Psychotic Dreamer
First Post
Kai Lord said:
I imagine they assumed they could just flip the switch and fry them both if Bruce got too agitated. However David Banner solved that problem by... chomping down on the power cable.
[Review] The Hulk
- Thread starter Krug
- Start date
I imagine they assumed they could just flip the switch and fry them both if Bruce got too agitated. However David Banner solved that problem by... chomping down on the power cable.
Welverin
First Post
stevelabny said:
It is, the problem is people who aren?t familiar with comics think comic book equates to super hero and aren?t aware of the diversity present in comic books. What I?m sure Ebert meant and should have said is that Hulk is the super hero movie for people who wouldn?t be caught dead at a super hero movie. I think I may have to tell him that.
Psychotic Dreamer said:
Umm, not true. USM definitely isn't, The Ultimates is, and maybe UXM. Hmm, those last two are written by the same guy, coincidence?
The point wasn't to remake characters with a darker twist, but to remake them for the modern day and have a good starting point for people who are put off by the huge amount of continuity that's built up over the last forty years or so.
I liked it...
...but it isn't really a comic book film, as far as I'm concerned. It's far more of a an old-school SF morality play rewritten as a new-school therapy opera.
I really dug Nick Nolte as the elder Banner/Dr. Frankenstein, who felt compelled to kill his "monster", despite the fact it was his own still-cute toddler son {this is straight out of the novel; the abject, unreasoning terror that the creator feels for the creation...}.
I loved the screen splits, digital wipes, et al. Sometimes I felt like I was flicking my eyes across a page eager for the next image, at others the screen felt like a toy in my hands, that I could spin around to see what was on the other side...
My only complaint was that the film was oppressive. It lacked the sense of exhileration that should accompany a comic-book film. A pall of responsibility hung over it --and not the "with great powers" kind. I felt bad for the poor guys in the tanks, the poor car owner in SF, bad for the Hulk, who's just a injured child at the core.
...but it isn't really a comic book film, as far as I'm concerned. It's far more of a an old-school SF morality play rewritten as a new-school therapy opera.
I really dug Nick Nolte as the elder Banner/Dr. Frankenstein, who felt compelled to kill his "monster", despite the fact it was his own still-cute toddler son {this is straight out of the novel; the abject, unreasoning terror that the creator feels for the creation...}.
I loved the screen splits, digital wipes, et al. Sometimes I felt like I was flicking my eyes across a page eager for the next image, at others the screen felt like a toy in my hands, that I could spin around to see what was on the other side...
My only complaint was that the film was oppressive. It lacked the sense of exhileration that should accompany a comic-book film. A pall of responsibility hung over it --and not the "with great powers" kind. I felt bad for the poor guys in the tanks, the poor car owner in SF, bad for the Hulk, who's just a injured child at the core.
EricNoah
Adventurer
I enjoyed it. I don't know that it's one I would want to see again and again like some others, but it was certainly very well done. I liked the variety of wipes/transitions/multiple angles in one frame etc. Gave a vitality to some scenes that could have been pretty dead. I didn't always think the Hulk's movement, particularly some of his jumping like a grasshopper, was especially real-looking.
I noticed two things afterward: 1) I thought about this movie for more than one day which is rare for a superhero move, and 2) I didn't come out of the theater secretly "wishing" I could be that guy -- I was kinda relieved I wasn't him. Which was probably intentional.
I noticed two things afterward: 1) I thought about this movie for more than one day which is rare for a superhero move, and 2) I didn't come out of the theater secretly "wishing" I could be that guy -- I was kinda relieved I wasn't him. Which was probably intentional.
Pielorinho
Iron Fist of Pelor
My wife and I just got back from seeing it, and we *loved* it. The action sequences were good, but it was really the relationships between the four main characters that made the movie worthwhile. Nick Nolte, with his Ted Kaczinski attitude, chewed his scenes up like a military power cable. Eric Bana managed the repressed-emotion character quite well, I thought: rather than finding him wooden, I found his neck-muscle-twitching emotionlessness to be frightening.
Betty as a scientist made perfect sense, and it was great to see a superhero movie with an intelligent, effective, non-superpowered heroine. Her father was more sympathetic, ultimately, than I'd expected him to be: despite being a cold-hearted arrogant killer, he was doing the best he could to love his daughter and fulfill what he saw as his moral duty.
Repressed Memory Syndrome is almost certainly a manufactured, fictitious disease. When I first realized that it was going to be a major plot point in the movie, I groaned a little. But then I thought, "Uh, Daniel? Fusing the DNA of a starfish into human DNA to create an instantaneously regenerating person is also a fictitious condition," and I stopped worrying about RMS.
Sure, we knew early on that Bruce's mom got killed by Bruce's dad. But the character didn't know. That's textbook dramatic irony, and it was used to excellent effect here. The scene in which Betty and Bruce both realize what happened was carried off with tremendous skill.
The comic-booky splitscreens worried me at first. But then I noticed that they were advancing the storyline: a closing door appeared in a rapidly narrowing window, symbolizing an opportunity that was rapidly slipping away. Banner Sr's wild eyes shown above scenes of his imprisonment, reminding us that the apparently weak old man was dangerously insane. I've seen splitscreens before, but I've never seen them used in a way that was functional. I approved.
My biggest problem with the movie (half an hour after seeing it) was the ending. It just didn't hold together very well for me, and moved the film beyond pseudoscience into magic. If there'd been more time to handle the final interactions between father & son, it could've been done well; but it seemed like they ran out of time and had to resolve everything too quickly.
I'm a little bit amused by the reviews from folks who say, "I'm not a comic-book fanatic: I didn't mind that Spiderman's webs were organic." Uh, wha-? If you know that Spiderman's webs were originally not organic, trust me: you're a comic-book fanatic, and you may not be qualified to tell us non-fanboys whether we'd enjoy the movie.
Overall, a fantastic time at the theater. My recommendation: if you're considering going to see it, decide whether you're a comic-book fanboy or not. Be honest about it. Then read reviews by fanboys and nonfanboys, and figure out which group's tastes you match.
Daniel
Betty as a scientist made perfect sense, and it was great to see a superhero movie with an intelligent, effective, non-superpowered heroine. Her father was more sympathetic, ultimately, than I'd expected him to be: despite being a cold-hearted arrogant killer, he was doing the best he could to love his daughter and fulfill what he saw as his moral duty.
Repressed Memory Syndrome is almost certainly a manufactured, fictitious disease. When I first realized that it was going to be a major plot point in the movie, I groaned a little. But then I thought, "Uh, Daniel? Fusing the DNA of a starfish into human DNA to create an instantaneously regenerating person is also a fictitious condition," and I stopped worrying about RMS.
Sure, we knew early on that Bruce's mom got killed by Bruce's dad. But the character didn't know. That's textbook dramatic irony, and it was used to excellent effect here. The scene in which Betty and Bruce both realize what happened was carried off with tremendous skill.
The comic-booky splitscreens worried me at first. But then I noticed that they were advancing the storyline: a closing door appeared in a rapidly narrowing window, symbolizing an opportunity that was rapidly slipping away. Banner Sr's wild eyes shown above scenes of his imprisonment, reminding us that the apparently weak old man was dangerously insane. I've seen splitscreens before, but I've never seen them used in a way that was functional. I approved.
My biggest problem with the movie (half an hour after seeing it) was the ending. It just didn't hold together very well for me, and moved the film beyond pseudoscience into magic. If there'd been more time to handle the final interactions between father & son, it could've been done well; but it seemed like they ran out of time and had to resolve everything too quickly.
I'm a little bit amused by the reviews from folks who say, "I'm not a comic-book fanatic: I didn't mind that Spiderman's webs were organic." Uh, wha-? If you know that Spiderman's webs were originally not organic, trust me: you're a comic-book fanatic, and you may not be qualified to tell us non-fanboys whether we'd enjoy the movie.
Overall, a fantastic time at the theater. My recommendation: if you're considering going to see it, decide whether you're a comic-book fanboy or not. Be honest about it. Then read reviews by fanboys and nonfanboys, and figure out which group's tastes you match.
Daniel
Mark Chance
Boingy! Boingy!
Took my son to see the Hulk this morning. Not really his cup of tea, but he's only six.
I noticed things I didn't before. Ang Lee is a subtle director. Like at the end, when the Hulk looks into the lake, it is his father's reflection he sees. Or how Banner Sr. groans, "It's too much. Take it back." while absorbing his son's power. Or (and I'm surprised I didn't see this the first time) how the Hulk's eye color matches Banner Sr.'s, whereas Bruce's eye color matches the mother's.
Interesting use of images. Really ties in the thematic, multi-layered emotions of Banner/Hulk. Rage at losing his mother. Rage at his father's crime. Sadness at losing his mother and his father. Fear of becoming a man like his father. Et cetera.
The movie rose in my estimation with further study.
Like Eric Noah, I didn't find myself envying Bruce's power, but I did find myself relating to his anger and fear. This Hulk is a very human creature, and in that respect is faithful to the Stan Lee/Jack Kirby vision.
I noticed things I didn't before. Ang Lee is a subtle director. Like at the end, when the Hulk looks into the lake, it is his father's reflection he sees. Or how Banner Sr. groans, "It's too much. Take it back." while absorbing his son's power. Or (and I'm surprised I didn't see this the first time) how the Hulk's eye color matches Banner Sr.'s, whereas Bruce's eye color matches the mother's.
Interesting use of images. Really ties in the thematic, multi-layered emotions of Banner/Hulk. Rage at losing his mother. Rage at his father's crime. Sadness at losing his mother and his father. Fear of becoming a man like his father. Et cetera.
The movie rose in my estimation with further study.
Like Eric Noah, I didn't find myself envying Bruce's power, but I did find myself relating to his anger and fear. This Hulk is a very human creature, and in that respect is faithful to the Stan Lee/Jack Kirby vision.
Villano
First Post
Pielorinho said:
I could be wrong, but didn't Betty actually become a medical doctor at one point in the comics? I know she was some sort of scientist on the most recent cartoon series.
And how do you get that Gen. Ross was a "cold-hearted, arrogant killer"? Granted, he was distant from his daughter, but he untimatley cared about her.
I don't see how he could be called a "killer", though. When the Hulk first appeared, he sought to contain him. Once he got loose, it was a matter of an unstoppable monster with the potential to kill thousands. He was pragmatic.
Considering he let Bruce's father talk to him as part of the conditions he made when he surrended to Betty show he was hardly "cold-hearted" or a "killer". After all, he didn't have to honor that agreement at all (the police, military, or DA aren't beholden to agreements made by civilians, which is what Betty is).
No, it's real. Basically, it's when you witness something so traumatic your mind blots it out. Being 4 yrs old and seeing your father stab your mother to death would certainly be enough to do it.
Anyway, I finally got a chance to see the movie this week, and I thought it was one of the best superhero flicks since the 1st Superman.
What surprised me the most was how good the CGI was. From looking at the trailer, I was fully expecting The Incredible Gumby. But, aside from one or two odd shots, it looked really good.
And the comic panel split-screens weren't as bad as some have said. There were a few that bothered me, though. In Talbots first appearance and, later, when he talked to Bruce about "hostile takeovers". Also, the "Rubick's Cube" screen flipping in the lab scene made me nauseous. And, finally, there was a top/bottom split-screen when the helicopters where flying over the desert that I thought was ill thought out since it created a weird false horizon effect.
Strangely, I liked the portayal of Glenn Talbot in the film. In the comic, from what I recall, he was just a weasely little toady, following Gen. Ross around. He was the guy who would fire off a weapon right in the Hulk's face, and then fall to his knees, begging for the Hulk not to hurt him.
But, in the movie, he was just so rotten.
There were a few things I didn't like. The altering of the origin bothered me.
Also, it really needed a good villain. The dad was fine, but I can't help wondering what kind of film we could have had with the Abomination or Leader.
wasn't too bad, but could have been better
If I had to grade this, I would give it a C+. I have always liked the Hulk as a "superhero".
The action scenes were absolutely fantanstic, although a little too late in the movie for my taste.
The change in the origin (shrug). It did kinda make the reasoning behind the origin make a little more sense.
The only real complaint that I have is that is took too blasted long for the first change into the hulk.
It also did not get into a very important dictomy between Banner and the Hulk and that is the change in intelligence between the two. I personally would have like to have seen Banner avoiding the military by his wits instead of only the Hulk smashing the things that got in his way. I think a very important aspect was left out because of this.
This is not a movie that I would see a second time, but then again I dont feel as if my money was wasted either.
If I had to grade this, I would give it a C+. I have always liked the Hulk as a "superhero".
The action scenes were absolutely fantanstic, although a little too late in the movie for my taste.
The change in the origin (shrug). It did kinda make the reasoning behind the origin make a little more sense.
The only real complaint that I have is that is took too blasted long for the first change into the hulk.
It also did not get into a very important dictomy between Banner and the Hulk and that is the change in intelligence between the two. I personally would have like to have seen Banner avoiding the military by his wits instead of only the Hulk smashing the things that got in his way. I think a very important aspect was left out because of this.
This is not a movie that I would see a second time, but then again I dont feel as if my money was wasted either.
JoeGKushner
Adventurer
I thought this was an okay movie, 2 out of 4, but wasn't really a movie about the Hulk.
There were whole sequences that coudl've been left out. How stupid was that one corporate guy to try to stab the Hulk and then blow himself up? That whole thing could've been taken out.
I also felt nauseous when they overdid the panel work trying to make it look like a comic.
There were some cool sequences and the story wasn't too bad but the numerous changes to the character and some of the boring stuff, made this film too long and somewhat pointless at times.
And of course, you've got to keep it open at the ending for a sequel.
There were whole sequences that coudl've been left out. How stupid was that one corporate guy to try to stab the Hulk and then blow himself up? That whole thing could've been taken out.
I also felt nauseous when they overdid the panel work trying to make it look like a comic.
There were some cool sequences and the story wasn't too bad but the numerous changes to the character and some of the boring stuff, made this film too long and somewhat pointless at times.
And of course, you've got to keep it open at the ending for a sequel.
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