MCTWhile not the most hated of comic book movies (“Batman and Robin”-now there’s a universally-reviled flick), Ang Lee’s “The Hulk,” is remembered by most as an overlong, pretentious snooza-palooza. But, as has been the case since his inception, “Hulk” is just misunderstood by puny humans. While I cannot successfully argue that “The Hulk” is not overly long (it could have trimmed at least 15 minutes of brooding and still worked), I will argue that it is a worthy piece of entertainment nonetheless.
My argument consists of three main points.
Point #1: It’s not “The Hulk[‘s]” fault it wasn’t the movie people expected.
Anyone who had seen anything Ang Lee directed before 2003, including his Wuxia superhero romance “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” should have known that “The Hulk” was not going to be “Spider-Man.” Anybody who had read an Incredible Hulk comic book should have known the same thing. The Hulk is a representation of an abuse-surviving scientist’s roaring id, and therefore has necessary psychological overtones. Ang Lee’s most kinetic movie up to that point was about unconsummated love. He makes slow, cerebral movies, and no one can reasonably argue that the Hulk doesn’t work as one of those. Eric Bana, while possibly miscast, turns in a good performance as Bruce Banner, a man who cannot let himself feel any emotions lest his forgotten past grow to control him. His relationship with Betty Ross is rendered impossible by his emotional impotency. His dreams feature an ominous locked door (one of Ang Lee’s favorite metaphors) that literally contains his past. That past is inextricably linked to his family through his father’s genetic manipulations and his blocked memories.
I will not argue that “The Hulk” is for everyone. Honestly, it seems to be made for a very small, specific audience: people who both like art movies and have intimate knowledge of Hulk mythology. The character of Bruce’s father alone bears allusion to three classic Hulk characters: The Leader, who was also a lab janitor before he mutated himself with gamma rays; The Absorbing Man, whose powers David Banner displays after that mutation; and Zzzax, a being of pure electricity whom David resembles at the film’s admittedly protracted climax. This layering of villains would be lost on anyone not steeped in Hulk history, and yet the movie retains an indie aesthetic meant more for the Merchant-Ivory set.
Just because a movie costs $100 million doesn’t mean it can’t push people. I can understand that some wanted more action in what should have been a potential tentpole. Which brings me to…
Point #2: The scenes with the Hulk in them were amazing.
If I hear one more “The Hulk looked like Shrek on steroids” comment, I’m going to plotz. People who wanted the Hulk to look better than he did want special effects to do things that they can’t. Back in the dark age of 2003, no combination of makeup or CGI could have made a better-looking Hulk than we saw in that movie. His movement (a motion-captured performance from Ang Lee) was naturalistic and amazingly human for a muscle-bound monster. Whether throwing tanks, running through rock canyons or making an awkward jump and landing in the desert sands, the Hulk was exciting to watch and retained the ability to display a variety of facial expressions. Perhaps the movie could have used more action scenes, but what we saw of the Hulk was spectacular. Hulk smashing stuff never looked so good.
And that brings us to my final and strongest point.
Point #3: Hulk Hands are one of the greatest toys ever made.
Even if you disagree with every point I make, this movie, and more importantly the marketing blitz that surrounded it, spawned the electronic Hulk Hands, with smash-n-bash sound effects. These giant foam, fist-shaped gloves were not only soft enough to allow any child (or journalist) to bash his brother repeatedly in the head, but they also made smashing sounds while doing it. Anything that facilitates me running around the house, half-naked, screaming like an idiot pretending to smash everything in sight gets high marks from me.