By Robert Scucci
| Published 10 seconds ago
Listen, I’m not the most reliable source when it comes to comic book movies, but I’ve seen most of them despite my lack of knowledge about the source material that inspires them. I once watched 34 MCU movies in just as many weeks on a dare after I said I loved the Fast and Furious movies but hated Marvel movies, which resulted in a long lecture about how I should love them because they’re basically the same thing. Letting my pride get the best of me, I watched every single movie that had been released up to that point, and it was alright. I wouldn’t do it again, but I think I get the gist by now.
That entire journey eventually led me to 2003’s Hulk, which I put off for years because it’s only available through on demand purchases. While I don’t have definitive proof as to why it’s not available on a streaming service except as a rental, I’m inclined to believe it has something to do with Disney’s stranglehold over all things Marvel related. Or maybe there’s just no demand for it. Either way, the point still stands that you have to throw down money to watch it, which is probably for the better, because this movie made some choices that genuinely baffle me.
Decisions Were Made
If you’re reading this article for a full rundown on all things Hulk related, I’m sorry to disappoint. What I’m here to talk about specifically is how much better the MCU handled the overall story. We all know that Bruce Banner (Eric Bana) turns big and green when he’s angry, and that General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross (Sam Elliott) has a complicated history with Bruce’s father, David Banner (Nick Nolte). That history forces Ross to intervene after a series of unsanctioned experiments lead to Bruce’s transformation.
Collateral damage is inevitable. Bruce falls in love with Betty Ross (Jennifer Connelly), the general’s daughter, and Ross repeatedly threatens to lock him up for “the rest of his natural life.” This is said several times throughout the film, even though there’s nothing remotely natural about any of it, making that recurring line make absolutely no sense.
I’m not a tights and flights guy. I haven’t seen the new DCU’s Superman. I tapped out of the MCU after The Marvels, and I’ll only return if we get more Deadpool and Wolverine action at some point. With that bias firmly established, I’m here to extend an olive branch and explain why 2003’s Hulk pales in comparison to 2008’s The Incredible Hulk.
Hulk’s biggest problem is pacing. We get the David Banner and Thunderbolt backstory. We learn about Bruce Banner’s repressed memories and identity issues. We’re subjected to all the usual junk science explaining how he becomes Hulk, along with explosions and extended emotional yammering about all of it. The movie runs 138 minutes, and we don’t even get to see Hulk doing Hulk stuff until more than 40 minutes in.
The film is trying to function as both an origin story and its subsequent adventures in one sitting, while also attempting to appeal to casual viewers and diehard comic book fans at the same time. That’s a tall order, and it never really works.
The MCU, on the other hand, does a much better job with worldbuilding. There are standalone origin films like Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, and Captain America: The First Avenger. All of these build toward the first Avengers movie, which arrived in 2012. Every Avengers film hits harder because we don’t need drawn-out origin stories anymore. They already happened. In other words, we get Avengers doing Avengers stuff because we’re already in the know. Hulk tries to do too much at once and, in my mind, was doomed from the start to never be a fully satisfying film.
The Comic Book Panels Are Laughable
One thing that completely took me out of Hulk was the gratuitous use of picture overlap. Director Ang Lee was clearly going for a comic book panel look, showing multiple moments at once in a single frame, but it honestly resembles the kind of amateur editing I do when cutting podcast episodes.
There’s a scene that shows Nick Nolte’s face in one frame and his foot in another, just so we know his foot is up to something. I understand what they were trying to do, but I’m still baffled by the execution. It’s an uncomfortable visual experience that feels less like a stylistic choice and more like a PowerPoint presentation that’s been left on autoplay.
While Hulk does have some charm in its own cheesy way, I much prefer the MCU version because it’s part of a larger plan that eventually leads to a more satisfying payoff. As a standalone film, Hulk doesn’t have what it takes to be everything it wants to be. That said, it’s still an interesting watch if you’re trying to check another Marvel movie off your list.
As of this writing, you can purchase Hulk on demand through YouTube, Apple TV+, and Amazon Prime Video.