Movies - Hulk

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	Movies - Hulk

Hulk (2003) is a movie based on the comic book series The Incredible Hulk published by Marvel Comics. It was directed by Ang Lee and stars Eric Bana, Jennifer Connelly, Sam Elliott, Josh Lucas, and Nick Nolte.

The movie was not well-received by audiences and experienced a second-weekend box office drop of 70%, the second-largest drop ever recorded for a movie that opened as the top box office draw its opening week. This was reportedly due to negative word-of-mouth in response to what many considered a misleading advertising campaign and the use of a CGI Hulk. Others praised the film's action sequences, the use of symbolisms and visual metaphors, and technical effects, but felt the overall pacing was much too slow and dramatic.

Many fans of the comics also felt that the filmmakers reimagined the Hulk character in a manner that failed to grasp his appeal, changing him from a symbol of frustration and pent-up anger into the passive victim of parental abuse. While the abuse aspect had been present in the comic since the 1990s under writer Peter David, there it was building on an already well-established character and was part of a much more complex storyline.

While not a box office bomb, the film fell well short of Universal's financial expectations. Despite this, however, the movie was given positive reviews by a thin majority of critics. The website Rotten Tomatoes currently provides a 60% "Fresh" rating for the film.

The movie had a tie-in video-game that received a lukewarm reception from critics, but was popular enough to spawn a sequel. The sequel, The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction garnered significant praise from gamers and critics, emphasizing the large-scale, Hulk-induced destruction some audiences were hoping to see in the film.

Plot summary

The plot of the movie deviates dramatically from the Hulk origin story in the comic books.

The movie opens in flashback. David Banner (father of Bruce Banner, the Hulk) is a genetics researcher who experiments on himself, trying to improve on human DNA. Once his wife gives birth, he is concerned on how his modified DNA will affect his son. Young Bruce is a withdrawn and closed child, rarely outwardly expressing emotion in extreme cases. The only physical effect of his mutated DNA is the strange patches of green skin that appear when he feels intense emotions. The elder Banner, under extreme guilt for his unintentional damage to his son, is feverishly attempting to find a cure for the child's condition when the government, represented by "Thunderbolt" Ross, shuts down his research after learning of his dangerous experiment. David Banner, in a fit of rage, causes a massive explosion of the facilities' gamma reactor. After the accidental death of his wife David Banner is locked away while Bruce is sent into foster care. During his life, the repressed memories of his parents and his young life manifest themselves as intense nightmares that leave the young Banner shaken and disturbed but unable to conjure the memories.

Fast forward, Bruce Banner is a researcher at the University of California, Berkeley using nanorobots to regenerate living tissue. The nanobots are activated by Gamma radiation, but all experiments result in out of control celluar growth and the death of the test subjects. The Military-industrial complex, represented by the unscrupulous Major Talbot, becomes interested in the research to build self-healing soldiers. David Banner reappears and begins infiltrating his son's life. "Thunderbolt" Ross, now an army General, also begins to poke around when he learns of Bruce's involvment in the research through Talbot. Ross, the estranged father of Bruces ex-girlfriend and co-researcher Betty Ross, becomes concerned both for his daughter's safety around Banner, but also because Bruce is working in the same field as the father he does not remember. A lab accident involving the nanobots and gamma rays results in Bruce's transformation into the Hulk.

Banner's and the Hulk's battles are fought on many levels in the film. On the surface, the Hulk's nemesis is the military commanded by General Ross. Seeing Banner and the Hulk as a threat based on his perception of David Banner, he orders Bruce sealed away from the world, and by extension, from his own daughter who refuses to give up on her former love. On the other side of the military equation is Talbot. Talbot's primary concern is learning the secret locked in Bruces DNA and replicating the experiments that resulted in his transformation. His goal is simply to patent the discovery and reap a fortune by selling it to the military. On a lesser note, Talbot is jealous of Banner. Having been a college love interest of Betty Ross, Talbot cannot cope with the idea that she could possibly have feelings for the apparently weak Banner.

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Movies - Hulk

Plot summary

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