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Film Review: The Hulk
Reviewer: Marcos Moret
What with this being directed by Ang Lee of 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' fame, you knew that it wouldn't be your average
everyday superhero flick. The story is very much based on the comic book legacy, but it's given a twist, in that Bruce
Banner (played by Eric Bana) already has the beast lying dormant within his genetic make-up (due to self-experimentation by
his father who then passed on the mutated genetic code to his son). Banner's rather unbecoming habit of transforming into
the Hulk when angry is activated when he is exposed to a massive blast of radiation in a lab accident. And so the story is
updated with - in the time-honoured tradition of comic books - this work reflecting the concerns of the day (genetic
manipulation) over those more salient in the past (nuclear radiation).
What follows is a tour-de-force combining intelligent dialogue, great acting (Nick Nolte as Banner's father and 'The
Absorbing Man' is particularly impressive), and astounding action. The desert scenes when The Hulk is being pursued by
helicopters and then engages in hand-to-steel combat with tanks and aforementioned 'copters are pure exhilaration. You
almost feel one with the Hulk as he surrenders to pure, uncontrollable, delicious rage; tossing tanks into the distance,
catching 'copter-fired projectiles and spitting them back, roaring in rage and letting loose with those massive fists of
his. And there is a moment of sublime beauty when the Hulk, soaring though the air for hundreds of meters above the
Yosemite National Park rock formations (during a brief moments of respite before the next tank shell scream punctuates the
serene silence); shuts his eyes and lets a small smile cross his face, letting the feelings of freedom and power surge
through his soaring body. The Hulk is a highly-compelling film that raises a plethora of questions about the nature of
violence, power, and, ultimately, freedom.
Starring: Eric Bana, Jennifer Connelly, Nick Nolte and Sam Elliott
Directed by: Ang Lee
Written by John Turman, Michael France and James Schamus
Produced by: Gale Anne Hurd, Avi Arad, James Schamus and Larry Franco
Production House: Universal
Running time: 138 min
Rating: US PG-13, UK 12A
NOTE: Now showing in US. UK release date is Friday 18 July.
RELATED LINKS:
The Hulk official film site
PUBLISHED: Sunday 6 July 2003
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::: RELATED LINKS
The Hulk official film site
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