Description:
Nerdy scientist discovers his emotional issues are just the tip of the
ice berg when a lab accident helps transform him into a giant green guy.
I loved this movie. I will not type the
forbidden phrase. Instead I will stay that I’m having a very difficult
time deciding if this movie or X2 was better. I adore them both for different
reasons, so I guess I’ll just let it stand at that.
Some people have complained that the movie
starts slow. It’s true that Lee carefully and completely builds the foundation
of Bruce Banner’s life and thoughts before any hint of the Hulk is allowed
on screen. I liked it because I was fascinated with the character study,
but it may not be for everyone.
The acting was very nuanced for an action
flick. Eric Bana shows us every moment of Bruce’s torment as he struggles
to understand not only what he has become but also the explanations for
his life previous to that point. Jennifer Connelly is luminous and her
eyes show us that Betty’s place in the movie is to provide vision and insight.
Nick Nolte is just whacked in a really scary way.
Hulk is amazing due mainly to its brilliant
director, Ang Lee. Even though he tells an action-packed adventure story
on one level, on another he explores the psychology of rage and how what
is internal and what is external (micro and macro) are really the same.
The visual metaphors between tiny lichen on a rock and the huge expanses
of the open desert were very powerful. Lee smoothly moved the picture between
this incredibly arty stuff and Hulk throwing tanks, then throws in split
screen shots laid out like a page from the comic book. It makes all of
me go “Squee!”