'Hulk'
Universal Pictures
Directed by Ang Lee
Screenplay by John Turman, Michael France and James Schamus, based on the comic book created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
Produced by Avi Arad, Larry J. Franco, Gale Anne Hurd and James Schamus
Starring Eric Bana, Nick Nolte, Jennifer Connelly, Sam Elliott, Josh Lucas, Paul Kersey, Todd Tesen, Celia Weston, Lou Ferrigno
Rated PG-13
Now playing
(out of four)

Faster than a speeding bullet. More powerful than a locomotive. Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.

No—it’s not Superman. It’s Ang Lee’s long-awaited, much-anticipated “Shrek 2”—er, strike that, “Hulk.”

The visionary director who brought us “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” three years ago is back with an ambitious take on the legendary big, mean, green machine.

What we have here is a living, breathing comic book. The film is shown as if we were following the pages of an actual comic, chock full of split screens, moving frames and pictures within scenes—just like in those old Marvel classics.

It’s unfortunate, however, that despite the fascinating camera work, original visual style, a surprisingly compelling and well-told dramatic story and—of course—an exploding frog, “Hulk” is not a complete success due to poor computer graphics.

The movie revolves around a genetic scientist named Bruce Krenzler (Eric Bana), his quasi-girlfriend/co-worker Betty Ross (Jennifer Connelly) and both of their fathers.

When the film opens, David Banner (Paul Kersey), himself a geneticist, is working on a top-secret genetic manipulation project that the government, particularly General “Thunderbolt” Ross (Todd Tesen), wants to shut down.

As David is not allowed to use any human test subjects, he uses himself as a guinea pig for his experimental formula—all in the name of science, of course. Nothing of consequence happens at first, but a manipulated gene is passed down to David’s firstborn son, Bruce. A few years down the road, Ross, who also just happens to be Betty’s father, discovers what happened. David Banner is thrown in prison and Bruce’s mother…well, we’re not quite sure what happens to her.

Flash forward 25 years. Bruce is under the impression that both of his parents are long gone—but things aren’t what they seem.

While in the lab one night, Bruce saves the life of a co-worker, but in the process absorbs a fatal amount of radiation—yet he lives. This is where the movie really begins to pick up steam. Not only did Bruce come out completely unscathed, but he’s actually improved. The knee that once bothered him no longer does. Inexplicably, he’s stronger, fitter and healthier.

“I’ve never felt better,” he says.

Things only get weirder. The lab’s shaggy, creepy-looking new late-night janitor (Nick Nolte), turns out to be Bruce’s real-life father, back in society after 25 years in the can. David Banner explains everything to his estranged son, who naturally has a hard time believing such a story.

And it makes him angry.

Unbeknownst to Bruce at first, the radiation brought life to a gene that turns him into a super-powered, larger-than-life green monster whenever he gets angry, which happens more and more frequently as the film goes on.

As David coyly remarks in his first meeting with Bruce, “We’re gonna have to work on that temper of yours.”

Gen. Ross is hell-bent on having him destroyed, while a rival researcher, Glenn Talbot (Josh Lucas), wants to use his DNA to create supersoldiers for the U.S. military.

So what makes him so angry, so often? Hell, if I looked like a Nintendo graphic, I’d be pretty pissed off, too.

The film’s second half, as the Hulk’s power grows and the plot moves toward its climax, should be the highlight of the movie, but it isn’t.

The true success of a film like this is always directly contingent on the performance of the main character, and that’s where “Hulk” runs into problems. Bana does his part well as the mild-mannered scientist. But the actual Hulk, created by CGI technology, is a massive disappointment.

If this was “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” it wouldn’t be a problem. But this is a live-action film set in the real world. And right in the center, the character who should be the star of the show looks like a giant cartoon.

When we see an enraged Hulk destroying a city parking lot, you can almost imagine the “terrified” civilians screaming, “Look out! We’re being attacked by the Jolly Green Giant!” Instead of menacing, the Hulk just looks absurd.

The look of the character is glaring and annoying in nearly all of the Hulk’s scenes, and it kills the suspension of disbelief for otherwise exhilarating action sequences. He’s so damn green, he looks like he came straight out of a video game. In some scenes, he’s downright pastel.

Digital graphics just aren’t ready to take center stage of a character-driven movie just yet, and “Hulk” is hard proof of that. While the performances are strong, the direction crisp and the film’s overall effect is positive, the Hulk himself takes away from the quality of the movie. Fifteen or 20 years from now, people will be laughing at this one. Still, the energy and style brought by Lee certainly makes it worth seeing.
Chrisb@red-mag.com