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RSS icon Comments on Hulk Smash Puny Slog, Part 7

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HULK LOVE ANG LEE

HULK LOVE HIS FILM

HULK LOVE ERIK BANANA

Posted by HULK | June 13, 2008 3:38 PM
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HULK LIKE TASTE OF ERICS BANANA

Posted by HULK | June 13, 2008 3:49 PM
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The Ang Lee "Hulk" will be considered a cult classic in ten years, which is more than can be said about the lastest action shlock fest.

Posted by Jay | June 13, 2008 3:49 PM
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You wouldn't like me when I'm Ang Lee.

Posted by skweetis | June 13, 2008 3:51 PM
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The Ang Lee "Hulk" will be a cult classic in ten years, which is more than can be said for this latest action schlock-fest.

Posted by Jay | June 13, 2008 3:51 PM
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Oooooh, double post featuring different spelling errors!

Posted by Jay | June 13, 2008 3:53 PM
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I can see why that that Ang Lee one didn't appeal to many people, but it sort of has a weird 1980-style of directing charm to it. Like the Hulk television show, or Buck Rogers.

The new one will do huge numbers, but will be instantly forgotten. (Until they start showing it on TV in a constant loop to promote parts 2 and 3.) I hope it's better than the previews - those looked bad bad bad.

Posted by Dougsf | June 13, 2008 3:54 PM
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The Ang Lee Hulk Movie wasn't bad. It had some bad parts - the mutant poodle, the whole end battle with Nick Nolte - but it had great action sequences, an interesting characterization of Bruce Banner, and some cool auteur touches like the comic book panel frames. It's reputation has gotten worse with the passing of time, but I really like it.

Posted by L-Train8 | June 13, 2008 4:08 PM
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The CGI hulk always made me think of Shrek on steroids. I could never get past that.

Posted by JC | June 13, 2008 4:18 PM
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Hulk has great pecs.

Posted by Wolf | June 13, 2008 4:22 PM
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I wish I could quit you, Hulk.

Posted by john | June 13, 2008 4:29 PM
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i didn't know that charlie manson was hulk's dad...wow. and also that movie will never be a cult classic, it stinks and was stupid on so many levels.

Posted by douglas | June 13, 2008 4:35 PM
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#8 Actually, I've had the opposite perception. I've seen far more praise for it as time has gone on.

Posted by Jay | June 13, 2008 4:35 PM
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Paul, for once I have to violently disagree with you. The Ang Lee Hulks has gotten a lot of smack from fanboys, but it had some truly brilliant stuff going on.

For one, it was practically a Greek tragedy with dueling Oedipal complexes, murderous parents, and two families entwined by horrible secrets. Lee managed to give Banner some real motivation for his rage. What's more powerful than, "I HATE YOU DAD!"

Then, the old school Hulk spent a lot of time hanging out in the desert trying to find peace and solitude, only to face constant assault from those puny soldiers. Ang Lee captured this beautifully in the scenes of the Hulk soaring over the desert, and battling tanks in same.

Finally, I have to say that the final battle was fantastic. It went far beyond the usual slug-fest and bared Banner & dad's souls in a brutal psychic confrontation. "You want my hate? Take it! TAKE IT ALL!" Visually, that scene was very Japanime, more like Ghost in the Shell than Marvel Comics.

I think Ang Lee accomplished the same thing he pulled off with Crouching etc... he distilled the cliches of a kitchsy genre and found the inherent beauty.

Lee's Hulk was far superior to the majority of comic to film adaptations, and it's just a pity the fanboys are too rooted in their own conventions to see it.

Posted by Ivan Cockrum | June 13, 2008 5:23 PM
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Jennifer Connelly: beautiful.

Posted by homage to me | June 13, 2008 5:24 PM
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Fake Hulk is fake.

Also, HULK SAD... what??? Hulk sad?

Posted by Sirkowski | June 13, 2008 9:18 PM
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I don't know . . . it's a rare comic book movie that makes an origin story *more* complicated. I guess the _Fantastic Four_ flick was guilty of the same sin, but really, if you're going to retcon in your movie at least don't make things *stupider.*

Posted by E. Dettmar | June 13, 2008 10:09 PM
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The new Hulk is pretty enjoyable and easier to swallow for normal mainstream moviegoer types. But I think the Ang Lee one is way better. It has so much more going on, from the emotional and ultimately psychedelic battle between Bana and the brilliantly crazy Nolte to the way it mirrors the split-personality of the hero by alternating between slow-paced character drama and absolutely insane action movie. Also the new one has a dreary, cheap look to it, while Ang Lee's had beautiful photography and vivid colors.

I think the new Hulk kind of looks better most of the time, but the animation of the character is not as good and when he turns sad or sweet he has these fuckin girly eyes that look more ridiculous than Nick Nolte's mug shot.

The one that surprised me is that even though this one is meant to be more action-oriented and comes from a director of fun martial arts movies there are no action scenes as good as the big tank and jet battle in HULK. Some good "Hulk smash" here and there but nothing that gave me half the thrill of that scene.

So I'm not against the new one, if it had a better climactic action battle it would be able to hold its head high, but I gotta agree that Ang Lee's is better, more ambitious and will be remembered longer.

Also I would like to note that to this day whenever I see Bradley Steinbacher's name in The Stranger my first thought is "the guy who wrote a dead-on review of HULK but later disavowed it because his friends made fun of him."

Posted by Vern | June 14, 2008 6:42 PM

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