If you're planning on catching this year's latest comic-book book flick, featuring the Green Goliath, get ready for a shock. No, the shock isn't the first green-skinned metamorphosis on screen or a twist ending. It's the fact that The Hulk isn't an action movie.
Sure, there's plenty of action, and the computer-generated title character looks fantastic. But the heart of the story is about a man, raised by adopted parents, who's trying to come to terms with a repressed memory that's haunted him since childhood.
Bruce Krenzler (Eric Bana) and Betsy Ross (Jennifer Connelly) are scientists who are on the edge of developing technology that will save and even extend lives, but a lab accident, one that should have killed Bruce, unleashed genetic potential within him. Bruce comes to realize that his biological father, David Banner (Nick Nolte), has done something awful, and he soon finds himself transformed into a being of unlimited power and rage, hunted by the military, led by Betsy's father, General Ross (Sam Elliott).
The story is actually much more involved than that, and if the movie had a second title, it would be "Sins of the Father." The plot is as much about an old rivalry between General Ross and David Banner, and how the mistakes of the past have come to haunt their children.
The main problem with the movie is that the story takes quite a while to get going, and when the first Hulk-out finally happens, it's rather anti-climactic. The audience knows it's coming, and it's asked to wait far too long for it. The premise is one that meant to intrigue, not entertain or shock the viewer. For a movie about a monster with unlimited strength, it's actually pretty quiet, for the most part. That unconventional approach is interesting, yes, but the film rarely jumps out and grabs the audience.
The greatest strength of the film is its general look and inventive style, but coming from Ang Lee -- the director of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon -- that should come as no surprise. There are plenty of movies out there based on comic-book properties, but Lee creates what one might describe as the first real comic-book movie. He uses split screens and quick edits to simulate the panels on a comic page, and it really helps to set this movie apart from just about anything else.
The cast does an impressive job overall. Bana captures a meek, tortured soul in Bruce (though he's a bit flat during the first act), and Connelly's character's empathy shines through. It's the elder actors who steal the show, though. Sam Elliott brings surprising depth -- a small measure, but depth nonetheless -- to General Ross, and Nick Nolte's manic portrayal of a mad scientist brings creepy credibility to an otherwise over-the-top character.
The movie isn't without its flaws, of course. Josh Lucas plays a one-dimension jerk who really serves no great purpose in the story. Furthermore, as is the case with many other comic-book movies, there are a couple of plot holes that just don't make sense, notably the meeting at the end of the film between Bana's and Nolte's characters.
Though changes are always par for the course when comic properties are adapted for the big screen, I was surprised that a key element of the source material -- Rick Jones -- is left out. It's clear why... the plot doesn't allow for the teen's guilt, and it requires the Hulk to connect with Betty, not a teenage sidekick. It's too bad, though. Rick Jones would have brought some welcome comic relief to the story.
The Hulk isn't as strong as other recent Marvel movie successes, but it is notable for being a little bit different.
