Review – The Hulk

Though I’m bound to be disappointed by the response to this movie, I still hold out the hope that this will be the final proof in many movie-goers’ minds that Ang Lee is a drastically overrated hack. I concede that I may not be the best person to judge this flick’s appeal to Hulk fans inasmuch as I was never among their number even as a kid. To this day I don’t see much merit in a character who alternates between ineffectual nerd and brainless bruiser. Nonetheless, I sat down in the theater prepared to be won over by the experienced cast and expensive effects. Unfortunately, Lee squanders both on a genuinely dreadful script. Endless dwelling on back-story and exposition constantly bog down the action. The audience is constantly discouraged from identifying with any of the characters. And by the end even the basic plot logic has disintegrated so badly that even the smashing and explosions can’t keep things interesting. Just about the only fun I had with this was an occasional cameo (Stan Lee and Lou Ferrigno in the same shot, for example) or nod to the comic book or TV series. Oh, and it was also mildly entertaining to watch the lengths to which they had to go to keep the Hulk from ever killing anyone (not to mention the implausibility of whatever fortuitous circumstance happened to keep his pants on). Overall the movie might have picked up at least one point for technical quality, but even that small merit is offset by the frequent, mean-spirited cruelty to animals. Wish I’d skipped it