Hulk

What, five stars? For the boredom? Are you able to see properly? You do! I think this Hulk is perfect. Ang Lee probably figured that since he was making a comic book film, he wanted it to look like one... So he turned the canvas into comic book pages. He divides the image into frames and boxes, with the characters missing only bubbles with written texts above their heads. Lee's next feat is to turn a comic book that is all about fighting on paper (90% of Hulk’s stories) into an almost psychological film, a father and son drama, a description of the tragedy of a family. The scenes, dialogues and so on are well thought out, you can think about them, it's not just a dull chewing of the text. And when it comes to the action, it's spectacular and imaginative (the tank throw and dogfight lead the way). What more do you want? Me personally, nothing. One of the best comic book adaptations. Why, you ask? Precisely because it's different. (18/06/2009)

An adaptation of a comic book that was a little before its time. It was one of the first to favor psychological aspects over action. Both elements are here and both great, although the low-key part is central point and the pillar carrying all of Hulk's weight. Eric Bana made the most of his opportunity, Jennifer Connelly is enchanting as usual and the rest of the cast fits its roles too. The only downside is that it is so strictly divided into a long psychological section at the beginning and pure action at the end. Better balanced blending might have improved things. (25/07/2007)

Hulk is fresh and innovative in its details, but it’s inconsistent as a whole. As the minutes pass, its large number of excellent (not just action) scenes and praiseworthy psychological dimension are transformed into a dramaturgically unbalanced and muddled mishmash. The second half of the film would need some relief from the “family drama” and to let the brilliant action and adventure go full throttle. Then it would have been a hell of a movie. The action scenes in the desert are outstanding. (08/07/2003)

When confronted with the flood of television and film productions, it's crucial to value every minute. A friend of mine advocates the theory that if a film doesn't catch his interest within five minutes, it's not worth watching. I broke this rule and gave Hulk a full thirty-five minutes, but it offered me little in return. It simply didn't engage me, perhaps except for the charm of young Jennifer Connelly, and that's too little. The start was too slow, and the overly psychological dialogues for a comic book story weren't my cup of tea. I can't judge the entire film, but from what I saw, I wouldn't give Hulk more than a 40% overall impression... (06/05/2007)

Instead of proper psychology, we get a lot of verbal filler, and instead of exciting action, we only get digital ridiculousness in the desert. Ang Lee wanted to take the untrodden path, but he took a wrong turn with this film because it is simply impossible to carry a nearly two-and-a-half-hour colossus only with conversation. The formal games (editing, split-screen) get stereotypically boring after a while and don't suit the film at all. It's as if someone was adding their own psychedelic insertions to it in Lee’s editing room at night. The cast is excellent, and Elfman's ethnic-themed soundtrack is very nice, yet this whole farce still takes a downward turn given that the main villain doesn't show up until ten minutes before the end... in a comic book movie! Oops! (15/07/2007)