Ang Lee

Speaking of the new Hulk movie, which will be in cinemas next month, let’s discuss a bit about the 2003 adaptation by Taiwanese director Ang Lee. The old film stars Eric Bana, Jennifer Connelly, Sam Elliott, Josh Lucas and Nick Nolte. It’s simply titled as Hulk, check out the trailer…

The film received polarising reviews – some people love it, many others hate it. Unlike many superhero movies, director Ang Lee focused on storytelling instead of the action. The visual effect is also special in a comical way, kind of a homage to the action films in the 80s.

If you watch Hulk today and know nothing about the actors, you may have guessed that it’s a film from that era (80s-90s). It’s what the director had intended, for better or worse. I’m fine with the visual style though; I actually like some of the ideas, and I appreciate filmmakers who try something different.

Overall it’s above average for me. The action is comical but fun in some ways; the tank-throwing part will always be epic; and there’s Jennifer Connelly. I can understand that the directive style is not everyone’s cup of tea though, it’s rather unique; and the story is too long especially with its slow pacing.

The upcoming adaptation is a reboot and stars Edward Norton as the title character. It will feature a new story instead of going through the “how Bruce became Hulk” part again though. And it’s supposed to be part of a new movie franchise which also features the Iron Man etc.