The Hulk

Synopsis: Bruce Banner’s father (Nick Nolte) conducts genetic experiments on himself and his baby, Bruce. When these have tragic consequences, Bruce grows up as a traumatised orphan. In adulthood, he is drawn to a career in nuclear genetics. Bruce (eric Bana) is an introverted young scientist, recently broken up with his partner and colleague Betty Ross (Jennifer Connelly) who finds him emotionally inaccessible. After a lab accident, the experiment wrought by Bruce's father in childhood is finally activated and the Hulk is born. [Ang Lee, 2003, USA, rating: M, running time: 155 minutes]

Comic book movie adaptations often do themselves a disservice. We expect that the protagonist will acquire superhuman powers early in the piece, and then wage a one-man battle against injustice and an evil antagonist. This is thought to be kid's stuff, light entertainment, nothing to it.

Ang Lee's The Hulk turns most of that on its head. Like the comics and the television series, this is not a thoughtless saga about the incredible bulk on a demolition derby from start to finish; but the story of a man and his inner demons. When Bruce Banner finally transforms into the Hulk a good third of the way into the film, the impact of the 20-foot computer-generated behemoth continues to focus the story on Bruce's efforts to understand his own life.

The original story of the Hulk saw Bruce Banner contaminated by gamma radiation while working on a nuclear test site. The carefully crafted prologue to the movie reveals Lee's take on the beginning of the legend, establishing the film's comic book style with striking shots, colour manipulation, frames within frames, cuts and fadeaways.

The Hulk is, of course, terribly cinematic when it comes to making a mess of the place. And the scenes in which he vents his anger on the laboratory, mutant dogs, the military research centre, the tanks and helicopters are truly impressive. But not as impressive as the Hulk's ability to emotionally connect to his audience. Nearly everyone, perhaps, has a little piece of Hulk in them, waiting to come out.

The film should have ended with the final dramatic confrontation between Bruce and his past. But the final moments finish with a bit of a whimper as the inevitable sequel is set up. But this is only a small fly in the ointment of a very impressive and memorable adaptation of the legend of the incredible Hulk.

4 flims