Talk:Hulk (film)

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Should this be moved to Hulk (movie), in line with most other movie disambiguations? [[User:CatherineMunro|Catherine\talk]] 03:47, 23 Nov 2004 (UTC)

No because naming conventions state that they should be (film). Cbrown1023

Contents

[edit] Reason the movie flopped

Personally, I suspect this movie flopped because the Hulk was established (like it or not) by the TV series more than the comic book. Even a lot of kids knew who Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno were at the time of the movie's release. 70.168.32.250 00:29, 3 December 2005 (UTC)

I agree that the public's familiarity with the Incredible Hulk television series is at least partially responsible for the movie not doing as well as the studio had hoped. My own brother, for example, originally thought that the comic book was originally based on the television series. Another key factor was that the fact that the Hulk was going to be a CGI effect was revealed very early in the movie's production, which instantly placed a lot of doubts in the minds of lots of people, even in the minds of longtime, hardcore fans of the comics. For example, while watching it for the first time, I found myself focusing on whether I could find any flaws with the Hulk's appearance, movements, mannerisms, etc. and was disappointed when I found them. There were scenes in which the Hulk was running and you could literally see the imperfections of the CGI technology. Also, the Hulk himself was so large, he simply didn't look realistic. The filmmakers took some liberties with some of the most well known facts about the character, at least well known to long time fans. For instance, the Hulk was shown to grow taller and more massive as he became angrier. This is not true of the character in the comics. He becomes stronger as he becomes angrier, not larger. Contained in the special features of the DVD is a size chart comparing the Hulk at different stages of his anger. At his maximum level of anger, according to the film, the Hulk stood about 15 feet in height and weighed well over 3,000 pounds. Although various artists have portrayed the character as absolutely massive, which is common due to the well known method of exaggerating muscular proportions in comic books, he is generally listed to be officially between 7 and 8 feet in height and weighing slightly over 1,000 pounds. I personally feel it was a combination of both the general public's perseption and familiarity with the character, the familiarity of the Hulk's large fan base, and the various liberties taken by Universal to bring the character to life that resulted in the public not being able to connect to the character.

Oh please, the movie sucked because the movie sucked. I don't think people's memories of the previous Hulk are solely to blame nor the CGI Hulk. As a person who's never seen the TV show nor read the comic books, I am aware of what the Hulk is. Radiation in an experiment, Giant Green Man. Gets angry, helps people. After having seen the film, I'd best summarise it as "Something about a lab researcher and some experiment they're doing which is never really explained, meets his father who did 'something' to him which is never really explained, father has giant mutated dogs (God knows why), triggers giant green man and the rest of the movie just turns into a Green Man smashing helicopters extravaganza before dad has a dumb conversation with son (which isn't stopped by the military at all who would surely think 'Hey, he's going to trigger the Jolly Green Giant here') before dad bites into a power cord and becomes Electro Man (which isn't really explained), which in turns triggers angry son and the two wrestle in water for about 2 minutes as they have some lame conversation". The entire movie left me with a feeling of "What the hell was all that about?". I'm not sure the sentence "felt the overall pacing was much too slow and dramatic" quite accurately sums that up but I'm not sure how I can quite put the above into a brief sentence (nor if it's really necessary at the end of the day). ~DarkUnderlord 203.173.57.141 12:58, 18 February 2006 (UTC)
Heaven forbid Ang Lee tried an intelligent take on a comic book hero, as opposed to the cinematic masterpieces that are The Punisher and Fantastic Four. --24.33.140.45 04:19, 4 March 2006 (UTC)
If the Hulk is such a smart movie, then why did it blow thirty minutes watching him bounce up and down? And then instantly get recaptured by the same people without forwarding the plot in the slightest? I personally believe it's because it's so much more "artistic" to have a film run over two hours. The Hulk sucked because it thinks it's smart, but actually contains no display of intelligence whatsoever. But man does it know how to stretch out pointless scenes to their breaking point. And for the record - The Punisher and Fantastic Four sucked too. Check out the first two X-men films or Batman Begins for some introspective comic films that are also not boring and intellectually stale.Rebochan 22:12, 25 June 2006 (UTC)
DarkUnderlord, your opinion is based upon an incomplete understanding of the basic plot. Either that or you weren't paying much attention. The experiments that the lab researchers were doing involved increasing the regeneration of damaged biological tissue. The mutated dogs were a result of them being injected with Bruce's blood, and breathing in the nanites from the lab, before being exposed to gamma radiation. The reason why the conversation between father and son wasn't stopped was because they were both sitting between two large devices that would have fried them with electricity if Bruce started turning into the Hulk. The reason why they were not fried was because Bruce's father was absorbing the electricity with his own new-found powers (again, brought on by the exact same process; breathing in the nanites and then being exposed to gamma radiation; it happened three times throughout the film, so I am surprised you still didnt catch on by the third pass!). If the film left you wondering 'What the hell was that all about?' then may I suggest you refrain from talking about what you don't understand in future? ;)

I loved the movie, but I hated one part. The last fight between The Hulk and his father. That was stupid. Other than that, great. --69.67.226.84 06:10, 13 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Summary

If anyone cares, the abusive father was introduced in 1985 by Bill Mantlo in the Incredible Hulk 312. Peter David just expanded on it. And quite a few parts of the movie were taken from Mantlo's run on the book. In general I find that part of the movie summary to be a little biased. To claim the movie deviats from the comic despite the fact that it says those things came straight from the comic? I'm thinking of how to rework that part.


[edit] Sequel

Why was the section on Hulk 2 removed? also, the page entitled "Hulk 2" was deleted. Why? There is a sequel coming out. Scorpionman 21:09, 27 September 2005 (UTC)

As far as I know there is no sequel in the works. Avi Arad and Eric Bana have tried to hype it up but nothing has been greenlighted and nothing is actually in the works (other than maybe a script but there are lots of scripts that go nowhere). So maybe it should wait until there's officially something to talk about. Maestro1ca 10:10, 28 September 2005 (EDT)

There apparently IS something coming up right now; the movie Hulk 2 is supposedly set to come out in 2007. Right now, it's mainly a speculation, but I think it will probably turn out. Maybe it's an attempt to make up for the first film's poor success. 4.159.5.2 01:58, 27 November 2005 (UTC)

I read something similar to that a few months ago if I'm not mistaken. I can't recall the precise time I read it, but Avi Arad stated that a sequel was in the works and that the Hulk himself would be considerably smaller instead of being, roughly, the size of a Tyrannosaurus Rex. I believe there is also a rumor that the Gray Hulk would make an appearance at some point in the film, although, as I said, that part might be just a rumor.

Avi Arad says a lot of movies are "in the works". He's a business man and wants to make it sound like things are booming for Marvel. "In the works" could mean the movie is in production (like X-Men 3 is in the works) or it could simply mean Marvel is trying to sell the idea to various movie studios who may or may not buy into it. I'm not sure Universal is all that keen on it and Ang Lee's recent comments about the Hulk almost killing his career probably doesn't help. Maestro1ca 9:17, 9 December 2005 (EST)
Okay, until we hear clearly what's going on we should simply assume that either one's possible, and leave the Hulk 2 article alone until there is a specific statement saying that there is no Hulk 2. Scorpionman 02:18, 10 December 2005 (UTC)

I've redirected Hulk 2 to Hulk (film) until the movie actually goes into production. It still doesn't even have an IMDb page. — sjorford (talk) 11:08, 30 March 2006 (UTC)

See also Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Hulk 2. — sjorford (talk) 15:48, 1 April 2006 (UTC)

Marvel announced on 28 April that the movie was in development. I have listed it for undeletion. Journeyman 06:33, 23 May 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Video Game

Can you really say that the video game spawned a sequel? I thought they clearly said that this new game is not a sequel. It's based on the comic book, not the movie like the first game. Maestro1ca 10:10, 28 September 2005 (EDT)

I think so. But it should be more clearly written. Scorpionman 02:05, 27 November 2005 (UTC)
Ultimated Destruction was completely based on the comic with no relation to the movie at all. JohnBWatt

[edit] Hulk's animation

Was the Hulk created by motion capture in this film or was he just computer animated? Scorpionman 02:04, 27 November 2005 (UTC)

At least some scenes were done with motion capture. I remember seeing video somewhere of Ang Lee dressed up in the black motion capture suit. I'm pretty sure I saw it on the DVD. Maestro1ca 11:57, 29 November 2005 (EST)

Is the expected sequel going to use motion capture for the Hulk? Scorpionman 19:48, 29 November 2005 (UTC)

First up, I wouldn't necessarily call it an "expected" sequel as it still hasn't been given the official greenlight to start. And until a crew (especially a director), a script, and a budget is in place we probably won't know exactly what they expect to do with the Hulk (although Avi Arad seemed to suggest in one interview that they might go with a man in a padded suit). Maestro1ca 9:21, 5 December 2005 (EST)

Well, the movie is "expected" by many audiences, right? It may not be certain, but many people expect it. Also, "expected" is better than "definitely coming", right? 4.158.210.119 15:59, 8 December 2005 (UTC)

I would predict no, the movie is not "expected" by many but there's no way for either of us to confirm our theories. In the end this movie barely made a profit and had a fairly big negative backlash from movie goers which usually means one should not expect a sequel. "Expected" implies that it is a reasonable conclusion or is considered likely if not certain that there will be a sequel and right now, that's not a reasonable conclusion to be making. If anything I would go with "possible" or "discussed" sequel. Maestro1ca 12:53, 8 December 2005 (EST)

[edit] Final confrontation

I'm not that happy with the description of the final battle between Bruce and David Banner, though not sure I can do better without watching the movie again and writing while it's fresh in my mind. The battle is more even and better done than seems to be implied. Btw, I was reminded when I saw this movie of the first Thor/Absorbing Man clash way back in Journey into Mystery around about number 114 or something. Am I just imagining that this meme has somehow found its way into the Hulk movie (presumably via the memories of people who advised on the movie)? I've never seen anyone else claim it, so I guess it's original research. Metamagician3000 13:34, 14 January 2006 (UTC)

From the perspective of a non-comic book reader as myself, it'd seem like the final clash between Bruce and David was one of conciousness. There's a deleted scene on the DVD where Bruce as a scientist explains that "Life is both the ability to retrieve and to act on memory. [...] Part of life is death, is forgetting, and unchecked, it's mutateous, it's monstrous. [...] Basically to stay in balance and alive we must forget as much as we remember." So I'm guessing that Bruce was able to forget and give out his memory/life/power. In the end, David took too much of Bruce and mutated to the huge bloated thing screaming "TAKE IT BACK, it's not stopping, TAKE IT BACK!" Really tragic and chilling scene by the way. Anyways, the whole ending's an undoubtably ambiguous, but that's how I understand it. I did some looking around on the Web and I'm surprised to find how little discussion there is about the whole ending. Oh well. 149.99.166.225 05:23, 1 February 2006 (UTC)
I have attempted to expand the final-confrontation a bit, with incomplete success. -- sskoog, 21 Sept 2006

[edit] Visual style

One noteworthy aspect of the film was the way that various visual effects like split screens, overlays, and crossfades were used to recreate the look and feel of a multi-pane comic book page in a different media. Yet there's no mention of this in the article. I think it's worth some mention. Unfortunately I haven't seen most of the film myself. Pimlottc 07:49, 23 March 2006 (UTC)

[edit] original research

The following section is unsourced and smacks of original research, but I didn't feel comfortable completely removing it, so I put it here. Perhaps parts could be salvaged. --24.81.13.220 19:15, 21 April 2006 (UTC)

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

The most difficult part of the film for many to grasp was the scientific explanation for Bruce's transformation into the Hulk. A lab accident exposes Bruce to both the Nanobots and the radiation while attempting to save a technician. The irradiated nanobots, designed to repair celluar damage by replicating the cells themselves, react to Bruce's psychological and emotional damage as if it were a physical wound. Thus when Bruce would become enraged, the nanites would sense the un-localized "damage" and begin celluar replication throughout his body. Unlike the previous test subjects, Banner's mutated DNA instructs the nanites to replicate cells in a very specific manner, resulting in a form which combines aspects of all the creatures used in David Banner's genetic experiments. This allows the cells to maintain their integrity, allowing for the massive size of the transformed Hulk. The mixed DNA and sheer cellular density grant the Hulk massive strength allowing him to lift great weights, run with tremendous speed, and leap impossible distances. His dense skin is nearly impenetrable and his tissues regenerate quickly even after the fiercest of wounds. When the rage subsides and the nanites sense that his "wound" has healed, his body breaks down the extra mass, converting resulting released energy into heat. The water released from the breakdown of the cells is quickly converted to steam which radiates away from his body. When he has reached his original form, the process is stopped and Banner is left as he was before. Like the comics, Banner is left with little more than dream-like impressions of his transformed state. The result is two separate entities in the Hulk and Banner, each only vaguely internally aware of the others existence.

The question of where the mass comes from still remains, however.

Another aspect of the film that stirs some uncertainty is the presence of jellyfish references in the film. One possible explanation is that jellyfish have a two stage life cycle. A motile medusa (normal jellyfish) produces a sessile polyp, which produces a medusa and so on. Analogies in this film could be that David Banner is the parent medusa, Bruce Banner in adolescence is the sessile polyp, and after he is exposed to the gamma radiation in the lab he matures into a polyp on the verge of producing medusa. This is parallel to Bruce's newly realized ability to transform into the Hulk. As Bruce's awareness and ability to control his new power becomes more developed, he matures into his whole and complete self, his father's real son and the fact that Bruce is working in the same occupational field as his father could also be argued as parallel to the asexual reproduction event. Bruce's genes are the product of his father's experimentation; they hold great power and possibility. That is parallel to the polyp releasing asexually produced medusae that develop into new individual jellyfish. The bell of a medusa jellyfish may also represent the toroidal fireball (cap) of an atomic mushroom cloud. Some also believe it's because certain species of jellyfish turn green when subjected to stress. For example, when some jellyfish DNA was inserted into the DNA of the monkey ANDI (Inserted DNA), the resulting organism was part jellyfish and has a very slight green bioluminescence to its skin.

[edit] Uncited POV

There's some serious POV problems in this article, examples of the "some say"-type of uncited opinion aplenty. I'm going to delete the ones I find, and if someone wants to put cited info back in, please do so.

Also, is MSN Movies something that is often cited as relevant? I left it anyway.

The Shrike 21:25, 10 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Hulk = Modern King Kong?

I didn't realize this until watching this movie last night but did anyone else see the allusions of this movie to the original King Kong movies? Both Hulk and Kong are not particularly smart but incredibly physically powerful. Both at some point have to protect a woman from monsters. It may not be a strong connection, but I think Ang Lee made that whole scene maybe to make this movie have a modern King Kong feel. I might be crazy but it definitely has that feeling. .... Ang Lee was a genius with this source material and anyone who can't see the greatness of this film might have a better time watching some other action movie maybe by Micheal Bay or Jerry Bruckheimer. At least then you don't have to use your head. (I'm talking about the people who were bashing this movie above.) 72.57.10.124 04:09, 23 October 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Film Title

Although the film is somtimes listed as "The Hulk", which was the working title according to iMDB[1], the definite article is not a part of the official title. [2]

[edit] The "A reading into the film" section

This section looks like a textbook example of original research. Remove it? Bhamv 09:18, 27 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] it sucked

the movie fucking sucked i will kill the people who made this movie and kill the people who are making the second one. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 75.21.183.55 (talk) 20:19, 4 March 2007 (UTC). and anyone gets rid of this i will give a fucking virus.

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