Release Date: June 20, 2003
Studio: Universal Pictures
Director: Ang Lee
Screenwriter: John Turman, Michael France, James Schamus
Starring: Eric Bana, Jennifer Connelly, Sam Elliott, Nick Nolte, Josh Lucas, Brooke Langton, Sasha Barrese, Cara Buono, Mike Erwin, Lou Ferrigno (cameo), Lyndon Karp, Paul Kersey, David Kronenberg and Michael Kronenberg, Stan Lee (cameo), Kevin Rankin, Geoffrey Scott, Todd Tesen, Celia Weston, Rhiannon Leigh Wryn
Genre: Action, Adventure
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (for sci-fi action violence, some disturbing images and brief partial nudity)
Official Website: TheHulk.com
Plot Summary: Bruce Banner (Bana) endures a life without a past, yet filled with dreams. Adopted as a child, Bruce knows nothing about his parents and their story. Plagued by unexpected nightmares and teased by classmates, Bruce continually struggles with tumulous fits of embarrassment, anxiety and rage. As a genetic scientist studying the regenerative effects of gamma radiation on damaged tissue, Bruce wages an escalating battle with an unknown monster inside him. Catalysed by a freak lab accident, Bruce's inner conflict culminates when he becomes the most powerful being on the face of the earth - the Hulk. General 'Thunderbolt' Ross (Elliot) - backed by an army of tanks, helicopters and soldiers - aims to destroy the powerful and ever-growing Hulk. In this exquisitely told and brooding romantic tale, Banner - a hunted abomination - strives to mend his relationship with General Ross's daughter, Betty (Connelly), and uncover the answers to his enigmatic past.

Review By Peter Veugelaers ©2003: 
- Better than a cheese royale: buy one while its hot

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon revealed that martial arts could be part of an Ang Lee film, which successfully combined pathos, action, and story. Lee’s adventure with the comic book and blockbuster is almost irresistible – a lucid, clear piece of storytelling combined with some stunning moments of visual imagery and special effects.

"Hulk" is based on a Marvel comics creation about a scientist who because of a botched experiment goes big, green, violent, (and then cute), when provoked to anger.

The aesthetic is developed like a comic book: cinematographic angles and framing with split screen editing create a surreal comic for the big screen, the best interpretation of the comic book aesthetic I’ve seen in years.

Characterizations contribute to this effect. The camera framing and close-ups around Sam Elliot’s angry, nasty military persona and patriarchal control of his daughter (Jennifer Connelly) is uncannily like the real comic book formula where intense effect is generated from use of exaggerated emotion and the space around the character in the strip.

"Hulk" is on the surface a fantasy and it shifts comfortably in turns from introspective character piece to action film, but also has poignant scenes of intimacy that are moving. The Freudian ideas of repression and childhood trauma (including themes of soul freedom) form the backbone of the main character’s psychology and are lucidly conveyed in quieter talky moments as well as sublime montage sequences. Ang, with a thematically complex script, captures the mind of Bruce Banner (Eric Bana) aka Hulk in some splendid scenes of visual brilliance and emotional poetry. The computer generated Hulk is convincing and surreal and because of the beast’s soft facial expressions in moments of calm the audience can feel empathy for him in spite of his continued ravage.

Connelly looks like she still rolling from her A Beautiful Mind role as she acts in much the same manner, although there are some piquant moments between her and the Hulk and co-star Bana. There is not a lot of connection or identification with the characters probably because of its comic book sensibilities, and the pivotal relationship between Bruce Banner and his father (Nick Nolte) unevenly draws you in and leaves you distant. The ending is anti-climatic, unsatisfying, and disappointing, and the film leaves you ultimately unsatisfied, in an otherwise pleasantly visceral experience.