Hulk Review

Everyone's familiar with The Hulk, Marvel Comics' updated take on "Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde," either from the long running comic book or the hit 70s/80s TV show. For his cinematic reinterpretation of the character "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" director Ang Lee has incorporated elements of both. The revised 'origin' of the creature dates back to the 1960s and still involves gamma radiation, while the present day, buttoned-down, adult versions of Bruce Banner and his trouser ripping green counterpart are imbued with much of the pathos synonymous with the TV show.

Now let's get one thing straight: "Hulk" is not the popcorn friendly blockbuster fans of such other comic book adaptations as "X-Men," "Spider-Man" and "Daredevil" were expecting; this is very much an Ang Lee film - all two hours twenty five minutes of it. Rather than the fast-moving action fest of its contemporaries, this is a significantly slower moving drama - leading man Eric Bana doesn't even explode out of his shirt until forty five minutes into the film. Lee said he set out to make a Greek tragedy, which he may have succeeded at, as the relationship between father and son - Bana and a suitably manic Nick Nolte - is certainly at the core of the film. Unfortunately what he hasn't done is create a comic book style action tale that appeals to the blockbuster fan (when it was released in US cinemas the film dropped a massive 70% over its second weekend). While Lee's innovative translation of the language of the comic book page to the silver screen is a marvel to behold, and the film does have some impressive set pieces, what really lets it down is a hugely disappointing Hulk. Up close and personal, this 100% CGI monster is incredible, but in the film's various action scenes the limitations of the technology used to create him often become all too apparent, and you rarely forget you're watching nothing more than a large green special effect.