In association with

Hulk [2003]
from Universal Studios
starring Eric Bana|Jennifer Connelly|Sam Elliott
directed by Ang Lee

Features:

• Anamorphic
• Digital Sound
• Dolby
• DTS Surround Sound

Editorial Review:

Amazingly, Ang Lee's Hulk makes a fair fist of pleasing everybody. The latest in a run of Marvel Comic-to-film transfers, it acknowledges the history of a character who dates back to 1962 while recreating him in contemporary terms. Though this, Hulk's origin still draws on the 1960s iconography of bomb tests and desert bases, this new take mixes gene-tampering with gamma radiation and never forgets that poor Bruce Banner (Eric Bana) has been psychologically primed by a mad father (Nick Nolte) and a disappointed girlfriend (Jennifer Connelly) to transform from repressed wimp to big green powerhouse even before the mad science kicks in.

The long first act is enlivened by comic book-style split-screen effects and multiple foreshadowings--Lee keeps finding excuses to light Bana's face green--but is also absorbing personal drama from the man who gave you The Ice Storm before flexing his action muscles on Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. When Banner begins his Jekyll-and-Hyde seizures, the ILM CGI boys step in and use Bana as a template for the most fully-realised digital characterisation yet seen in the movies. Comics fans will thrill as a credibly bulky, superswift, super-green behemoth tangles with mutated killer dogs (including a very vicious poodle) in a night time forest, bursts out of confinement in an underground secret base, takes on America's military might while bouncing around a Road Runner and Coyote-like South Western desert and then invades San Francisco for some major "Hulk... smash" action. Artful and entertaining, engaging and explosive, this is among the most satisfying superhero movies.

On the DVD: Hulk two-disc set doesn't quite hulk-out as well comparative Marvel movie releases for the X-Men films, Spider-Man and Daredevil. Disc 2 assembles a pile of those infotainment documentaries prepared to drum up pre-publicity but which feel a bit redundant once the movie is out, especially since there's so much repetition between the featurettes. It's all very well, and some of the technical stuff is fascinating, but this particular film could do with a more in-depth thematic approach: there's a lot about how the CGI Hulk was realised but little on the development of the story, the performances or the general tone, though Ang Lee's slightly sparse commentary makes interesting stabs in that direction. The biggest revelation in the background material is that Lee, known for his delicacy of touch, himself wore the motion capture suit and smashed up plywood tanks as a guide for the CGI animators. --Kim Newman

Customer Reviews:

• Avg. Customer Rating: 3.5 / 5.0

• Not as good as its sequel. Average movie, nothing special.
  A more subdued film than its impressive sequel, but this film is still a decent attempt at converting this much loved character on the silver-screen. Eric Banna, as always, is excellent and its a big shame he wouldnt do the next film. The story is deep and interesting but overall it just doesnt deliver. The Hulk lacks a villain to go up against. The film is still worth a watch but you will proberbly only watch it once. This is an average film and if I could I would of given it 2.5/5 ... but since I cant do... more info

• Puny Movie!
  When David Banner (Paul Kersey) hits a road block with his experiments, he begins experimenting on himself. Unfortunately, his altered DNA transitions to his new son, Bruce as well. When things go wrong on the military base where he works, he is arrested and Bruce is sent to a foster home.
  Fast forward 30 years, and we find Bruce (Eric Bana) working with Betty Ross (Jennifer Connelly). They are experimenting with gamma rays, hoping to prove that they can be used to help the human body heal. But then... more info

• worth the buy
  though i prefer ''the incredible hulk'' 2008 story line to this one,but I prefer the hulk in this movie cause it sticks to the comics book side of things. in this movie the hulk gets bigger the more he gets angry just like the comics,he can jump up to 3 or 4 miles in a single leap just like the comics and he can cove up to speeds of 300 MPH and one more thing he could also lift up to 100 tonnes while the 2008 version of the hulk is slower than it should be (Mentally and physically). he can only basically... more info

• It could have been so good, but it all went a bit mental.
  With a fairly solid cast, Danny Elfman in charge of the music, and a long history behind it - there was no excuse for Hulk to not be a great film.
  But this is maybe what let the film down, it feels too polished, overly fake. There's a promising start but it soon gets silly and you struggle to maintain any belief in the characters; what's with the crazy monster dogs?!!
  There's a slow pace to the film, and a slow pace is what was required to develop the characters, but instead it was used to further... more info

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