Superhero Media: Hulk

It's becoming the done thing among internet film critics to praise Ang Lee's Hulk as an underappreciated classic, so please forgive me for not bucking the trend. I distinctly remember seeing this film in the theatre with my father and step-brother when it came out, the audience got a real thrill out of it right up to the finale, so I was shocked when most people I spoke to regarded the film in a negative light. I'll agree that Hulk versus an odd take on Absorbing Man, but also Bruce's dad, was a bit of a let-down as an ending, but I never let it ruin my enjoyment of the rest of the film. As popular a character as Hulk has always been, his comics are not widely read, and the content often confuses people that come to them, looking for something close to the film and television representations. For much of the Silver Age, the Hulk fought other monsters and traveled to far off lands, having adventures. It really wasn't until the 1990s that "Hulk Vs the Army" became a recurrent theme for the comics. At the same time however, Hulk comics got really introspective. 

Flipping open some 2000s Hulk can be a real trip, with old Jade Jaws throwing around helicopters for a couple of pages before Bruce contemplates his navel for the rest of the book. This kind of comic was everywhere at the time and is exactly what Ang Lee's Hulk reminds me of when I watch it. As one would expect with Ang Lee's pedigree as a director, the action scenes in Hulk are impressive, even accounting for the age of the CGI, but going back to it after a Film degree, I found I got a lot out of the interesting transitions and cross-cutting. Hulk is certainly artsy, but I don't feel that's necessarily a mark against it, rather it's an interesting addition to what could have been a straightforward action romp. Other superhero films, like Sin City and Thor Ragnarok have gone for more diverse styles and come up trumps, even Brightburn and New Mutants look to different genres for influence, why not do it with the Hulk? 

And can I just talk about how damn good the cast is in this film? Eric Bana, Jennifer Connelly, Sam Elliott, and probably the only film where anyone walked away saying "gee, Nick Nolte gave a compelling and subtle performance". Even the facial capture on Hulk is excellent, you can tell, at any moment, what Jade Jaws is feeling, even when it's something like ambivalence or ennui.  Marvel Studios didn't even get that down until Thor Ragnarok. If you've never seen Hulk because of what you heard about it, give it a go, the film can be found on Netflix and it's at least an interesting watch and, as always, I encourage you to form your own opinions. The action is solid, the cast is great and the cinematography is a joy to watch, even in the slower sections. Now that the MCU is such a cultural juggernaut, these older Marvel entries are being forgotten, but there are some that are worth remembering and going back to now and then.