it needs more humor and more romance. It is not quite as good a film as “Spider-Man” was. “Spider-Man” had all those things this film lacks. The plot is also silly. When you are trying to stop a creature who gets stronger as he gets angrier, you obviously would try to calm him down. Shooting at him just makes him angrier. So what do the military types do? They just keep stupidly shooting at the Hulk. This film does have a lot going for it, however, including some fine performances from all four principal actors. This film rates a B.

Click here for links to places to buy or rent this movie in video and/or DVD format, or to buy the soundtrack, posters, books, even used videos, games, electronics and lots of other stuff. I suggest you shop at least two of these places before buying anything. Prices seem to vary continuously. For more information on this film, click on this link to The Internet Movie Database. Type in the name of the movie in the search box and press enter. You will be able to find background information on the film, the actors, and links to much more information.

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Copyright © 2003 Robert Roten. All rights reserved.
Reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder.
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Robert Roten can be reached via e-mail at my last name at lariat dot org. [Mailer button: image of letter and envelope]

(If you e-mail me with a question about this or any other movie or review, please mention the name of the movie you are asking the question about, otherwise I may have no way of knowing which film you are referring to)