Hulk

There will be plenty of conflicting opinions regarding the look of director Ang Lee’s Hulk. As for me, a comic book movie is one of the genres where CGI can be a plus, and some images can get away with being a bit cartoonish. With that said, Hulk is a visual marvel, a triumph of computer wizardry and fine image manipulation by Lee. I bought every second that the big green guy was on screen and managed to get a huge kick out of the way he catapulted himself through the air. While the film works as summer escapism, it also manages emotional depth and an eerie, dark tone. When Hulk goes through his mood swings, raging one second and coming down the next, it’s remarkable how well his emotions and humanity come through in the special effects. Eric Bana is superb in the Bruce Banner role, Hulk’s calmer alter ego, and Jennifer Connelly is excellent as Betty Ross, Banner’s love interest and confidant. Sam Elliot has never been better as Betty’s confused military man father, and Nick Nolte goes wonderfully nuts as Banner’s eccentric and dangerous dad. Ang Lee has done a magnificent job here, delivering something with a little more substance than the gig required. His use of panels, split screens and rule-breaking visual edits give the film the true feel of a graphic novel. In the ranking of comic book movies, this one ranks above last year’s Spider-Man.