Yup, it's yet another comic-strip superhero adaptation and for me personally, this film takes me back to my childhood. The Incredible Hulk' was a famous television series when I was a child and was one of my brother's favourite programmes. Unfortunately, he rarely got to watch the show in peace as the sound of the theme tune alone was enough to send me into floods of tears. Even now, I can still vividly remember the transformation which was the source of my trauma: the bloodshot eyes and bulging green flesh becoming visible under the ripped material of Bruce Banner's shirt
..
Director Ang Lee succeeds in capturing a comic strip feel in the film. Often the action is split-screen and the way that the camera switches between scenes mimics the way someone would scan the images when reading a comic.
On the whole, the cast is good: Jennifer Connelly as Bruce Banner's ex-girlfriend is effectively tearful when necessary and Nick Nolte is disturbingly tramp-like and manic as the elderly David Banner. The special effects are also very good; the Hulk is an impressive creation but as a result of being completely computer generated, he is not as scary as in the television version. What does come across in the film is the Hulk's awesome invincibility with his ability to smash up buildings; defeat mutant dogs and spin tanks around his head with ease (the violence is perhaps too much for young children).
Unfortunately, I feel that the story telling does not really justify the need for the film to be over two hours in length. Not much time is really spent on providing the background of the hero and as a result, you don't really get to know the main character and cannot sympathise with him. In a speedy introduction, we learn that genetic scientist Dr David Banner has passed his self-mutilated genes on to his son Bruce through using himself as a guinea-pig for his genetic modification experiments. Like his father, Bruce grows up to become a genetic scientist. Following an incident in the lab which causes Bruce to be exposed to a dose of gamma rays, he transforms into the Hulk' in moments of stress or anger. Other than that, there really is not much else other than the military finding out about this monster and seeking to capture and destroy him. The film is also let down by a chaotic and silly ending and of course, like in the television series, you are still left wondering how Bruce's pants stay intact during his transformation!
Overall, I did enjoy Hulk' but unlike some other comic book adaptations I've seen, this is not a film I would choose to watch again.
Director Ang Lee succeeds in capturing a comic strip feel in the film. Often the action is split-screen and the way that the camera switches between scenes mimics the way someone would scan the images when reading a comic.
On the whole, the cast is good: Jennifer Connelly as Bruce Banner's ex-girlfriend is effectively tearful when necessary and Nick Nolte is disturbingly tramp-like and manic as the elderly David Banner. The special effects are also very good; the Hulk is an impressive creation but as a result of being completely computer generated, he is not as scary as in the television version. What does come across in the film is the Hulk's awesome invincibility with his ability to smash up buildings; defeat mutant dogs and spin tanks around his head with ease (the violence is perhaps too much for young children).
Unfortunately, I feel that the story telling does not really justify the need for the film to be over two hours in length. Not much time is really spent on providing the background of the hero and as a result, you don't really get to know the main character and cannot sympathise with him. In a speedy introduction, we learn that genetic scientist Dr David Banner has passed his self-mutilated genes on to his son Bruce through using himself as a guinea-pig for his genetic modification experiments. Like his father, Bruce grows up to become a genetic scientist. Following an incident in the lab which causes Bruce to be exposed to a dose of gamma rays, he transforms into the Hulk' in moments of stress or anger. Other than that, there really is not much else other than the military finding out about this monster and seeking to capture and destroy him. The film is also let down by a chaotic and silly ending and of course, like in the television series, you are still left wondering how Bruce's pants stay intact during his transformation!
Overall, I did enjoy Hulk' but unlike some other comic book adaptations I've seen, this is not a film I would choose to watch again.