Hulk (2003) is STILL the BEST live-action version of the Hulk.

[Bayne]

Also played Storm in some of the most successful comic book films ever made.

And remains to this day one of the most disliked aspects of those movies, to the extent that a great many people still believe Storm hasn't been done justice on screen at all (after four separate appearances by Berry).

But, of course, even if she were one of the best parts of those movies, this objection would still be blatantly irrelevant, since the entire point you were responding to was that award winning actors aren't automatically gold in every single role they inhabit. Pointing out they're successful in some roles is meaningless and redundant, since, if they weren't, they wouldn't be award winning actors. It still does nothing to counter the indisputable fact that a popular, award winning actress (Berry) starred in one of the most infamously terrible superhero movies ever (Catwoman) and her undeniable acting skills did nothing to save it.

 

[Doc Samson]

For sure, I would say Hulk had a better grasp on the character overall. TIH version killed quite a number of people, and I never liked that. The whole dynamic is that underneath he's still Banner, still heroic, throwing a massive fit surely but usually just trying to escape the danger.

TIH version was actively trying to kill Blonsky before he was the Abomination and would have if not for the serum. Not to mention the bottling plant body count, or the near death strangulation Betty stopped. I also didn't care for the look, the 0% body fat Hulk isn't my personal preference, I think the Avengers (savage) Hulk is perfection. I will say 4k definitely helped TIH cgi though, which I also thought was terrible.

To this day, the Hulk army/SF sequence is up there in my top 5 action set pieces for a comic movie. It's still the most powerful he's been depicted on screen, and was a childhood dream to witness. Ang went too far with the symbolism, and the growing stuff I hated. But it's also hard for me to criticize anyone treating this source material seriously with that much ambition.

The primary issue that still hasn't been addressed though is Banner. Bixby made him equal parts real, intelligent, scary at times but also endearing and a person. He wasn't super closed up emotionally and bland like Bana or Norton but also not the goofball Ruffalo's Banner is. Until they fix that, people will continue to mark time for him to leave and the Hulk to emerge...

 

[Hannibal75]

Also played Storm in some of the most successful comic book films ever made.

I don't get what you want to say. Nick Nolte is a very good actor but that doesn't change the fact that he was awful in Hulk. If you liked him, good for you. But the vast majority of fans and critics panned his performance. I actually believe that if Lee cut all his scenes the movie would have been noticeably better.

 

[JimThompson]

Glad to see there was more love for this movie than I thought there was. Haters tend to be louder, but perhaps not as prevalent as they would like people to believe.

 

[Roose Bolton]

I don't get what you want to say. Nick Nolte is a very good actor but that doesn't change the fact that he was awful in Hulk. If you liked him, good for you. But the vast majority of fans and critics panned his performance. I actually believe that if Lee cut all his scenes the movie would have been noticeably better.

I don’t want to say anything, I want you to elaborate on your criticisms. I find that to be far more worthwhile than simple blanket phrases that are ultimately shallow. If you felt moved enough to share your opinion, then why not actually make the effort to contribute to the greater conversation.

That is what this thread and the Hype in general is about, no?

 

[jolldan]

Not that Norton & Tyler had no chemistry but I always thought Bana & Connelly made a more believable couple to.

 

[JimThompson]

The discussion for best live action version of the character for me would be between Ruffalo's and Bana's -- and that is a close race for me. The Norton version was the weakest.

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

Always have, and always will love this movie

After all, I made this thread:

The Official 'I Still Love Ang Lee's Hulk' Thread - Part 1

 

[The Joker]

I enjoyed Hulk more than TIH. But out of the three actors in the role, I like Ruffalo best. Shame he is the one that never got his own solo.

 

[Charzhin0]

I only truly liked Ruffalo's Hulk in the first Avengers movie. In the rest he became too much of a comic relief character.

As for the 2003 version I used to love it. And though I definitely don't hold it that dear these days, I still think it's underrated and has some really good things in it. Especially directing and casting-wise.

Same. Ruffalo's portrayal of both Banner and Hulk in The Avengers is the best incarnation of the character. He nailed the nervous, edgyness yet intelligent Banner. And when in Hulk form, he was a pure force of nature. Subsequent movies in the MCU diluted him too much in both forms.

I liked Eric Bana as Hulk/Dr Banner too and find Ang Lee's version okay but not outstanding.

 

[Spidey_62]

I do think the 2003 Hulk probably the best Hulk movie. It's certainly got a lot of odd personality to it which I think adds some appeal for me, like all those transitions, but it's interesting seeing a director like Ang Lee do it and focus so much on the inner struggle as a metaphor for the monster. Really feels like an art film lol. I do also enjoy TIH because of its breezy nature of running around and action setpieces and its weird place in the MCU. Both of the Hulk movies are odd when you think about it.

 

[metaphysician]

IMO, the biggest flaw in the 2003 movie, by far, is the ending/epilogue. Everything after the Hulk vs The Army scene was. . . not even inherently bad, but it shouldn't have been there. It ruined the pace of the movie, and replaced what should have been the wrap-up of the movie with an entire additional act and second, inferior, climax.

The entire sequence should have been cut from the movie, and replaced with a brief epilogue establishing Banner's new life: he's still in Gamma Base, and still technically a prisoner, but now his "prison" is a mix of comfortable living quarters and laboratory facilities. Banner, Betsy, and General Ross are now more or less reconciled and unified, working together to keep Banner safe from the world and the world safe from the Hulk. A slightly esoteric happy ending, but a happy ending nonetheless. The End.

. . . and then, if you are confident enough about sequels, you can have a stinger about how David Banner is not happy with this, not at all, but that he'll "save" his son. Whether he likes it or not. Dun dun dun!

 

[Spider-Aziz]

I like it, but it's not the best liveaction version of the Hulk. That honor still goes to the 78 series version even with all restrictions, low leveled technology compared to modern stuff, and realism based on producer's disconnect with comics.

 

[Chesterfield]

I can't believe how in this day and age they completely dropped the ball with the Hulk. I'm surprised Feige allowed what the Russo's did to be followed through with. In any case, Whedon's work on the character in Avengers 1 for me is the best CINEMATIC interpretation of the character. Unfortunately, Whedon ruined the character with the whole Widow romance, then Banner just became a giant goof in the hands of the Russo's. So sad.

 

[Spider-Aziz]

then Banner just became a giant goof in the hands of the Russo's. So sad.

He's the best character in Endgame.

 

[JimThompson]

He's the best character in Endgame.

Say what?

 

[Flint Marko]

Nah, the Avengers is still the best Hulk movie.

Credit where it’s due Ang tried to do a lot and his heart was in the right place but it’s a pretty disappointing movie. It’s ultimately more interesting than TIH but I’d even take that mediocre snooze fest over Shrek fighting poodles.

 

[Spider-Aziz]

Say what?

 

[Enriquespy]

So much disrespect towards Lou Ferrigno in one single thread.

Shame.

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

I can't believe how in this day and age they completely dropped the ball with the Hulk. I'm surprised Feige allowed what the Russo's did to be followed through with. In any case, Whedon's work on the character in Avengers 1 for me is the best CINEMATIC interpretation of the character. Unfortunately, Whedon ruined the character with the whole Widow romance, then Banner just became a giant goof in the hands of the Russo's. So sad.

The "romance" which... Never happened? The "romance" that was never consumated in any significant manner? The "romance" which actually didn't come out of the blue and was obviously intended as a dynamic between Tasha and Bruce from their first meeting in A1? The "romance" that basically amounted to two adults making the barest of explorations into the possibility of MAYBE seeing if a relationship was even feasible?

That "romance" that only exists in the minds of fans that throw around the word "ruin" to describe transistory things like Fat Thor or Banner controlled Hulk in AEG as though for all time and retroactively those are now the only versions of these characters anyone will ever know of, so irrevocably and absolutely ruined are they?

That romance? It's a literal figment of a slice of the fandom that seems to go out of their way to make language ultimately meaningless.


PS... Age Of Ultron is a pretty mediocre film but less than 15 minutes of screen time in which two consenting adults grapple with being two damaged people that have an obvious mutual attraction is not one of the reasons in the least it underwhelms and those few moments hardly "ruined" anything.

 

[Chesterfield]

The "romance" which... Never happened? The "romance" that was never consumated in any significant manner? The "romance" which actually didn't come out of the blue and was obviously intended as a dynamic between Tasha and Bruce from their first meeting in A1? The "romance" that basically amounted to two adults making the barest of explorations into the possibility of MAYBE seeing if a relationship was even feasible?

That "romance" that only exists in the minds of fans that throw around the word "ruin" to describe transistory things like Fat Thor or Banner controlled Hulk in AEG as though for all time and retroactively those are now the only versions of these characters anyone will ever know of, so irrevocably and absolutely ruined are they?

That romance? It's a literal figment of a slice of the fandom that seems to go out of their way to make language ultimately meaningless.


PS... Age Of Ultron is a pretty mediocre film but less than 15 minutes of screen time in which two consenting adults grapple with being two damaged people that have an obvious mutual attraction is not one of the reasons in the least it underwhelms and those few moments hardly "ruined" anything.

For you maybe but it was pointless and came out of nowhere. So, because Natasha was sent into retrieve banner from India and the Hulk almost killed her on the Hellicarrier, that's building a moment to you? Can't say I agree but in any case, it was a silly subplot and I would have preferred the Banner/Hulk focus directed elsewhere. In the end it was a terrible idea and terribly executed.

 

[Detective Conan]

Film Critic Hulk has a good summation of what worked about the film that he did for his article critiquing Endgame’s treatment of Hulk.

When viewed as a whole, Ang Lee’s film Hulk(2003) has its own stark duality. For it is a quiet, cerebral, and somber film about serious subjects, but it is also punctuated with some of the most bizarre and goofy choices I’ve ever seen in a modern blockbuster. When it was released, I don’t think it was disliked so much as people just weren’t sure what to do with it. But, like most mixed bags, I don’t think it gets enough credit for all the ways in which it’s actually good, starting with the way that Lee thoughtfully turns the Hulk’s characterization into a deeper metaphor for trauma.

We meet our new Bruce Banner (played with sunken physicality by Eric Bana), the poster boy for adult males who can’t connect to their emotions. His disconnection is a coping mechanism, one deeply tied to a buried memory of his father trying to kill him and inadvertently killing his mother. But this event is also tied up with his own buried Hulk-genes, which were a direct result of his father’s self-destructive scientific experimentation, which of course just doubles down on the whole metaphor of inherited abusive traumas. So when the events of the current story serve to re-traumatize him, our Banner breaks from his unemotional exterior and the inner “hulk” (read: emotion/trauma) finally comes to the surface with destructive consequences.
Yes, this is textbook psychology, but it’s also well-aimed and observed. Lee treats these subjects with the utmost seriousness, and it all cascades into an Oedipal battle with his father that invokes the notion of Greek gods in the heavens.

Read more here: Avengers: Endgame failed the Incredible Hulk

 

[fan4stic]

I think it's not uncompelling.

 

[Tony Stark]

There are some good acting performances in Hulk 2003, but the film overall is a lifeless soulless 2hour plus brood that is painful to sit through and watch.

I liked the Professor Hulk in Endgame, I think a better ending would be that Banner wielding the gauntlet that the gamma from the infinity stones brought back the rage hulk.

Regardless, Hulk 2003 is not much of a Hulk movie. It's not Bruce Banner it's Bruce Krenzler. Absorbing dad was just horrifically bad, and while I love Sam Elliot as an actor, his General Ross is not the one from the comics. William Hurt did a superior job of bringing the comic Ross to the screen. Ross certainly has compassion for Betty as his daughter, but his first and foremost thought is the Hulk as a weapon for the government.

 

[Hannibal75]

Does anyone know why Liv Tyler's Betty Ross was so unceremoniously expunged from the MCU?
Yeah, I know the Hulk movie is the black sheep of the franchise, but they still had no problem bringing back Thunderbolt Ross.