Hulk Smash! Or Flop?

The HulkI’m feeling kind of time-pressured today, because I’m trying to leave the office early to go see “The Hulk,” which unfortunately got a pretty poor review in The New York Times today. This is a shame, because I had so many high hopes for Ang Lee’s foray into multimillion-dollar box office spectacles as a sign that the characters of popular mythology can actually be treated with truly artful hands. I don’t know why I do this to myself each time I head out to see a comic book made into a movie, because I tend to be let down. It’s just that I think these characters have so much potential for mature, literate dramaturgy that it’s a shame that Hollywood is not aiming to make true classics out of them, rather than just box office smashes.

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5 Comments

  1. Naz

    I enjoyed it. There was a time when I was thinking “eh, this is slightly dragging, they need topick it up or engage interest again” but I expected much worse. The main reason I wanted to see this was because Ang Lee directed it. I liked the scenes where the Hulk was around, especially the chase through the desertand canyons.

    And the ending left me smiling. Nothing new, but I thought it was pretty tongue in cheek.

    A pretty good comic adaptation. Much much much better than daredevil.

  2. Lemon Sorbet

    The Hulk was my rainy day movie today.
    Eric Bana is so cute..! that’s really why i decided to see it. and Jennifer Connelly is beautiful..too bad such an attractive couple emit almost zero on-screen chemistry. i know Bruce Banner is supposed to be kinda repressed and inclined to internalize stuff, but still. Nick Nolte was totally miscast..dude you’re not going for an Oscar here..let go your Prince of Tides moment already.

    i liked the CGI effects quite a bit. what’s the deal with all those close-up shots of lichen on the rocks?

    unlike the reader above, i didn’t like the ending. i thought it was far too transparent a gesture for setting up the sequel. the same way Spiderman threw out its last minute cliffhanger. and by the way i thought Spiderman s-u-ck-ed.

  3. amy

    just for the record

    to go see “The Hulk,”

    should have been:to go see the “Hulk, ”

    or to go see “Hulk,”

  4. Khoi Vinh

    Hmm. Universal Pictures refers to it as “The Hulk.” Variety refers to it as “The Hulk.” The New York Times refers to it as “The Hulk.” Reuters refers to it as “The Hulk.” So I’m pretty sure it’s not the “Hulk.” 🙂

  5. jscott

    Universal refers to it as “The Hulk” in print but the poster only says “Hulk.” I just wonder what happened to the “incredible.”

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