The Official 'I Still Love Ang Lee's Hulk' Thread

[Sarg92]

The fact is that audiences weren't ready for the 2003 version. This was the post-Spider-Man era of superhero movies when they were expected to be superaccessible pop blockbusters. (The era that the Edward Norton version belonged in.) If this movie had come out in the wake of The Dark Knight, people would've loved it.

I agree that audiences weren't ready for Ang's Hulk but I don't believe it would have been a better success if released around the same time as The Dark Knight. I reckon Ang's Hulk is a much deeper and layered film than The Dark Knight. It would still receive the love/hate treatment because people either understand the themes of the film or they just don't. Some may not find the characters engaging or likeable (I can see that being the case - the characters, especially Banner, seem cold to me).

Ang's Hulk is deeper, intellectual and analytical than The Dark Knight. I don't know why people think The Dark Knight is so intellectual, the film is well written, acted and directed but by no means is it deep where it is difficult to understand!

 

[E-Man]

I agree that audiences weren't ready for Ang's Hulk but I don't believe it would have been a better success if released around the same time as The Dark Knight. I reckon Ang's Hulk is a much deeper and layered film than The Dark Knight. It would still receive the love/hate treatment because people either understand the themes of the film or they just don't. Some may not find the characters engaging or likeable (I can see that being the case - the characters, especially Banner, seem cold to me).

Ang's Hulk is deeper, intellectual and analytical than The Dark Knight. I don't know why people think The Dark Knight is so intellectual, the film is well written, acted and directed but by no means is it deep where it is difficult to understand!

There is always the Batman factor. Batman is more popular than Hulk, so his movies will be more popular. Bats also has multiple different interpretations that people would accept, where as a lot of people aren't used to Hulk outside of "Hulk Smash!" I bet if they did a movie like Peter David's run on Hulk people would react to it like they did to Ang's. Even though that is a large part of the mythos of the character, people are so used to seeing Hulk smash and smash again.

 

[Doctor Jones]

Yeah, people want to see "Hulk Smash!" Hulk. Not deeper into the man himself Hulk movie. Which is a shame.

And Sarg, TDK is a very, very deep film. As deep as this film is, I would say TDK is deeper thus far. I still need to think more on this, but you could wright a thesis on TDK.

 

[david icke]

There is always the Batman factor. Batman is more popular than Hulk, so his movies will be more popular. Bats also has multiple different interpretations that people would accept, where as a lot of people aren't used to Hulk outside of "Hulk Smash!" I bet if they did a movie like Peter David's run on Hulk people would react to it like they did to Ang's. Even though that is a large part of the mythos of the character, people are so used to seeing Hulk smash and smash again.

I'm telling you but man, there was a feeling in the air of anticipation of that 1st Hulk movie, and that was because of the goodwill towards and fond memories of the tv show. I remember a taxi driver bringin g it up in conversation with me, and i am usually the one to start those conversations.
If they had done a Banner characterisation along the lines of that pilot episode people would have felt connected and emphatic with the character, like they did back then.
edit: The tv show was a phenomenon back then when no-one had heard of the Hulk beforehand(outside of cb fans), so if the right kind of serious Hulk movie had been made on that 1st go, it would have scored big time.

I have quite a few of those Peter David comics, I have not read them in a while, but from memory, they seem like the kind of Hulk movies you would build up to in sequels, with the 1st movie you have to start with the basics of the guy turning into a monster and how he is coping with that.

and to Sarg...just becuase you might feel something is harder to understand, does not make it deeper. The harder to understand part could be because of poor writing.

 

[Cracker Jack]

I still say if they would have used this trailer there would have been no doubt that TIH had nothing to do with Ang's Hulk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHraFFgkM_c&NR=1

How's it hanging Jamon.

 

[Doctor Jones]

I still say if they would have used this trailer there would have been no doubt that TIH had nothing to do with Ang's Hulk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHraFFgkM_c&NR=1

How's it hanging Jamon.

As much as I think Lee's Hulk is great this had me cracking up.

 

[Sarg92]

And Sarg, TDK is a very, very deep film. As deep as this film is, I would say TDK is deeper thus far. I still need to think more on this, but you could wright a thesis on TDK.

I understand what you are saying but I just feel that the themes in Ang's Hulk are deeper than those presented in The Dark Knight. That doesn't necessarily mean that just because it's deeper then the film is better than the other.

I
and to Sarg...just becuase you might feel something is harder to understand, does not make it deeper. The harder to understand part could be because of poor writing.

I never said that I found either Ang's Hulk or The Dark Knight hard to understand.

 

[david icke]

I never said that I found either Ang's Hulk or The Dark Knight hard to understand.

No, and I wasn't meaning you personally when i said 'you', i was speaking about people in general. What you did was you implied that *someone* would find Hulk harder to understand, in comparison to the Dark Knight, and therefore that automatically made it the deeper movie, which is a fallacy. That's what you said right here:

Ang's Hulk is deeper, intellectual and analytical than The Dark Knight. I don't know why people think The Dark Knight is so intellectual, the film is well written, acted and directed but by no means is it deep where it is difficult to understand!

 

[Cracker Jack]

As much as I think Lee's Hulk is great this had me cracking up.

Cracks me up every time I see it

 

[Slushy]

What I didn't like:

- Eric Bana's boring performance

- Too much Jennifer Connelly.

- Hulk fighting really big dogs. It sounds cool on paper, but it was terrible actually seeing it.

- Pacing. I appreciate that they tried to infuse more dramatic elements into the story and not just Hulk smash, but the pacing was way too slow. At times, I felt like I was watching The Ice Storm, another Ang Lee film, rather than Hulk. And while the slow pacing worked for that movie, it certainly didn't for this one.

- The Hulk's dad being Absorbing Man

- The finale. I thought the idea of the last act was good, but everything was in the dark, and you couldn't make out anything on screen. Definitely needed more "heroic" moments from Hulk here.

- The Hulk's size. Hulk gets stronger the angrier he gets, not bigger. It was an unnecessary creative change.

What I did like:

- Hulk Vs. The Army was done perfectly.

- Sam Elliot's potrayal of General Ross. It had way more resonance. It's said that the best villain is the one that thinks he is doing the right thing. Elliott thought he was doing the right thing by protecting his country and daughter by pursuing the Hulk the way he did.

- I liked the comic book framing.

- I like the overall storyline, the relationship between David and Bruce, and how they gave Banner a more complex origin. He didn't just get bombarded by gamma rays and changed into the Hulk. He survived because his father experimented on him when he was young, so that change to his DNA, combined with witnessing the murder of his mother, combined with the gamma radiation created a perfect storm for the Hulk to be born. And I liked how Hulk defeated his father at the end. Basically, all his father cared about was getting more and more power, and he wanted his son's power. But his son's power derived from his anger, and the anger was so great that his father couldn't handle it.

 

[Obi-Ron]

What I didn't like:
- Too much Jennifer Connelly.

Crazy talk!

 

[Slushy]

It is not! She took up way too much time in the movie (they could've easily shaved off at least 20 minutes) and for an Oscar winner, I never thought she was all that good of an actress.

 

[JackMercy]

Crazy talk!

Agreed. Ludicrous comment. There can never be "too much" Jennifer Connelly in any picture, no matter how you may feel about the film.

Sorry that Blackheart doesn't enjoy the greatness of life (though I guess that makes sense with his/her name) -- and one of the bonuses of living is Jennifer Connelly.

 

[Obi-Ron]

one of the bonuses of living is Jennifer Connelly.

 

[co2]

-- and one of the bonuses of living is Jennifer Connelly.

You are wise my friend.

 

[Golgo-13]

I found Connelly to be extremely depressing...but then again, she is in most of her movies i.e a Beautiful Mind and TDTESS. On the other hand, i thought she did a better job than Tyler, who sucked in TIH.

Ang's movie felt like one big therapy session. It was like i was sitting in Dr.Melfi from the Sopranos office, watching one of her sessions. People didn't want to see that. If TIH had been the first Hulk movie and not Ang's we'd be well onto a third successful Hulk movie by now.

 

[Cracker Jack]

I found Connelly to be extremely depressing...but then again, she is in most of her movies i.e a Beautiful Mind and TDTESS. On the other hand, i thought she did a better job than Tyler, who sucked in TIH.

Ang's movie felt like one big therapy session. It was like i was sitting in Dr.Melfi from the Sopranos office, watching one of her sessions. People didn't want to see that. If TIH had been the first Hulk movie and not Ang's we'd be well onto a third successful Hulk movie by now.

100% agree. Thanks You!!

 

[Obi-Ron]

Watching the Blu-Ray right now. So much I love about this movie.

Betty: "You mean he's predestined to follow in his father's footsteps?"
General Ross: "I was gonna say damned."

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

Watching the Blu-Ray right now. So much I love about this movie.
Betty: "You mean he's predestined to follow in his father's footsteps?"
General Ross: "I was gonna say damned."

I love this movie even more in BD, just amazing visually, and of course beyond the visuals we have a deep story, I havent watched this in a while may have to pop it in over the weekend. Its amazing how well the CGI still stands up as well, especially compared to other movies from 2003.

 

[Golgo-13]

Yes the acting was top notch, the story just needed tweaking. The Hulk design is horrible though, even-though the CGI is rendered much better than the 2008 film.

Question:

I've never understood this part. The part at the Golden Gate bridge when the pilot is about to crash into the bridge. Does the Hulk deliberately jump onto the plane to save the pilot or not? This isn't convey very well....

 

[E-Man]

Yes the acting was top notch, the story just needed tweaking. The Hulk design is horrible though, even-though the CGI is rendered much better than the 2008 film.

Question:

I've never understood this part. The part at the Golden Gate bridge when the pilot is about to crash into the bridge. Does the Hulk deliberately jump onto the plane to save the pilot or not? This isn't convey very well....

Yeah, he jumps to save the pilot. You could see the concern on his face right before he jumps on the jet.

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

^Yeah, he looks at the jet then the bridge, and you see a 'oh no!' look on his face, this is why he jumps on the jet to save the bridge, and then the army still try and kill him!

I thought it was a great character moment for both Ross and the Hulk, it shows that the Hulk isnt evil, and just wants to be left alone to get to Betty, it also shows how much Ross misunderstands the Hulk, because it is him who tells the pilot to go into the stratusphere to kill the Hulk because he just cant let himself see the heroic act Hulk just performed.

 

[Golgo-13]

He was trying to save the pilot yet, in the next breathe, he was head butting the cockpit window, which would have obviously resulted in the pilots death. Like i said, it was conveyed very well.....

 

[El Payaso]

I think at that point it was obvious that Hulk was struggling to breath and save his life, since the pilot was trying to kill him. Sure, Hulk can save people's lives - even his enemies' - when he can but every beast has its surviving instinct right?

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

^Exactly, and he could easily have broken the cockpit window and even crushed the jet with his bare hands at that point, if he can rip tanks apart he could have done it to a jet, but he was trying to warn the pilot to stop, it obviously didnt work.