Here is My Movie Review of The Hulk 2003
So basically what happens is that you have this guy named Birth Banner who is experimented on by his father David Banner which causes him to get infected with a bunch of gamer radiation which turned him into the Hulk. So Bruce Banner has to try to control to prevent The Hulk from coming out but he also has to avoid being killed by the military led by this guy named General Ross but then his father david Banner starts to experiment on self which causes them to get absorbing powers which causes them to be turned into the absorbing man it's up to Bruce Banner / the Hulk to take down his father David Banner and avoid getting killed by the military and that's basically what the story is for this movie. To be honest I don't think the storyline is that bad. I actually think making this film more of a drama film does work for the most part but there are moments where it does come off kind of bland and uninspired.
Now let's talk about the acting because to be honest I don't think the acting is all that bad because I think for the most part most of the performances are actually pretty good. I will say that the acting in the film is better than the acting in Daredevil 2003 because that film nobody is giving a really good performance at all.
Now let's talk about Eric Bana who plays Bruce Banner/The Hulk in the film. I have to say I think for the most part he is actually really perfect as the character. I think like him as Bruce Banner/The Hulk more than Mark Ruffalo because and will did I enjoy him in MCU I didn't think the writing for character is as good as it was in the previous MCU movies I think his performance kind of fell apart especially when it came to Avengers Endgame and She-Hulk. Now the character of Bruce Banner /The Hulk is actually better then Mark Ruffalo's interpretation of Bruce Banner / The Hulk because well I Enjoy them in the other MCU films. I think in Avengers Endgame I think the character just went way too silly and way too family friendly. But luckily in this film Bruce Banner / The Hulk is actually just like how he is in the comics he is very tragic because he doesn't want to turn into the Hulk he doesn't want to kill anybody. And not to mention this one doesn't tell any stupid jokes. He is completely serious throughout the entire movie and you really feel bad for him because his father David Banner abused him by experimenting on him and killing his mother. I think the part where the film explores Bruce Banner's emotional side is probably the strongest aspect of the entire thing. But the worst thing is the CGI for the Hulk because it just looks so weird and it looks like it's clay rather than normal CGI. But there are some really interesting moments with Bruce Banner /The Hulk Like the theme where she and his father David Banner are having this intense argument and David Banner mentions that he should have killed him at the start. Not only is it a really disturbing scene but it just shows how dark and evil Bruce Banner / the Hulk´s dad is because he tells him that he was the one responsible for the death of his mother. It is probably the most nail biting moment of the entire film. The chemistry between him and Jennifer Conroy, Sam Elliott, and Nick Nolte is decent. Fun fact actors like David Duchovny, Dominic Purcell, Tom Cruise, Billy Crudup, Hugh Jackman, Steve Buscemi, Johnny Depp, Eric Bana, Jeff Goldblum, Matthew McConaughey, Edward Norton, Mark Ruffalo, Joaquin Phoenix, and Liev Schreiber we're all considered to play The Hulk
Jennifer Conroy plays Betty Ross in the film. I have to say she does a terrific job as the character. Now the character of Betty Ross is the same as the one found in the MCU because she really cares about Bruce Banner /The Hulk and wants him to control his emotions. Although the bonding between her and Burce Banner/The Hulk is the strongest aspect of the entire film, I do think most scenes between the two are some of the best Moments of the film. The scene where Betty Ross sees Bruce Banner turn into the Hulk for the first time is a very entertaining theme because she did not know that he can turn into the Hulk. When she sees the Hulk for the first time you can tell she's kind of scared / surprised that Bruce Banner is the Hulk. Not only is it a really powerful thing but it makes sense because it shows that she is really surprised that he can become the Hulk. It is probably one more shocking moment of the entire film. The chemistry between her and Eric Banner is decent.
Sam Elliott plays General Rost in the film. I have to say well he doesn't hold a candle to William Hurt´s performance as the character. But I have to say he did a pretty good job with his performance as the character. Now the character of General Ross is relatively the same as he was in MCU, how he wants to hunt down and kill the Hulk so he doesn't cause more destruction or cause more deaths. Probably the best moment is when General Ross is what he tells his men to find the Hulk and catch him and tell him and not only is it really dark but it sort of makes sense because he wants to protect his daughter Betty from getting killed by the Hulk. It is probably the most heart pounding moment in the entire film. The chemistry between him and Eric Banner is decent.
Now the only performance that did not work for me was Nick Nolte as David Banner/The Absorbing Man. I just thought he went way too over the top and it felt like he was out of place in the film because you have this really dark drama film but then you have this guy who just goes completely over the top and it does not work at all. Now the character of David Banner/The Adorning man is really weird because in the comic books David Banner is not the Absorbing Man it is actually Carl Crusher who is The Absorbing Man and he had a girlfriend named Titani. But in this movie they make him David Banner which is so weird. But I will give credit to the movie does a great Job of making you hate him because of what he did to Bruce Banner / The Hulk and of how he killed his mother with a knife. But to be honest I think he is up there with Bullseye from Daredevil 2003 as the worst villain of 2003. The rivalry between him and Bruce Banner / the Hulk is entertaining because he has to battle his own Because he wanted to kill him ever since He was born so the film does a decent job of making you care about their relationship. The chemistry between him and Eric Banner is decent.
Now now a lot of people brought up that this film has very little action in this film with his they are just not that interesting the the tank battle against the military was good but then you have that weird final battle where you have you have Bruce Banner /The Hulk battling against the absorbing man in this like giant bubble and takes place underwater it's just really weird and it is the weirdest climax is in a comic book film. To be honest I think this is up there with Captain Marvel in terms of having the most lackluster action in a superhero film.
The directed by Ang Lee. It's interesting because this is the same director who directed Life of Pie and Brokeback Mountain and both of those movies I really enjoyed. But I have to say his directing in this film is not perfect. I do think overall he did an okay job of directing this film because he does get a lot of stuff right like the character of Bruce Banner / The Hulk because in the comics here they are very tragic and sympathetic Like in the comics. so I'm happy that he didn't make him into a joke. But then the stuff with the absorbing man that he does was so weird and just didn't make any sense because i think they should gone with the real Absorbing Man from the comics Carl Crusher that way it would have been a lot better and made a lot more sense To have him at the main villain and Dave Banner and the secondary villain because the movie can still have that father versus son storyline but it can also have the storyline that revolved around Carl Crusher getting absorbing power then becoming the absorbing man. I think that would have been a much better choice for the film. But the weirdest thing he does in this film and the way he and it's this film because he makes it look like a comic book and in concept that's really interesting but it doesn't translate well to film because it gets really confusing to see what is going on everything like in a small square box it just hard to see what the characters are doing in the scenes. So overall I think well the directing's not banned. But I think it could have been a lot better.
So in conclusion i don't think this movie is as bad as a lot of people say it is because they are worth superhero movies like suicide Squad from 2016 or Fantastic Four 2015 those two films are way more unwatchable than this film. Also there is some stuff I enjoy about the film like Eric Bana performance as Bruce Banner/The Hulk in the highlight of the entire film. Also the bunny between Bruce Banner and Betty Ross is really interesting because the phone does a terrific job of making you care for these two characters. Also I think Sam Elliott were they decent General Roth. They do make him accurate to the comic books but I do think William Hurt's interpretation of the character is a lot better. I also do like how this film is more of a drama and how it treats the Hulk more seriously opposed to what the MCU has done with him when they made him into a silly character that just says a bunch of unfunny jokes. But again The Absorbing Man is a terrible villain the accuracy with his are just not that interesting and well the storyline is interesting I think it could have been handled a lot better. Now well I don't hate this film this film could have been a lot better. Now the way I can sum up this film it's essentially 2003's equivalent to Dune 1984 where the movie itself is not that good but there are a lot of entertaining things about it. I give this movie a 6/10.
