Ang Lee directs the live-action feature film The Hulk, based on the Marvel comic book created by Stan Lee and illustrated by Jack Kirby. Emotionally stunted Dr. Bruce Banner (Eric Bana) is part of a research team at the University of California at Berkeley. Corporate hustler Glenn Talbot (Josh Lucas) takes notice of the lab and makes plans to take it over. Then Bruce accidentally gets hit by an experimental ray and grows into a huge beast, destroying the lab in the process. A creepy janitor who claims to be his real father, Dr. David Banner (Nick Nolte), starts to secretly use the experimental ray on himself. He creates some mutant dogs and sends them after Bruce's lab mate and ex-girlfriend Betty Ross (Jennifer Connelly). After Bruce saves her life in the form of the Hulk, she lets her distant father, General Ross (Sam Elliott), take him to an abandoned army base in the desert. However, Glenn Talbot takes over the operation and wants to patent the creature's superpowers for his own profit, so he holds Bruce unconscious in an isolation tank. When provoked, Bruce turns into the Hulk and makes a break for San Francisco, leading to a desert chase sequence involving military aircraft, tanks, and bombs. Only the sight of Betty can make him turn back to his human form. When he is eventually captured, Dr. David Banner shows up for a final confrontation with his son and his old adversary, General Ross. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi

Science Fiction, Action

Mutants, Fathers and Sons, Experiments Gone Awry, Mad Scientists, Metamorphosis

Gloomy, Moody, Slick, Stylized, Talky, Flashy, Downbeat

DVD Features

• Feature commentary with director Ang Lee
• Deleted scenes
• Evolution of The Hulk
• The incredible Ang Lee
• The dog fight scene
• The making of Hulk
• The unique style of editing Hulk

Review

The hotly anticipated summer blockbuster The Hulk sets up a power struggle between father and son that manifests itself in the form of a giant green CGI creature. As Dr. Bruce Banner, Eric Bana certainly has the right bone structure and muscle mass to be convincing as the alter ego of a comic book superhero. He maintains an intense, cheerless attitude while Nick Nolte overacts as his Charles Manson-looking mad scientist father, Dr. David Banner. The clincher hangs on a repressed memory lurking in Bruce's subconscious, which is alluded to in the opening sequence of close-ups and replayed in various flashy ways. Much of the film's structure is flashy, with multiple split screens, fancy dissolves, and moving comic book-style cells that may seem gimmicky to some. Still, there are thrilling moments and striking visuals when the Hulk appears, especially during the extended chase scene across the desert and through the sky, culminating in the trashing of the San Francisco Bay area. Throughout it all, Jennifer Connelly is weepy and worried as Dr. Betty Ross, who never seems to spark with the closed-off Bruce. Surprisingly, it's Sam Elliott who brings a sorely needed gentle humanity to the role of Betty's stern and distant father, General Ross. After the main special effects-laden climactic sequence, the tacked-on ending marks a radical shift in tone toward a Hulk with a purpose rather than a Hulk on the run, presumably for the function of setting up a sequel. As a good monster movie, the action is entertaining and the main drama is intriguing, but the downbeat story and long running time might disappoint viewers looking for the charm of other contemporary superhero movies. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi