@@ChristianFrates1997 Snyder-verse didn't succeed, all Snyder made was a toxic cult for himself to enjoy. Snyder destroyed Supes. No matter how much 'sense' it makes, that Supes is NOT Supes (but Cavill is indeed a brilliant casting choice). Just as Tobey's Spidey having organic webbing is also inaccurate.
In the 2003 version the hulk is actually angry and big and just like the hulk should be. no the mess of the new movies. i mean cmon. hulk losing in a fist fight against thanos? pff xD
I think it’s the best hulk movie, love the whole comic book cinematography ang lee was doing throughout, loved the story.. more of a personal and emotional origin story for him. Nick Noltes david banner was very compelling! Not to mention the action scenes, fck me, when he hulked out, it was truly epic, this version of the hulk was scary strong.. much more faithful to comics and TAS Hulk (which is still the best Hulk thing out there). Wish they had the balls to go forward with master ang lees version.
As a lifelong Hulk fan, what made Ang's version work so well for me was it made you understand WHY there's a Hulk. That because of the repressed emotional trauma, the ANGER, from his father’s abuse and murder of his mother, Banner essentially created the Hulk in his mind BEFORE the gamma accident. It also explains why the Hulk’s strength is directly related to his anger: It’s the anger of a child who wasn’t strong enough to protect himself or someone he loves and lashes out at the world for release. The TV series switched the trauma to Banner being too weak to rescue his wife from a burning car, but it likewise explained why he was angry and his obsession with learning the secret to superhuman strength, which, as it turned out, was directly connected to anger and gamma radiation. The Peter David run on the comic series deepened the abuse, trauma, and anger and established Banner suffering from Dissociative Identity Disorder or DID, and the latest Al Ewing Immortal Hulk run added mystical/cosmic layers to the Hulk’s origin and powers, revealing that what happened to Banner was far more than an “accident.” Anyway, this is my incredibly long-winded way of saying that if you remove the psychological foundations of the character, the Hulk is just a big, green, short-tempered strong guy. And if the only reason he’s around is there was a gamma accident/experiment, then ANYONE could be the Hulk, which is what the Abomination was. Mr. Lee’s film avoided these mistakes and, I think, did justice to my favorite character. In other words: IT SMASHED!
@@quarterpie2769 Immortal Hulk WAS awesome! I have an old comic buddy who hasn’t read it yet, and I compared it to how Alan Moore took ahold of Swamp Thing, acknowledged, expanded, and ran with everything that had been done, and turned the book into a next-level horror then straight-up sci-fi series. Or how David took the reigns from Mantlo and dove DEEP into Banner’s psyche; then Pak dove even deeper; then Ewing dove so deep he passed through the Green Door and came out on in the Below-Place, lol. Then Cates came along and shat on everything…boooo!
Eric Bana's artistry and emotional portrayal was to me, what the Hulk had always been like. Edward Norton and Mark Ruffalo somehow turned to be a CGI update and it's really not a bad thing but, Bana somehow made Banner's internal struggle so real and palpable despite how dated the effects are for the movie. The sound design was also a part of what made Ang Lee's Hulk a great piece imo.
This is also my favorite version of the Hulk. My family has suffered with anger issues for generations, so, as a child watching HULK, I related with Bruce, his rage, and his relationship with his father. Watching this video on the subject has shaken me up a little. I'll probably have to hunt this movie down and watch it again. Great video, thanks for bringing this up. I knew there was a reason I hated new Hulk.
I really wish we could have gotten this dark Hulk in the MCU. It would have been a great balance with the humor and light tone. Sure the MCU had some serious and dark moments, but imagine if Hulk was something everyone was afraid of, and would literally be a last resort. What if after Thanos arrives and the heroes realize how dire the situation truly is, there would be a moment where everyone is sitting in a room discussing what to do next, and after a moment of silence, someone turns their head and says "We need the Hulk" which sends shivers down everyone's spines. Using the Hulk would be a huge risk. Unleashing the monster might give them a chance against their greatest enemy, but at the same time they might be risking having another unstoppable monster to deal with.
I agree 💯. I kinda think they have plans to overpower Hulk coming up against Galactis. It's the only way to redeem him without having an Avengers vs Hulk film or something.
In the TV show David banner turns into the hulk and in the 2003 movie David banner 's son Robert Bruce banner turns into the hulk making David banner being absorbing man marvel comics uses both banners one at a time
The visceral anger in this movie is what made me love it so much when I was a child. I could almost feel angry with him. This is something the new hulks lack nowadays. That and the ability to get stronger the angrier they get and a healing Factor.
I was always sad that Sam Elliott didn't carry on as General Ross. I thought he was perfect for the part. It might just be that people know exactly how to cast him.
Well the newer ones still have the anger and healing aspect, it's just not shown. Pretty much every instance I can think of them being on screen, minus the gladiator fight in Ragnarok or the city rampage in Age of Ultron, has Hulk disappear before he starts getting his raged amp. We also don't see him prolonged as Hulk to see him heal, but it's pretty much implied to be the case in Ragnarok with the Fenris bite wound not bothering him immediately after it happens, which I'd say is it healing nigh instantly. Honestly the real problem is their consistency. They seem to dial him up when needed and he couldn't end the movie himself, but when he's in a spot to solo something they nerf him to hell and get him offscreen as soon as they can. Very weird choices. HOPING the post She-Hulk journey gets us a more proper showing.
10 years ago people used to say that Ang Lee's Hulk had bad CGI but for me it has aged pretty well. The fact that most of this movie was filmed in real locations makes CGI look good and realistic. Also motion capture is pretty great. Modern superhero movies don't look this good and I think it is because they use too much green screen.
It always felt like I could touch the Hulk in this movie for how real he looked(sure they’re are some bad shots.) but most peoples problem was that he was too green or unnaturally green. It felt like he painted himself rather than it being his actual skin color
Good point, the real locations really ground the CGI. It almost tricks your brain into thinking "well this place is real, therefore everything else I'm seeing is real" whereas newer films that rely on completely digital landscapes, everything just blends together as a big CGI mess
@@tbuckyfilms eloquently put and i agree. a big cgi mess is a nice way to put it. couldn't figure out why everything looked off even though these films were in the 2017-2022 range
Nobody talks about it but I love this movie. Ang Lee's Hulk is a beautiful movie. And honnestly the visuals of this movie still holds up and even look more grounded and believable than most recent MCU productions.
Reasons I like Ang Lee's Hulk more= 1. It's portrayed more closely to the comics (It has shown Bruce Banner's troubled upbringing with domestic violence), 2. Bruce Banner gains his powers while saving a kid (A noble sacrifice), 3. It's an introspective story about him dealing with his powers (I'm an introspective person so I could empathize easier), 4. The music- Particularly when Banner/Hulk are in the mindscape, 5. The Hulk isn't used in or is the butt of a joke, 6. The Hulk looked and behaved like in the comics, 7. I'm Australian so I already have some familiarity with Eric Bana and his work, and 8. Betty Ross was not replaced by Black Widow so that the Hulk would fit in with the Avengers movie storyline.
I loved that his powers weren’t blunted in the any lee ones too. Most notably seeing how he could just jump miles as a kid was a crazy fantasy. People would be like what superpower would you want? Most would say flying or invincibility but I would be like what If you could jump so high it’s like you’re flying 😂 but then wolverine took over
And he grew when he got angry (disney take note of 1 of hulks greatest features) like te comics It was less words an alot of action explaining which made u watch it again and again,also liked the Edward Norton one too... cgi wise tht hulk looked very good
Bruh his powers literally were shown the best in this movie. No other movie captured Hulk as good as this one. I have always said this one is the best one.He actually gets stronger the angrier he got, and he was shown leaping across continents, digging through earth like it was paper machete and not being made a comedian every scene. 😌 put this man back on the script.
@@MrDJJ113 though in a more subtle way, they did showcase the 2008 iteration of hulk growing stronger as he became angrier against abomination, and while he didn't grow in size like the 2003 version (his eyes briefly began to glow brighter) it's still leagues better than the 2012 reboot...it's just sad to see how over time the hulk's presence in cinema grew worse and worse, eventually becoming a joke
Ang Lee wasn't afraid to go weird and experimental with Hulk, and that's why the movie still stands out today as a sort of anomaly in this goofy, self aware MCU comic book film landscape we find ourselves in today. I wish the sequel would've come to fruition.
Plus it develops the trauma of bruce and the hulk from his father like in the comics. Now i just wanna see what would happen if an Ang Lee type hulk was in the MCU
I've always thought that this was the best Hulk, and now i appreciate how greatly the human side of Banner was portrayed, it's a more mature movie than all the rest, it's an action infused drama.
Movie was criminally underrated, ahead of its time, something that is refreshing to watch past and future. We didn’t appreciate what we had back then, now Marvel has burnt out itself, we need more movies like Hulk 2003 and less of these tired repetitive movies we have now, try something new and refreshing, different perspectives, different takes on iconic Marcel characters, delve deeper into what made people love the comics and what the future holds for us all.
The 2003 Hulk is legit one of those films that get better the more you watch it as you mature with the film. I honestly think that the world wasn’t ready for that film or even now. People are just getting more and more used to mindless action films with little to no character or atmosphere. Thriller movies are a thing of the past at the box office and now only cotton candy comedic films are at the forefront that use their publicity to push some political agenda. I miss when films were made like this to be thought provoking to the audience and really showed the depth of the character(s).
@@madcracker8077 Yeah, I get the film isn’t for everyone but hey that’s your opinion and you’re entitled to it. Personally I also like the 2008 Incredible Hulk film better but in terms of understanding the character of “Hulk”, Ang Lee’s film does it the best as a psychological thriller showing the sheer depth of the character which the MCU has done none of. The Incredible Hulk was just a good movie all around that actually took Hulk seriously, but 2003 had a more thoughtful character.
I love Ang Lee's Hulk, and I love you for putting this out! It's so underrated, and misunderstood. A Hulk movie must not be Hulk Smash, it's more than that!
They had him growing up to 30 feet tall maybe higher and hulk gets stronger not taller that's the only thing I didn't like about the movie but at the time it was my favorite hulk movie.
David Bruce banner experimented on himself passed it on to Robert Bruce banner and Robert Bruce banner got into the gamma explosion and David Bruce banner was born Brian David banner
Even though I hear people say they don't like this one because the CGI isn't that good, I love this movie because it's much more true to the comics, especially Bruce's dark past and Hulk's ability to get bigger and stronger the madder he gets. Which they left out in the newer movies.
Hulk was an absolute power house in that movie. Purely unstoppable power, and with each live action iteration since, he's been progressively watered down.
2003 Hulk: ballsmacks himself accidentally while struggling to lift the top off a tank 2012 Hulk: stops a leviathan with a mass of roughly 3 million tons (as much as 30 thousand tanks) 2023 internet hipsters who constantly mistake dogshit for art: "they keep watering down Hulk's strength" The internet has shown us that everyone is a fucking peanut brain.
I watched this movie with my brother and the score by Danny Elfman that plays as the opening montage goes through Hulk's childhood backstory still left a strong impact on me. Every time I hear that soundtrack, I see an image of Bruce plunging into the depths of human psyche. Definitely an underrated movie!
This film is my favorite representation of Hulk. It shows Hulks strength, power, rage far better than any other movie. I love him jumping for miles and becoming more powerful as he became angrier.
Ang Lee's Hulk is the best Hulk. The most comic acurate. And do not forget that epic music intro by Danny Elfman. Most epic music I 've ever heard in a superhero movie. Pure awe.
Yes. YES. I watched this movie on DVD almost every single day when I was a kid in high school. To this day this is still the best Hulk movie ever made because it actually bothers to explore the Banner/Hulk duality instead of just using it as a plot chip. The thing that kills me the most is people try to say the Ang Lee Hulk isn't connected to the MCU Hulk but the Edward Norton Hulk movie literally picked up from where the David Banna Hulk left off in Brazil.
Smart man, the host of this channel. Ang Lee's Hulk is a mostly forgotten, GREATLY underrated, wildly misunderstood masterpiece. Ang Lee is a genius, and the amount of heart, soul, and "elbow grease" he put into this film is amazing. Then there's Industrial Light and Magic! For my dollar there rendering of the Hulk is a perfect balance of photo realism, and a hand drawn comic book appearance. In many ways the 2003 Hulk film is the best (standalone) Hulk film Marvel ever made. Probably why Marvel has kept it as an official part of the MCU, even after the Mark Ruffalo version came to be. I love the Ang Lee Hulk film, always have, but I've never known even one other person who has. Liked it maybe, but not "loved" it, and I'm SO glad I found this video, because it let me know there's at least one other person in the world who does... Thank you Mr. Valentyne! (and by the way, when asked who's my fav? It's always been Batman, Iron Man, Wolverine, and I watched my VHS of Batman Returns EVERY DAY too!)
People will never understand what a masterpiece this movie is. Ang lees best movie for sure and if it came out today would have been way more received.
I understand why people hate it don’t get me wrong but this is genuinely a guilty pleasure of mine if this movie is randomly playing at any part of the movie I’ll sit down and watch the whim thing it’s that enjoyable
The problem with modern mcu films is they feel the same. Yes there are a few exceptions but they all have the same tone, humor, and tropes. What I love about ang Lee's hulk and other superhero films from that era and earlier is that even if the film was bad or mediocre they were still unique which made them more memorable. I can't say the same for current marvel.
It would’ve been nice to have something like this in the MCU, but unfortunately I’m pretty sure they weren’t allowed to give Hulk his own movie because of Universal owning the rights. If rumours are true though, we’ll be getting a World War Hulk movie soon that’ll hopefully dive into Bruce’s background in the MCU.
Universal owns the distribution rights to any solo Hulk movies, so Disney _could_ make a solo Hulk movie if they wanted, but they'd have to share the profits with Universal, and the Rat doesn't like sharing profits.
This Cgi was rendered amazingly in full-color broad daylight, without any fog or darkness or discoloration to help hiding details and/or blend the model to the background. That alone says a lot. I think this cgi may actually be superior work to what we witnessed afterwards from the MCU hulk
i thought i was the only one who loved this movie!!!! This is my favorite marvel movie!!! It just gives off this eerie dark unsettling vibe, kind of how hulk is supposed to be!! MCU made him into a joke. i love when hulk was more of a monster like Frankenstein. Gave it a horror feel to the tragedy which is the Hulk
Ang Lee's Hulk is the 1st CGI Hulk and looks better than all of them 💪. Every other movie had better technology and Ang Lee's Hulk still looks more realistic than all of them in the day and in the dark scenes. He looks so cool when he runs and jumps.
@@xaviervega468 The too bright part sure you can have. But at the end of the day he's still the closest looking to the comics which was the intention. The movie is kinda edited like a comic which gives it that comic book feeling. I say it worked, some didn't like it. Also the in-universe explanation for why he's that green is because of jellyfish bioluminescence. Something a lot of people missed with this movie is that Hulk is the product of a lot of different animal DNA on top of everything else. People thinking he's green just for the sake of being green didn't pay very much attention to this movie. As for him being "puffy", he's a fucking 15 foot tall gamma radiated science experiment. It's like looking at Batman and going "he's too dark". Like yeah, no shit. If Hulk being "too puffy" was a real objective problem for the character he'd still look like Lou Ferrigno's Hulk today. The Hulk is supposed to be this massive bulk of anger and strength and in my opinion, the other 2 live action Hulk's that came after Ang Lee's Hulk don't reflect that as well. The incredible Hulk is fine but sometimes he looks way too detailed. They didn't like Hulk being too green and whatnot so their next solution was to just completely 180 his design which I think overall looks worse than just making a comic accurate Hulk with an explanation for WHY he's so green.
Ruffalo also simply sucks as an actor in my opinion. I've never seen him do an outstanding job on anything. He's just a bland loser with a melancholic face. Eric Bana really did the top job. I'm not sure how he compares to Norton, because Norton clearly had the weaker script, so it's apples and oranges, to a degree. Hulk 2003 had easily and by far the best script and Bana embodied the conflict perfectly. Norton did a decent job, but I felt like Banner in his script was just a much blander character. Decent in terms of comic of movies, but not memorable. Ang Lee's Hulk is a movie that can stand on its own feet.
Of all the Marvel films at the time, I always treated this one as "the adult" or "mature" one. Even when I was five, growing up on it, I always knew it wasn't for kids and it made me feel older watching it. Especially the opening's background screaming Bruce listens to. At times, it feels like a psychological horror movie, and the way they portray Hulk as this hidden beast and I have no problem with that at all because the less Hulk was on screen, the scarier he was because you knew you would see something so destructive, so chaotic that it needs to be seen just for a little time at first before you really see him in action. I also feel this movie was trying to do what Christopher Nolan did with Batman, which was take a somewhat silly character as a concept and put them in a grounded, gritty world. But I will admit the comic panels and editing don't work really well with the world Ang Lee was aiming for. But other than that, I still think it's a criminally underrated movie, and it's not because of nostalgia or it's dark, I praise it because of its understanding of Bruce facing his inner demons, staying faithful as the comics, and it's genuine stakes raised throughout the movie. It's a shame the movie never got a sequel, which had Grey Hulk make his screen debut and would've face-off Leader and a giant Abomination in a apocalyptic Washington DC.
Your love for that movie is shared deeply. As a kid who grew with an abusive father, I related to Bruce on that level. I understood where his anger comes from.
Same here man! That's also the reason why I loved the film. Any person with a broken childhood could relate to this film. The writing was very good. All of that internal rage from past trauma can make anybody feel like the hulk where you just want to lash out. My favorite scene was at the end of the film when Bruce is sat across david in that military base. I felt what Bruce was feeling.
shared by me too! recently rewatched the whole movie on its 20th anniversary, and both relived a part of my childhood and also understood and appreciated it even more!
The thing I love about this movie that I never really see people talk about is that the angrier he gets the stronger he gets and you can actually see that in this movie when he physically grows and gets stronger maybe that's just me but I love that attention to detail in this movie, that no other movie does
@@xaviervega468 what the original commenter is saying is he likes that it’s very obvious he is getting stronger , obviously he won’t infinitely grow to a building size. More mass = more muscle mass. Very easy to see how he got stronger.
I do think the Incredible Hulk did show the Hulk grow in strength as he overpowered Abomination by the end of the movie. Regardless, I don't think we'll ever get that and Ang Lee's hulk back again. At least not under the current Marvel phase of things.
I'm opposite. I wasn't a big fan of the Hulk movie but, actually loved the artistic direction🎬Ang Lee took with the comic book transitions. Not to mention, he kept Hulk's body close to the comic book representation.
Fantastic analysis. I remember watching this movie with my older sister and being absolutely absorbed into the story it was trying to tell and the frankly underrated villain. It might still be my favorite of the two hulk films. Just discovered your channel recently and I’ve enjoyed every video I’ve seen so far! Definitely a fan dude keep it up!
Dude to me this movie really stuck with me. The emotional scenes where GRIPPING I will always remember the scene where little Bruce was playing with the stuffed animal while his parents argued.
First superhero film I ever saw in theaters I even painted my face green! I remember his first transformation was absolutely terrifying. I remember in the middle near the end of the film I leaned over to my dad and told him I scared he said “it’s okay don’t be afraid” he became my favorite superhero after Spider-Man (2002)
I just watched this a week or so ago. It's my favourite incarnation of the Hulk to date. I grew up with Lou Ferrigno's Hulk, too. The movie is so poorly misunderstood by most superhero fans. It's brilliant. Good video!
i've rewatched (in 4k bluray) ang lee's hulk recently for the first time since i saw it in cinema back in 2003. it's just incredible in its craft only: cinematography, editing, music score - it's all on another artistic level then anything mcu produced. even hulk cgi animation and all special effects look just amazing and aged perfectly well and even look better then most modern stuff! it's ang lee, what else should i say.
I enjoy the MCU version of Hulk but I do kinda miss this version of him a little, him and Bruce fighting for control was and still is a cool concept imo. Ang Lee's film adaptation might not be a masterpiece per say, but it's not a total dumpster fire by any means. I'd say in the list of good early 2000s superhero movies, it's right up there with Spider-Man and x men.
I agree Ang Lee's Hulk was definitely my favorite iteration. First of all it has a better story line I think then the Edward Norton version. Eric Bana, I felt, did a great job showing a man who has trouble expressing himself yet also eventually goes through emotional turmoil. At the beginning he seems kind of cold and nonchalant as the love of his life is just out of reach working beside him but not with him. The anger and chaos caused by his a-hole father coming back into his life just to use him. The jealousy and angst when the other a-hole Talbot is trying to get with Betty, demean Bruce and kill Hulk. And the anger of Betty's a-hole father who will stop at nothing even seemingly hurt his own daughter to capture the Hulk to use the Hulk's secrets for his own means. And most of the parts were played so well. Eric Bana is my favorite Bruce Banner, Jennifer Connelly is definitely my favorite Betty (no offense to Liv Tyler), Sam Elliot as Gen Ross perfection, Nick Nolte is always a good bad guy. Thanks for your take I enjoyed watching it.
Ang Lee's Hulk set the bar so high, that I've never been happy with the rest that followed. Lee's hulk is pure rage, and terrifying to watch. The other versions just make him flexing and yelling, which is not the same at all. Ang Lee's hulk feels like he doesn't realize he's going to hurt himself, both physically and vocally with his screams. I can hear the damage being done to his vocal cords, and Ang Lee did pull a muscle doing the mo-cap.
Still the best hulk movie imo. They got the impact of his childhood. The character of banner before the gamma infusion. And told a good hulk story after. Every other hulk fails the gravity of the backstory. Thank you for this video. You did a fantastic job outlining just why stan lees vision and creation of the hulk character should mean so much.
An R rated Hulk Horror film would be amazing. Imagine him ripping people's heads off and pulling guts out. He could be under the control of a cosmic entity or Scarlett witch and be on the hunt for someone or something . Sort of like Arnie in the original Terminator film. Relentless and won't stop coming after you
I felt Ang Lee's Hulk was pretty underappreciated. One of my friends pretty much slammed it for it's scene transitions throughout the film, but it honestly told a good story.
I just watched the film last night. It was such a blast and rlly made me appreciate hulk so much more. I thought i’d find the editing kinda dizzying but it was honestly so nostalgic of early 2000s, late 90s Hollywood movies, i fricken loved it!
Bro I thought I was the only one, this was the Best “Hulk” movie for me. It’s part of my collection. I may watch every 8 months. I like how you presented this.
I think that this movie, like Man Of Steel or the first Amazing Spiderman, has been forgiven by time and many people have given it another chance. I'm glad of that. I don't consider it my favorite, but it certainly has quite interesting ideas and for its time, I I imagine it in the same universe as Tobey Maguire's Spiderman, a very underrated movie, although my favorite will always be The Incredible Hulk, which to tell the truth seems to be a continuation of this one, it seems that this film with Norton took discarded ideas from the canceled sequel by Ang Lee
The movie has always held a special place for me. As an angry kid all I wanted was the ability to transform into an unstoppable force but more so Hulk was my favorite because it was easy to see myself in him
I remember when this came out and I was one of the few people I knew that liked it. I liked the editing and transitions done like a comic panel and the origin of his rage issues being suppressed trauma. It had action and also a bit more depth than just a Jekyll and Hyde style story
Why I always loved Hulk was how yes it does start out slow, but once the Hulk shows up it really delivers on the action front! Now I find the slow build up important like Jurassic Park
I remember having the 2003 hulk action figures, the game and the vcr tape. Definitely a very underrated Hulk film. Also, I would have loved to see Ruffalo’s Hulk (more specifically, Avengers and Age of Ultron) get his own, stand alone film.
Never understood why this one got so much hate.....I always loved this film from the ok effects at the time, the magnificent soundtrack, the comic book transitions, how tall and scary he was.....definitely a great film that should be respected more and had at least a sequel to it......I love Mark Ruffalo hulk but this version of the hulk is way more intimidating to me
This movie is a master piece and I've always loved it since I was a kid. Yes, it is an underrated movie. Anyway, I love the melancholic storyline of Bruce, the soundtrack is keen on representing the drama, the actors give their best on their performances. The CGI overall is really well made for a 2003 movie. This movie also has some scary scenes, every time when Hulk would start transform I would shiver on my couch, but I would really enjoy seeing Hulk powers and strength. Great movie!
You hit it right on the head. I grew up loving and watching this Hulk as well. The mental anguish he was dealing with IS what makes the Hulk the Hulk. A dark and primeval anger which we all try and keep deep down inside, coupled with childhood trauma. The comic book presentation is what separates the movie as well.
Loved this movie, the story was engaging. They really wanted to fully flesh out bruce trauma. And fun fact, bruce only transforms in this movie due to trauma, or saving betty
As a kid who grew up in a troubled childhood, I won't give details as I doubt youtube would allow them, but when I was 6 the 2003 hulk movie came out, and It felt like a piece of media that understood me, I felt like all the rage and pent up anger inside me that I lashed out with made me a monster, through the years I kept coming back to the movie, It really helped me feel noticed and like I could be normal. All the years of people hating and critisising the movie really hurt me deep on the inside given it was the only piece of media I felt I could directly relate to, to feel less alone less isolated because people didn't understand my pent up repressed emotions and my difficulties controlling them. Thank you, I appreciate someone talking about this movie in a positive light for once. It's very rare.
I grew up loving that movie, and that depiction of Hulk and his powers on the tv screen has always been my favorite. Me and my dad use to have a song lyric for the Hulk vs. the 3 dogs scene. The song lyric is simply "let the doggies fight the hulk!" To the tune of Let the bodies hit the floor by Drowning Pool. My dad was an awesome dude, and he passed away in 2022 due to cancer. Rip my dad
What I absolutely hate is how unrealistic every superhero’s cgi has become. The hulk 2003 was not graphically as advanced but at times he looked very natural LIKE HE WAS THERE. It actually scared you. He was menacing and his presence felt real. In the following hulk after it the production focused a lot on using cgi as the background and more of it. It felt unnatural like what you were watching was a video game. The buildings felt like they weren’t actually destroyed but just in the cgi world were destroyed. Although more detail in the cgi, they used a diffferent technique almost creating his whole image from scratch. In hulk 2003 he looked very human with very natural human facial expression. I hate how avengers is over saturated with so much cgi that you feel no fear. No danger as the viewer bc you are aware what you are watching is unreal. Bring back old production where the producer actually tried to convince you that what you’re seeing is real.
"You can say when he snaps the Infinity Gauntlet that's his moment." I do. I do say that's his moment--in fact, I don't see how there's any other way to read it. It's the one thing only he can do (and survive), and it demands both parts of him, his strength and his intellect, the two things that have always been at war but now finally are at peace with one another. That's a great legacy for the character.
This will always be my favourite hulk. I used to have this movie on vhs as a kid, I wore it out because I watched it so much. It’s not until I got older I found out it has a bad reputation and people like to dump on it. So i rewatched it recently wondering if it was just blind nostalgia which made me love this movie, but no. It’s still one of the most underrated comic book movies of all time. I still love it just as much as I did when I was a kid.
One of my favorite superhero characters as well! I have a similar past except the radiation part(thankfully). I have an abusive father and other evil people in my family who made my childhood a living Hell and continued the torture through my teenage and young adulthood. After that i have stood up for myself and slowly "merged" with that survival instinct that caused me to lash out. Because of the constant pressure i have developed anger issues. But fortunately never stepped over any moral borders. I have just yelled and hit objects..Harmed myself. I was so angry and felt guilty because the very people who betrayed and tortured me shamelessly put THEIR OWN guilt on me just so they can live care free and continue harming others. Now as i am leaving that fake quilt behind(fake as it is not my guilt because i did not do anything to deserve it) i am starting to be one with that "beast". The scared little child and the beast that protected her starting to form an actual adult. Someone responsible, someone who i always meant to be and who can help others to avoid the same faith. Sorry i have turned into a writer half way! XD
Bruce Banner was excellent in Ang Lee's Hulk movie. He really comes across as someone with not just a temper, but pathologically messed up, repressed Rage, a victim of horrible childhood trauma. As good as Mark Ruffalo is, as an actor, he just does not portray that side of him, he actually comes across as a very grounded college professor.
I wish the 2003 hulk was the hulk we stayed with I really want it back it’s perfect on all levels from size to power and speed I felt all the hulks emotions the story was great and lee understood the hulk and made his hulk perfect and spot on I loved seeing the hulk grow and get stronger ( comic accurate version of hulk )
I have found my people! I NEVER understood the hate for Ang Lee's take on Bruce Banner/ The Hulk. It's not just a case of childhood nostalgia. Even when I revisit the movie as an adult, I find the characters well written and the audience gains an understanding for the Hulk as a stand-alone character. We understand his traumas and motivations. Eric Bana's performance was also really well done.
bruce's attempts at suicide are also probably a reference to the wolf man. in one of the golden age movies the character larry talbot tries to jump off a cliff so he can stop killing people but he transforms into the wolf man and survives
Oh hell yeah, always down for an Ang Lee Hulk appreciation video. Such a unique and avant-garde take on the Bruce Banner character. Plus it really showed the sheer power of the Hulk, something I dont think has been topped since. I understand why it was so divisive, but to me it deserves more respect for trying something different, especially now with the current oversaturation of cookie-cutter MCU content.
It sucks that the MCU treats hulk like a joke, I’m just glad hulk got a decent comic line that is amazing and dives into hulks character. If you like hulk you should read immortal hulk, it has drama, action, thrills and everything else you want out of a hulk story
WOW! 100k! I just want to say thank you to everyone who watched this video! It means the world to me! This is my first video essay EVER! And I never expected it to reach so many people! I will only keep making video essays and getting better at it as well! Thank you for all the support! ❤️💚
I'm so glad to hear I wasn't the only one who dressed up as the hulk back in 2004, and had the foam hulk gloves. This video really brought back some long lost memories from my early childhood
People were not ready for it at that time. It was long but the cinematography, action, VFX, Acting, Theme were on spot, specially Ang Lee's split screen scenes. It is one of my favourite all time Superhero movie along with Sam Raimis Spiderman, Zack Snyder's Man of Steel and Russos Infinity War. The story was faithful to the comics. Bruce who has endured pain throughout his life finally let go of his anger and monster inside after the Gamma Ray accident. Solid 10/10 from me at that time also and even today❤👌🔥🔥
I watched it as a kid and loved it. And still don't get why it was so universally panned, it's still the best hulk film to this day and I think everyone in it were great for such an early superhero film
In MCU, Bruce says he's "always angry," which is a cool line, but I never really got that impression from the character. He's passive aggressive and reluctant, but I wouldn't say he seems to be always angry. It's really more panic and anxiety that seems to transform him in the MCU films, which I think is a mistake. Rather than just excitement or sudden outbursts making him transform, I like how in this movie, it's that deep, slow, SEETHING type of anger that boils over and lets the beast out. It's more relatable, especially nowadays I think. There's a lot of stuff in life to be pissed off about that we just have to not ruminate on or it'll destroy us. But when it becomes unavoidable and overwhelming, sometimes we all just wanna Hulk Out lol
This was the only Hulk movie that made you legitimately scared of the Hulk and its entire atmosphere cannot be replicated. Every other Hulk movie hes basically a large green strong guy. In this movie hes an unstoppable uncontrollable force of nature that just gets larger, angrier, stronger, and more unpredictable the more violence comes his way.
I have always loved how the Hulk pushes up his sleeve (when there isn't one) before taking on the tank. Ed Hooks' book on Acting for Animators would call that a phycological gesture. It is something that Bruce does when he is getting down to work that lingers in the mind of the Hulk. Beautiful.
I rewatched the first Avengers movie yesterday and I really do like how they handle Bruce Banner/Hulk in the first half of the movie. Ruffalo really sells the feeling of being on edge, constantly worrying about whether he'll transform and destroy everything around him, and when he eventually does turn into the hulk, he really is depicted as a terrifying, unstoppable force of nature. I get that they had to have him become a more traditional hero character for the final battle but the first half really nails the character of the hulk I feel
Drives me crazy how no one talks about 2003 hulk when the cgi is better than 20 years later!!! The problem with ang Lees hulk is that it's ang Lee, and people don't like him when he's ang lee. Never been a proper hulk movie other than Edward Nortons and I'd never say its better. Will always be a mystery but I will always support the 2003 Ang Lee hulk as my personal favourite
Someone finally said it, and I totally agree. He doesn’t put on a costume, pick up an op weapon or shield, instead his power is part of him that he has to FIGHT to keep in check. It is a beautiful conflict that goes as deep as any writer needs or wants it to. My favorite comic character by far.
the 70's Hulk show and the three accompanying movies with Lou Ferrigno and Bill Bixby is my favorite interpretation of the character, its one of the only adaptations that really hammers you with feelings of forever loneliness, that coupled with the brilliant score and charismatic acting of Bill, you get what is in my eyes, the finest interpretation. 2003's Hulk, is also great, loved it as a kid and still do now, its probably the most accurate depiction of the hulk. I remember when the movie came out, it was a great time to be alive.
Hulk was ahead of it's time in experimental art films with a popular character.
The success of the Snyderverse and Logan proved that.
@@ChristianFrates1997 Snyder-verse didn't succeed, all Snyder made was a toxic cult for himself to enjoy. Snyder destroyed Supes. No matter how much 'sense' it makes, that Supes is NOT Supes (but Cavill is indeed a brilliant casting choice). Just as Tobey's Spidey having organic webbing is also inaccurate.
Yeah, how many films are there like that? Speed Racer? Not many. Hulk is one of the few.
Hulk was about 40 years behind its time. That shit was already passé and lame by 1974.
It was the wrong character to use for this film
It's so good to see that there are people like me that enjoyed the 2003 adaptation.
Favorite part about it? I love his backstory and the editing along with Hulk's power
In the 2003 version the hulk is actually angry and big and just like the hulk should be. no the mess of the new movies. i mean cmon. hulk losing in a fist fight against thanos? pff xD
I think it’s the best hulk movie, love the whole comic book cinematography ang lee was doing throughout, loved the story.. more of a personal and emotional origin story for him. Nick Noltes david banner was very compelling! Not to mention the action scenes, fck me, when he hulked out, it was truly epic, this version of the hulk was scary strong.. much more faithful to comics and TAS Hulk (which is still the best Hulk thing out there). Wish they had the balls to go forward with master ang lees version.
And me also
Many people enjoyed hulk 2003 are you kidding me
As a lifelong Hulk fan, what made Ang's version work so well for me was it made you understand WHY there's a Hulk. That because of the repressed emotional trauma, the ANGER, from his father’s abuse and murder of his mother, Banner essentially created the Hulk in his mind BEFORE the gamma accident. It also explains why the Hulk’s strength is directly related to his anger: It’s the anger of a child who wasn’t strong enough to protect himself or someone he loves and lashes out at the world for release. The TV series switched the trauma to Banner being too weak to rescue his wife from a burning car, but it likewise explained why he was angry and his obsession with learning the secret to superhuman strength, which, as it turned out, was directly connected to anger and gamma radiation. The Peter David run on the comic series deepened the abuse, trauma, and anger and established Banner suffering from Dissociative Identity Disorder or DID, and the latest Al Ewing Immortal Hulk run added mystical/cosmic layers to the Hulk’s origin and powers, revealing that what happened to Banner was far more than an “accident.” Anyway, this is my incredibly long-winded way of saying that if you remove the psychological foundations of the character, the Hulk is just a big, green, short-tempered strong guy. And if the only reason he’s around is there was a gamma accident/experiment, then ANYONE could be the Hulk, which is what the Abomination was. Mr. Lee’s film avoided these mistakes and, I think, did justice to my favorite character. In other words: IT SMASHED!
Very well said! Bruce Banner is the one and only Hulk because of his background and origin! Thank you!
Immortal hulk was awesome!
I loved every moment of this paragraph it was awesome
@@quarterpie2769 Immortal Hulk WAS awesome! I have an old comic buddy who hasn’t read it yet, and I compared it to how Alan Moore took ahold of Swamp Thing, acknowledged, expanded, and ran with everything that had been done, and turned the book into a next-level horror then straight-up sci-fi series. Or how David took the reigns from Mantlo and dove DEEP into Banner’s psyche; then Pak dove even deeper; then Ewing dove so deep he passed through the Green Door and came out on in the Below-Place, lol. Then Cates came along and shat on everything…boooo!
Bruh I’m not reading all that
Eric Bana's artistry and emotional portrayal was to me, what the Hulk had always been like. Edward Norton and Mark Ruffalo somehow turned to be a CGI update and it's really not a bad thing but, Bana somehow made Banner's internal struggle so real and palpable despite how dated the effects are for the movie. The sound design was also a part of what made Ang Lee's Hulk a great piece imo.
This is also my favorite version of the Hulk.
My family has suffered with anger issues for generations, so, as a child watching HULK, I related with Bruce, his rage, and his relationship with his father.
Watching this video on the subject has shaken me up a little. I'll probably have to hunt this movie down and watch it again. Great video, thanks for bringing this up.
I knew there was a reason I hated new Hulk.
Wow bro, that’s powerful. This version was my favorite as well.
Well, mine too
I really wish we could have gotten this dark Hulk in the MCU. It would have been a great balance with the humor and light tone. Sure the MCU had some serious and dark moments, but imagine if Hulk was something everyone was afraid of, and would literally be a last resort. What if after Thanos arrives and the heroes realize how dire the situation truly is, there would be a moment where everyone is sitting in a room discussing what to do next, and after a moment of silence, someone turns their head and says "We need the Hulk" which sends shivers down everyone's spines. Using the Hulk would be a huge risk. Unleashing the monster might give them a chance against their greatest enemy, but at the same time they might be risking having another unstoppable monster to deal with.
That would be an amazing moment! I wish they did that! The fear that the Hulk brings, was lost after Age of Ultron I feel
I agree 💯. I kinda think they have plans to overpower Hulk coming up against Galactis. It's the only way to redeem him without having an Avengers vs Hulk film or something.
@@chumcalmdown I hope so. But seeing how She Hulk is going.. they might just ditch Hulk and over power She Hulk for girl power.
This was dark?
In the TV show David banner turns into the hulk and in the 2003 movie David banner 's son Robert Bruce banner turns into the hulk making David banner being absorbing man marvel comics uses both banners one at a time
The visceral anger in this movie is what made me love it so much when I was a child. I could almost feel angry with him. This is something the new hulks lack nowadays.
That and the ability to get stronger the angrier they get and a healing Factor.
It's one of my favorite aspects of the film too! Feeling Hulk's anger is very important
@@Mr.Valentyne It's almost childish without going overboard and being obnoxious.
I was always sad that Sam Elliott didn't carry on as General Ross. I thought he was perfect for the part. It might just be that people know exactly how to cast him.
Absolutely! I have been spamming comments with this observation for years.
You can believe him the anger.
None of the rest even come close.
Well the newer ones still have the anger and healing aspect, it's just not shown. Pretty much every instance I can think of them being on screen, minus the gladiator fight in Ragnarok or the city rampage in Age of Ultron, has Hulk disappear before he starts getting his raged amp. We also don't see him prolonged as Hulk to see him heal, but it's pretty much implied to be the case in Ragnarok with the Fenris bite wound not bothering him immediately after it happens, which I'd say is it healing nigh instantly.
Honestly the real problem is their consistency. They seem to dial him up when needed and he couldn't end the movie himself, but when he's in a spot to solo something they nerf him to hell and get him offscreen as soon as they can. Very weird choices. HOPING the post She-Hulk journey gets us a more proper showing.
10 years ago people used to say that Ang Lee's Hulk had bad CGI but for me it has aged pretty well. The fact that most of this movie was filmed in real locations makes CGI look good and realistic. Also motion capture is pretty great.
Modern superhero movies don't look this good and I think it is because they use too much green screen.
It always felt like I could touch the Hulk in this movie for how real he looked(sure they’re are some bad shots.) but most peoples problem was that he was too green or unnaturally green. It felt like he painted himself rather than it being his actual skin color
Hulk looked perfect to me.
Good point, the real locations really ground the CGI. It almost tricks your brain into thinking "well this place is real, therefore everything else I'm seeing is real" whereas newer films that rely on completely digital landscapes, everything just blends together as a big CGI mess
@@tbuckyfilms eloquently put and i agree. a big cgi mess is a nice way to put it. couldn't figure out why everything looked off even though these films were in the 2017-2022 range
No, its still really bad
The most underrated movie Hulk ever. I love how this one is more faithful to the comics and had nice CGI.
Kinda crazy how this CGI is better than She Hulk lmfao
Literally the best hulk movie
I don’t think so , it’s widely regarded as the best hulk movie .
Nobody talks about it but I love this movie. Ang Lee's Hulk is a beautiful movie. And honnestly the visuals of this movie still holds up and even look more grounded and believable than most recent MCU productions.
Reasons I like Ang Lee's Hulk more=
1. It's portrayed more closely to the comics (It has shown Bruce Banner's troubled upbringing with domestic violence),
2. Bruce Banner gains his powers while saving a kid (A noble sacrifice),
3. It's an introspective story about him dealing with his powers (I'm an introspective person so I could empathize easier),
4. The music- Particularly when Banner/Hulk are in the mindscape,
5. The Hulk isn't used in or is the butt of a joke,
6. The Hulk looked and behaved like in the comics,
7. I'm Australian so I already have some familiarity with Eric Bana and his work, and
8. Betty Ross was not replaced by Black Widow so that the Hulk would fit in with the Avengers movie storyline.
dont forget the amazing action sequences!
9. Lou Ferrigno's Cameo?
I loved that his powers weren’t blunted in the any lee ones too. Most notably seeing how he could just jump miles as a kid was a crazy fantasy. People would be like what superpower would you want? Most would say flying or invincibility but I would be like what If you could jump so high it’s like you’re flying 😂 but then wolverine took over
And he grew when he got angry (disney take note of 1 of hulks greatest features) like te comics
It was less words an alot of action explaining which made u watch it again and again,also liked the Edward Norton one too... cgi wise tht hulk looked very good
Coming out of the lab before the gamma event right?@@giovac.6814
Bruh his powers literally were shown the best in this movie. No other movie captured Hulk as good as this one. I have always said this one is the best one.He actually gets stronger the angrier he got, and he was shown leaping across continents, digging through earth like it was paper machete and not being made a comedian every scene. 😌 put this man back on the script.
I loved how this Hulk increased in size the angrier dude gets.
@@tenji8084 YES! No other movie even shows him getting stronger, the size change was a beautiful showcase.
I agree
I liked how most people fell asleep during it. Hire that man!
@@MrDJJ113 though in a more subtle way, they did showcase the 2008 iteration of hulk growing stronger as he became angrier against abomination, and while he didn't grow in size like the 2003 version (his eyes briefly began to glow brighter) it's still leagues better than the 2012 reboot...it's just sad to see how over time the hulk's presence in cinema grew worse and worse, eventually becoming a joke
Ang Lee wasn't afraid to go weird and experimental with Hulk, and that's why the movie still stands out today as a sort of anomaly in this goofy, self aware MCU comic book film landscape we find ourselves in today. I wish the sequel would've come to fruition.
That fight scene with the dogs is better than most mcu fight scenes
@@bigsmilie07 I 1,000% agree
Plus it develops the trauma of bruce and the hulk from his father like in the comics.
Now i just wanna see what would happen if an Ang Lee type hulk was in the MCU
@@bigsmilie07 Sadly, you're not wrong.
Technically, the video game and Gamma Games comic book are sequels.
I've always thought that this was the best Hulk, and now i appreciate how greatly the human side of Banner was portrayed, it's a more mature movie than all the rest, it's an action infused drama.
Movie was criminally underrated, ahead of its time, something that is refreshing to watch past and future. We didn’t appreciate what we had back then, now Marvel has burnt out itself, we need more movies like Hulk 2003 and less of these tired repetitive movies we have now, try something new and refreshing, different perspectives, different takes on iconic Marcel characters, delve deeper into what made people love the comics and what the future holds for us all.
The 2003 Hulk is legit one of those films that get better the more you watch it as you mature with the film. I honestly think that the world wasn’t ready for that film or even now. People are just getting more and more used to mindless action films with little to no character or atmosphere. Thriller movies are a thing of the past at the box office and now only cotton candy comedic films are at the forefront that use their publicity to push some political agenda. I miss when films were made like this to be thought provoking to the audience and really showed the depth of the character(s).
I couldn't have said it better myself! I'm glad you agree!
@@airtonkyo Haha.
Nah, that movie was pretty ass, and the cgi for hulk was so bad, Ed Norton’s hulk was leagues better tbh
@@madcracker8077 Yeah, I get the film isn’t for everyone but hey that’s your opinion and you’re entitled to it. Personally I also like the 2008 Incredible Hulk film better but in terms of understanding the character of “Hulk”, Ang Lee’s film does it the best as a psychological thriller showing the sheer depth of the character which the MCU has done none of. The Incredible Hulk was just a good movie all around that actually took Hulk seriously, but 2003 had a more thoughtful character.
@@madcracker8077 it was made in 2003. Point me to one movie that has CGI that aged well from that period.
I agree. Hulk is my top 5 superhero. I like the look of hulk in the original too and how he moved when he was angry it was visceral
I love Ang Lee's Hulk, and I love you for putting this out! It's so underrated, and misunderstood.
A Hulk movie must not be Hulk Smash, it's more than that!
I'm so glad you liked it! I really appreciate it!
They had him growing up to 30 feet tall maybe higher and hulk gets stronger not taller that's the only thing I didn't like about the movie but at the time it was my favorite hulk movie.
@@daviddavis8918 30ft is pretty exaggerated, its more like 15-20 maybe but him getting bigger is comic accurate.
David Bruce banner experimented on himself passed it on to Robert Bruce banner and Robert Bruce banner got into the gamma explosion and David Bruce banner was born Brian David banner
Even though I hear people say they don't like this one because the CGI isn't that good, I love this movie because it's much more true to the comics, especially Bruce's dark past and Hulk's ability to get bigger and stronger the madder he gets. Which they left out in the newer movies.
Hulk was an absolute power house in that movie. Purely unstoppable power, and with each live action iteration since, he's been progressively watered down.
2003 Hulk: ballsmacks himself accidentally while struggling to lift the top off a tank
2012 Hulk: stops a leviathan with a mass of roughly 3 million tons (as much as 30 thousand tanks)
2023 internet hipsters who constantly mistake dogshit for art: "they keep watering down Hulk's strength"
The internet has shown us that everyone is a fucking peanut brain.
I watched this movie with my brother and the score by Danny Elfman that plays as the opening montage goes through Hulk's childhood backstory still left a strong impact on me. Every time I hear that soundtrack, I see an image of Bruce plunging into the depths of human psyche. Definitely an underrated movie!
This film is my favorite representation of Hulk. It shows Hulks strength, power, rage far better than any other movie. I love him jumping for miles and becoming more powerful as he became angrier.
Finally!! I'm so tired of seeing people praise 2008 Hulk like the 2003 Hulk film never existed.
Ang Lee's Hulk is the best Hulk.
The most comic acurate.
And do not forget that epic music intro by Danny Elfman.
Most epic music I 've ever heard in a superhero movie.
Pure awe.
Electro's theme from The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is a close second in my opinion. But yup, Hulk's music haunted my childhood. Very atmospheric.
Similar to aliens
Yes. YES. I watched this movie on DVD almost every single day when I was a kid in high school. To this day this is still the best Hulk movie ever made because it actually bothers to explore the Banner/Hulk duality instead of just using it as a plot chip.
The thing that kills me the most is people try to say the Ang Lee Hulk isn't connected to the MCU Hulk but the Edward Norton Hulk movie literally picked up from where the David Banna Hulk left off in Brazil.
Smart man, the host of this channel. Ang Lee's Hulk is a mostly forgotten, GREATLY underrated, wildly misunderstood masterpiece. Ang Lee is a genius, and the amount of heart, soul, and "elbow grease" he put into this film is amazing. Then there's Industrial Light and Magic! For my dollar there rendering of the Hulk is a perfect balance of photo realism, and a hand drawn comic book appearance. In many ways the 2003 Hulk film is the best (standalone) Hulk film Marvel ever made. Probably why Marvel has kept it as an official part of the MCU, even after the Mark Ruffalo version came to be. I love the Ang Lee Hulk film, always have, but I've never known even one other person who has. Liked it maybe, but not "loved" it, and I'm SO glad I found this video, because it let me know there's at least one other person in the world who does... Thank you Mr. Valentyne! (and by the way, when asked who's my fav? It's always been Batman, Iron Man, Wolverine, and I watched my VHS of Batman Returns EVERY DAY too!)
Thank you! There’s a whole community of people who love this film!
We have found each other ! I also think this is another Ang Lee emotional epic cinematic Masterpiece. So misunderstood by the mainstream, sadly.
I never understood the hate for this movie. Have gotten into countless arguments defending it. Nice video!
People will never understand what a masterpiece this movie is. Ang lees best movie for sure and if it came out today would have been way more received.
I understand why people hate it don’t get me wrong but this is genuinely a guilty pleasure of mine if this movie is randomly playing at any part of the movie I’ll sit down and watch the whim thing it’s that enjoyable
The problem with modern mcu films is they feel the same. Yes there are a few exceptions but they all have the same tone, humor, and tropes. What I love about ang Lee's hulk and other superhero films from that era and earlier is that even if the film was bad or mediocre they were still unique which made them more memorable. I can't say the same for current marvel.
MCU films feeling similar is more due to a Kevin Feige mindset. He wants MCU movies to be like that, similar and familiar in tone.
@@mottom2657
Yes and that's honestly to the series detriment.
It would’ve been nice to have something like this in the MCU, but unfortunately I’m pretty sure they weren’t allowed to give Hulk his own movie because of Universal owning the rights. If rumours are true though, we’ll be getting a World War Hulk movie soon that’ll hopefully dive into Bruce’s background in the MCU.
Universal owns the distribution rights to any solo Hulk movies, so Disney _could_ make a solo Hulk movie if they wanted, but they'd have to share the profits with Universal, and the Rat doesn't like sharing profits.
This Cgi was rendered amazingly in full-color broad daylight, without any fog or darkness or discoloration to help hiding details and/or blend the model to the background. That alone says a lot. I think this cgi may actually be superior work to what we witnessed afterwards from the MCU hulk
This is definitely the best adaptation of Hulk. The music to me is a mix of mystery, love and pain, along with greatness coming out of it.
i thought i was the only one who loved this movie!!!! This is my favorite marvel movie!!! It just gives off this eerie dark unsettling vibe, kind of how hulk is supposed to be!! MCU made him into a joke. i love when hulk was more of a monster like Frankenstein. Gave it a horror feel to the tragedy which is the Hulk
You're not alone!
Ang Lee's Hulk is the 1st CGI Hulk and looks better than all of them 💪. Every other movie had better technology and Ang Lee's Hulk still looks more realistic than all of them in the day and in the dark scenes. He looks so cool when he runs and jumps.
Sorry but no. He looks way too bright and puffy.
@@xaviervega468 Yeah wtf is this guy talking abt
i think his *design* is better than later Hulks but... let's not blow too much smoke up his butt. He looks like fake apple-flavored chewing gum.
Hard disagree
@@xaviervega468 The too bright part sure you can have. But at the end of the day he's still the closest looking to the comics which was the intention. The movie is kinda edited like a comic which gives it that comic book feeling. I say it worked, some didn't like it. Also the in-universe explanation for why he's that green is because of jellyfish bioluminescence. Something a lot of people missed with this movie is that Hulk is the product of a lot of different animal DNA on top of everything else. People thinking he's green just for the sake of being green didn't pay very much attention to this movie.
As for him being "puffy", he's a fucking 15 foot tall gamma radiated science experiment. It's like looking at Batman and going "he's too dark". Like yeah, no shit. If Hulk being "too puffy" was a real objective problem for the character he'd still look like Lou Ferrigno's Hulk today. The Hulk is supposed to be this massive bulk of anger and strength and in my opinion, the other 2 live action Hulk's that came after Ang Lee's Hulk don't reflect that as well. The incredible Hulk is fine but sometimes he looks way too detailed. They didn't like Hulk being too green and whatnot so their next solution was to just completely 180 his design which I think overall looks worse than just making a comic accurate Hulk with an explanation for WHY he's so green.
The 2003 and 2008 Hulk were generally better than what we got in the MCU.
2008's Incredible Hulk is a) part of the MCU and b) terrible
Ruffalo also simply sucks as an actor in my opinion. I've never seen him do an outstanding job on anything. He's just a bland loser with a melancholic face.
Eric Bana really did the top job. I'm not sure how he compares to Norton, because Norton clearly had the weaker script, so it's apples and oranges, to a degree. Hulk 2003 had easily and by far the best script and Bana embodied the conflict perfectly. Norton did a decent job, but I felt like Banner in his script was just a much blander character. Decent in terms of comic of movies, but not memorable. Ang Lee's Hulk is a movie that can stand on its own feet.
Of all the Marvel films at the time, I always treated this one as "the adult" or "mature" one. Even when I was five, growing up on it, I always knew it wasn't for kids and it made me feel older watching it. Especially the opening's background screaming Bruce listens to. At times, it feels like a psychological horror movie, and the way they portray Hulk as this hidden beast and I have no problem with that at all because the less Hulk was on screen, the scarier he was because you knew you would see something so destructive, so chaotic that it needs to be seen just for a little time at first before you really see him in action. I also feel this movie was trying to do what Christopher Nolan did with Batman, which was take a somewhat silly character as a concept and put them in a grounded, gritty world. But I will admit the comic panels and editing don't work really well with the world Ang Lee was aiming for. But other than that, I still think it's a criminally underrated movie, and it's not because of nostalgia or it's dark, I praise it because of its understanding of Bruce facing his inner demons, staying faithful as the comics, and it's genuine stakes raised throughout the movie. It's a shame the movie never got a sequel, which had Grey Hulk make his screen debut and would've face-off Leader and a giant Abomination in a apocalyptic Washington DC.
Your love for that movie is shared deeply.
As a kid who grew with an abusive father, I related to Bruce on that level.
I understood where his anger comes from.
Same here man! That's also the reason why I loved the film. Any person with a broken childhood could relate to this film. The writing was very good. All of that internal rage from past trauma can make anybody feel like the hulk where you just want to lash out.
My favorite scene was at the end of the film when Bruce is sat across david in that military base. I felt what Bruce was feeling.
shared by me too! recently rewatched the whole movie on its 20th anniversary, and both relived a part of my childhood and also understood and appreciated it even more!
The thing I love about this movie that I never really see people talk about is that the angrier he gets the stronger he gets and you can actually see that in this movie when he physically grows and gets stronger maybe that's just me but I love that attention to detail in this movie, that no other movie does
Hulk dosen't grow 15 feet tall in the comics.
@@xaviervega468 what the original commenter is saying is he likes that it’s very obvious he is getting stronger , obviously he won’t infinitely grow to a building size. More mass = more muscle mass. Very easy to see how he got stronger.
@@xaviervega468 that all depends of what size he is in the comics.
I do think the Incredible Hulk did show the Hulk grow in strength as he overpowered Abomination by the end of the movie. Regardless, I don't think we'll ever get that and Ang Lee's hulk back again. At least not under the current Marvel phase of things.
He was exactly that when abomination stabbed him and pinned him with his bone, overpowering him but the table got turned when hulk got angry.
I'm opposite. I wasn't a big fan of the Hulk movie but, actually loved the artistic direction🎬Ang Lee took with the comic book transitions. Not to mention, he kept Hulk's body close to the comic book representation.
Fantastic analysis. I remember watching this movie with my older sister and being absolutely absorbed into the story it was trying to tell and the frankly underrated villain. It might still be my favorite of the two hulk films. Just discovered your channel recently and I’ve enjoyed every video I’ve seen so far! Definitely a fan dude keep it up!
Dude to me this movie really stuck with me. The emotional scenes where GRIPPING I will always remember the scene where little Bruce was playing with the stuffed animal while his parents argued.
This movie and Punisher 2004 are so underrated... The early 2000's marvel era is my favorite one by far.
My favorite era as well!
First superhero film I ever saw in theaters I even painted my face green! I remember his first transformation was absolutely terrifying. I remember in the middle near the end of the film I leaned over to my dad and told him I scared he said “it’s okay don’t be afraid” he became my favorite superhero after Spider-Man (2002)
It's a great scene. Scared me as a kid too!
@@Mr.Valentyne puny human also terrified me! Few months back I purchased a boxed pair of Hulk hands
thats a beautiful memory. thanks for sharing
I just watched this a week or so ago. It's my favourite incarnation of the Hulk to date. I grew up with Lou Ferrigno's Hulk, too.
The movie is so poorly misunderstood by most superhero fans. It's brilliant. Good video!
Thank you! its very misunderstood
i've rewatched (in 4k bluray) ang lee's hulk recently for the first time since i saw it in cinema back in 2003. it's just incredible in its craft only: cinematography, editing, music score - it's all on another artistic level then anything mcu produced. even hulk cgi animation and all special effects look just amazing and aged perfectly well and even look better then most modern stuff! it's ang lee, what else should i say.
The reason Hulk was so beloved in the first place is because of his destructive, monstrous nature. That raw muscle power is just a sight to behold.
I'm so glad this video was recommended to me. I really miss this version of this hulk, I probably watched this movie over 10 times as a kid.
I enjoy the MCU version of Hulk but I do kinda miss this version of him a little, him and Bruce fighting for control was and still is a cool concept imo. Ang Lee's film adaptation might not be a masterpiece per say, but it's not a total dumpster fire by any means. I'd say in the list of good early 2000s superhero movies, it's right up there with Spider-Man and x men.
I agree Ang Lee's Hulk was definitely my favorite iteration. First of all it has a better story line I think then the Edward Norton version. Eric Bana, I felt, did a great job showing a man who has trouble expressing himself yet also eventually goes through emotional turmoil. At the beginning he seems kind of cold and nonchalant as the love of his life is just out of reach working beside him but not with him. The anger and chaos caused by his a-hole father coming back into his life just to use him. The jealousy and angst when the other a-hole Talbot is trying to get with Betty, demean Bruce and kill Hulk. And the anger of Betty's a-hole father who will stop at nothing even seemingly hurt his own daughter to capture the Hulk to use the Hulk's secrets for his own means. And most of the parts were played so well. Eric Bana is my favorite Bruce Banner, Jennifer Connelly is definitely my favorite Betty (no offense to Liv Tyler), Sam Elliot as Gen Ross perfection, Nick Nolte is always a good bad guy. Thanks for your take I enjoyed watching it.
Thank you! I agree! This movie has great casting!
This video deserves a lot of views because the green Goliath is secretly one of those tragic heroes you can relate to in our everyday lives.
This movie was genuinely good. This was also how I was first introduced to this character. We really got some banger superhero films in the 2000s.
Ang Lee's Hulk set the bar so high, that I've never been happy with the rest that followed. Lee's hulk is pure rage, and terrifying to watch. The other versions just make him flexing and yelling, which is not the same at all.
Ang Lee's hulk feels like he doesn't realize he's going to hurt himself, both physically and vocally with his screams. I can hear the damage being done to his vocal cords, and Ang Lee did pull a muscle doing the mo-cap.
Still the best hulk movie imo. They got the impact of his childhood. The character of banner before the gamma infusion. And told a good hulk story after. Every other hulk fails the gravity of the backstory. Thank you for this video. You did a fantastic job outlining just why stan lees vision and creation of the hulk character should mean so much.
An R rated Hulk Horror film would be amazing. Imagine him ripping people's heads off and pulling guts out. He could be under the control of a cosmic entity or Scarlett witch and be on the hunt for someone or something . Sort of like Arnie in the original Terminator film. Relentless and won't stop coming after you
Kinda wish Ang Lee's version had a R-rated cut.
I felt Ang Lee's Hulk was pretty underappreciated. One of my friends pretty much slammed it for it's scene transitions throughout the film, but it honestly told a good story.
I just watched the film last night. It was such a blast and rlly made me appreciate hulk so much more. I thought i’d find the editing kinda dizzying but it was honestly so nostalgic of early 2000s, late 90s Hollywood movies, i fricken loved it!
hearing the 1977 "the incredible hulk" music at the beginning absolutely tore a hole in my chest before I recognised where it was from XD
High quality stuff, deserves more views
Thank you, i really appreciate that man!
Bro I thought I was the only one, this was the Best “Hulk” movie for me. It’s part of my collection. I may watch every 8 months. I like how you presented this.
I think that this movie, like Man Of Steel or the first Amazing Spiderman, has been forgiven by time and many people have given it another chance. I'm glad of that. I don't consider it my favorite, but it certainly has quite interesting ideas and for its time, I I imagine it in the same universe as Tobey Maguire's Spiderman, a very underrated movie, although my favorite will always be The Incredible Hulk, which to tell the truth seems to be a continuation of this one, it seems that this film with Norton took discarded ideas from the canceled sequel by Ang Lee
nah man of steel is still average at best.
@@monkeyrun Maybe for you, but over time a lot of people's opinions have softened on the film for sure. It's a fun first contact take on Superman imo.
@@monkeyrun nah man of steel is like the only dc movie I like since 2013 other then the batman
Man of Steel and The Amazing Spider-Man aren't that good. Hulk is on a whole other level than them.
I remember being so scared of the Hulk when I was a kid. And rewatching Ang Lee’s Hulk recently just brings back all those memories
The movie has always held a special place for me. As an angry kid all I wanted was the ability to transform into an unstoppable force but more so Hulk was my favorite because it was easy to see myself in him
I remember when this came out and I was one of the few people I knew that liked it. I liked the editing and transitions done like a comic panel and the origin of his rage issues being suppressed trauma. It had action and also a bit more depth than just a Jekyll and Hyde style story
Why I always loved Hulk was how yes it does start out slow, but once the Hulk shows up it really delivers on the action front! Now I find the slow build up important like Jurassic Park
I loved this version of the hulk, not to mention the dark tone, theme, etc. So much nostalgia.
Literally me working out, my motivation is to look as much as the hulk as possible, and Ang Lee’s Hulk has been in my head really.
I remember having the 2003 hulk action figures, the game and the vcr tape. Definitely a very underrated Hulk film.
Also, I would have loved to see Ruffalo’s Hulk (more specifically, Avengers and Age of Ultron) get his own, stand alone film.
Ang Lee's version was actually... IS actually my favorite version...and character design...that version was MASSIVE...and scary...
Best hulk imo. I honestly don't understand the hate that it gets, it was a big part of some of our childhood.
Never understood why this one got so much hate.....I always loved this film from the ok effects at the time, the magnificent soundtrack, the comic book transitions, how tall and scary he was.....definitely a great film that should be respected more and had at least a sequel to it......I love Mark Ruffalo hulk but this version of the hulk is way more intimidating to me
This movie is a master piece and I've always loved it since I was a kid. Yes, it is an underrated movie. Anyway, I love the melancholic storyline of Bruce, the soundtrack is keen on representing the drama, the actors give their best on their performances. The CGI overall is really well made for a 2003 movie. This movie also has some scary scenes, every time when Hulk would start transform I would shiver on my couch, but I would really enjoy seeing Hulk powers and strength. Great movie!
You hit it right on the head. I grew up loving and watching this Hulk as well. The mental anguish he was dealing with IS what makes the Hulk the Hulk. A dark and primeval anger which we all try and keep deep down inside, coupled with childhood trauma. The comic book presentation is what separates the movie as well.
Loved this movie, the story was engaging. They really wanted to fully flesh out bruce trauma. And fun fact, bruce only transforms in this movie due to trauma, or saving betty
One of Marvels best movies still to this day.
100%
Hulk is awesome!!! We need this Hulk to come back!!
As a kid who grew up in a troubled childhood, I won't give details as I doubt youtube would allow them, but when I was 6 the 2003 hulk movie came out, and It felt like a piece of media that understood me, I felt like all the rage and pent up anger inside me that I lashed out with made me a monster, through the years I kept coming back to the movie, It really helped me feel noticed and like I could be normal. All the years of people hating and critisising the movie really hurt me deep on the inside given it was the only piece of media I felt I could directly relate to, to feel less alone less isolated because people didn't understand my pent up repressed emotions and my difficulties controlling them.
Thank you, I appreciate someone talking about this movie in a positive light for once. It's very rare.
I grew up loving that movie, and that depiction of Hulk and his powers on the tv screen has always been my favorite. Me and my dad use to have a song lyric for the Hulk vs. the 3 dogs scene. The song lyric is simply "let the doggies fight the hulk!" To the tune of Let the bodies hit the floor by Drowning Pool. My dad was an awesome dude, and he passed away in 2022 due to cancer. Rip my dad
What I absolutely hate is how unrealistic every superhero’s cgi has become. The hulk 2003 was not graphically as advanced but at times he looked very natural LIKE HE WAS THERE. It actually scared you. He was menacing and his presence felt real. In the following hulk after it the production focused a lot on using cgi as the background and more of it. It felt unnatural like what you were watching was a video game. The buildings felt like they weren’t actually destroyed but just in the cgi world were destroyed. Although more detail in the cgi, they used a diffferent technique almost creating his whole image from scratch. In hulk 2003 he looked very human with very natural human facial expression. I hate how avengers is over saturated with so much cgi that you feel no fear. No danger as the viewer bc you are aware what you are watching is unreal. Bring back old production where the producer actually tried to convince you that what you’re seeing is real.
"You can say when he snaps the Infinity Gauntlet that's his moment."
I do. I do say that's his moment--in fact, I don't see how there's any other way to read it. It's the one thing only he can do (and survive), and it demands both parts of him, his strength and his intellect, the two things that have always been at war but now finally are at peace with one another. That's a great legacy for the character.
This will always be my favourite hulk. I used to have this movie on vhs as a kid, I wore it out because I watched it so much. It’s not until I got older I found out it has a bad reputation and people like to dump on it. So i rewatched it recently wondering if it was just blind nostalgia which made me love this movie, but no. It’s still one of the most underrated comic book movies of all time. I still love it just as much as I did when I was a kid.
One of my favorite superhero characters as well!
I have a similar past except the radiation part(thankfully).
I have an abusive father and other evil people in my family who made my childhood a living Hell and continued the torture through my teenage and young adulthood.
After that i have stood up for myself and slowly "merged" with that survival instinct that caused me to lash out. Because of the constant pressure i have developed anger issues.
But fortunately never stepped over any moral borders. I have just yelled and hit objects..Harmed myself.
I was so angry and felt guilty because the very people who betrayed and tortured me shamelessly put THEIR OWN guilt on me just so they can live care free and continue harming others.
Now as i am leaving that fake quilt behind(fake as it is not my guilt because i did not do anything to deserve it) i am starting to be one with that "beast".
The scared little child and the beast that protected her starting to form an actual adult. Someone responsible, someone who i always meant to be and who can help others to avoid the same faith.
Sorry i have turned into a writer half way! XD
Bruce Banner was excellent in Ang Lee's Hulk movie. He really comes across as someone with not just a temper, but pathologically messed up, repressed Rage, a victim of horrible childhood trauma. As good as Mark Ruffalo is, as an actor, he just does not portray that side of him, he actually comes across as a very grounded college professor.
I wish the 2003 hulk was the hulk we stayed with I really want it back it’s perfect on all levels from size to power and speed I felt all the hulks emotions the story was great and lee understood the hulk and made his hulk perfect and spot on I loved seeing the hulk grow and get stronger ( comic accurate version of hulk )
8:30 & 8:45 was an amazing explanation of Stan Lee’s creative process. Thank you! I just subscribed!
Thank you so much! And welcome! More video essays are on the way!
I have found my people! I NEVER understood the hate for Ang Lee's take on Bruce Banner/ The Hulk. It's not just a case of childhood nostalgia. Even when I revisit the movie as an adult, I find the characters well written and the audience gains an understanding for the Hulk as a stand-alone character. We understand his traumas and motivations. Eric Bana's performance was also really well done.
Gotta say I love this one too. Feels of nostalgia kicks in whenever I fire this one up
bruce's attempts at suicide are also probably a reference to the wolf man. in one of the golden age movies the character larry talbot tries to jump off a cliff so he can stop killing people but he transforms into the wolf man and survives
Yeah I remember that! Good example!
Oh hell yeah, always down for an Ang Lee Hulk appreciation video. Such a unique and avant-garde take on the Bruce Banner character. Plus it really showed the sheer power of the Hulk, something I dont think has been topped since. I understand why it was so divisive, but to me it deserves more respect for trying something different, especially now with the current oversaturation of cookie-cutter MCU content.
It sucks that the MCU treats hulk like a joke, I’m just glad hulk got a decent comic line that is amazing and dives into hulks character. If you like hulk you should read immortal hulk, it has drama, action, thrills and everything else you want out of a hulk story
I agree man. And i haven't read those! Good suggestion! I'll def read those!
@@Mr.Valentyne it’s top 4 best hulk comics
@@Mr.Valentyne it’s top 4 best hulk comics
It all comes down to how they don’t own the rights to him. They can’t make a solo movie and don’t want to prop him up too much
WOW! 100k! I just want to say thank you to everyone who watched this video! It means the world to me! This is my first video essay EVER! And I never expected it to reach so many people! I will only keep making video essays and getting better at it as well! Thank you for all the support! ❤️💚
Great video man 👍🏽
I'm so glad to hear I wasn't the only one who dressed up as the hulk back in 2004, and had the foam hulk gloves. This video really brought back some long lost memories from my early childhood
People were not ready for it at that time. It was long but the cinematography, action, VFX, Acting, Theme were on spot, specially Ang Lee's split screen scenes. It is one of my favourite all time Superhero movie along with Sam Raimis Spiderman, Zack Snyder's Man of Steel and Russos Infinity War. The story was faithful to the comics. Bruce who has endured pain throughout his life finally let go of his anger and monster inside after the Gamma Ray accident.
Solid 10/10 from me at that time also and even today❤👌🔥🔥
Those are my fav superhero movies too!
I watched it as a kid and loved it. And still don't get why it was so universally panned, it's still the best hulk film to this day and I think everyone in it were great for such an early superhero film
This movie is starting to look a lot better these days, isn't it? 😄
In MCU, Bruce says he's "always angry," which is a cool line, but I never really got that impression from the character. He's passive aggressive and reluctant, but I wouldn't say he seems to be always angry. It's really more panic and anxiety that seems to transform him in the MCU films, which I think is a mistake. Rather than just excitement or sudden outbursts making him transform, I like how in this movie, it's that deep, slow, SEETHING type of anger that boils over and lets the beast out. It's more relatable, especially nowadays I think. There's a lot of stuff in life to be pissed off about that we just have to not ruminate on or it'll destroy us. But when it becomes unavoidable and overwhelming, sometimes we all just wanna Hulk Out lol
This was the only Hulk movie that made you legitimately scared of the Hulk and its entire atmosphere cannot be replicated. Every other Hulk movie hes basically a large green strong guy. In this movie hes an unstoppable uncontrollable force of nature that just gets larger, angrier, stronger, and more unpredictable the more violence comes his way.
I have always loved how the Hulk pushes up his sleeve (when there isn't one) before taking on the tank. Ed Hooks' book on Acting for Animators would call that a phycological gesture. It is something that Bruce does when he is getting down to work that lingers in the mind of the Hulk. Beautiful.
I rewatched the first Avengers movie yesterday and I really do like how they handle Bruce Banner/Hulk in the first half of the movie. Ruffalo really sells the feeling of being on edge, constantly worrying about whether he'll transform and destroy everything around him, and when he eventually does turn into the hulk, he really is depicted as a terrifying, unstoppable force of nature. I get that they had to have him become a more traditional hero character for the final battle but the first half really nails the character of the hulk I feel
Drives me crazy how no one talks about 2003 hulk when the cgi is better than 20 years later!!! The problem with ang Lees hulk is that it's ang Lee, and people don't like him when he's ang lee. Never been a proper hulk movie other than Edward Nortons and I'd never say its better. Will always be a mystery but I will always support the 2003 Ang Lee hulk as my personal favourite
Amen!
Supposedly, according to Disney+ Marvel, he's "Smart Hulk" not "Professor Hulk" 😔
Someone finally said it, and I totally agree. He doesn’t put on a costume, pick up an op weapon or shield, instead his power is part of him that he has to FIGHT to keep in check. It is a beautiful conflict that goes as deep as any writer needs or wants it to. My favorite comic character by far.
the 70's Hulk show and the three accompanying movies with Lou Ferrigno and Bill Bixby is my favorite interpretation of the character, its one of the only adaptations that really hammers you with feelings of forever loneliness, that coupled with the brilliant score and charismatic acting of Bill, you get what is in my eyes, the finest interpretation. 2003's Hulk, is also great, loved it as a kid and still do now, its probably the most accurate depiction of the hulk. I remember when the movie came out, it was a great time to be alive.