I would pay $3.00 to watch this movie

     Well, I liked it better than “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”, but that ain’t saying much. “The Hulk” definitely is another mismatched feather in Ang Lee’s cap… if Ang Lee’s cap’s purpose is to be the most unpredictable director on the planet.   

    I guess I’ll just go straight to the breakdown. This movie is not bad, and it’s technically very interesting. The sets and costuming are exceptional, and really bring you into the world of the characters. The special effects are gorgeous and the editing is superb. Even the cinematography is nice, albeit a bit on the crispy side of overdone. But the plot, the acting, and the direction are just plain middle-of-the-road.

    Overall, this movie seems to lack any really brilliant moments. I mean, we all know that the Hulk’s alter ego, Bruce Banner, is supposed to be dull, but every character in the movie other than Nick Nolte’s role is completely lifeless. Heck, the only reason Nolte’s character is interesting is because Nolte has “it”, which is something that every other actor in this movie is completely devoid of.

    Long story short: The casting director ought to have been shot, and the screenwriter and director might as well have been robots. Don’t get me wrong, there are some very nifty parts of this movie. Other than the action scenes with the Hulk himself, however, the nifty parts are reduced to fun cameos and clever tricks with the camera.

    Eric Bana was a good choice for the main character, Bruce Banner. He’s dopey enough to be a nerd scientist, yet macho enough to be a convincing love interest for Jennifer Connelly. As far as I can tell, Bana’s only other claim to fame in the US is a voice acting role in “Finding Nemo” and a role in “Black Hawk Down”. Then again, comic book movies don’t really need big name stars, as long as they wear nice tights.

    This is a sort of letdown, however, as the old TV series was one of my favorites as a child. The Hulk character is a really appealing one; the ultimate underdog, if you will. It really is a minor heartbreak that Ang Lee had to direct this movie, rather than someone with a greater ability to tell a good character story.

    In any case, I’d suggest watching this movie for the technical interest and some of the cute things that are done here and there, but don’t expect a superb movie. Overall, this movie will inoculate the viewer to anything big for at least a week or two, but not as well as movies like “Independence Day” did. If  “The Hulk” existed in a void, it might be a great superhero movie. Unfortunately, there have already been two superhero movies better than it this year.