Hulk, the bad boy of the MCU?
It will have escaped anyone’s attention that, of the 33 MCU films produced to date, only one was dedicated to the character of Bruce Banner that is to say Hulk. In fact, unlike Iron Man, Captain America, Thor or even Ant-Man, the “Green Titan” with his destructive rage had the right to only one solo adventure published in 2008, The Incredible Hulk with Edward Norton in the title role.
The reasons for this anomaly – being the character one of the most popular in the Marvel universe – are multiple. Starting with the desires and availability of Mark Ruffalo, his interpreter in the MCU since 2012 and since his debut in Avengers. But more profoundly, the history of superheroes in cinema has been very complicated a first film released in 2003therefore pre-MCU, and of which Louis Leterrier’s 2008 film is the reboot: Hulk.
Bruce Banner, a young genetics researcher with a tragic past, is the victim of a laboratory accident, which exposes him to gamma radiation. This radiation will combine with his already modified DNA and transform him into the Hulk, a green monster unleashed when he gets angry.
This one, directed by Ang Lee, an acclaimed and highly sought after director after the great success of Tiger and Dragonhowever he had artistic ambitions and had a massive budget $135 million. Eric Bana plays Bruce Banner, Nick Nolte plays his father David, Jennifer Connelly Betty Ross and Sam Elliott plays General Ross.
When Ang Lee played the Hulk himself
In a development hell for ten years Ang Lee took Hulk in hand in 2001, after multiple rewrites of a script that Universal was reluctant to produce. Filming is difficult, Eric Bana detailing an atmosphere”serious to the point of morbid“disappointed by an experience that Ang Lee had presented to him as “Greek tragedy“…only to shoot in the studio while the rest of the cast worked with a CGI creation of Hulk – the same technology used for Dobby in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets -, ultimately embodying only Bruce Banner and not the Hulk.
To make Hulk appear and animate on the screen, the image is created on the computer after real shots have been taken around a simple device intended to locate the character for the other actors look of the creature that will then be created in post-production. If only the Hulk appears in the shot, only the settings and environment are captured.
The superhero, in his design, was initially inspired by Eric Bana. It is however Ang Lee himself which, in post-production, ensured the performance acquisition for the character. The ILM animation supervisor who worked HulkColin Brady, explained in 2019:
After suggesting to Ang that we choose an actor for the Hulk that our team would use as a reference, he responded that the Hulk only existed in his mind. Since Ang is a good actor and is willing to do the things he wants, I suggested he wear a motion capture suit.
A semi-failure, even before its cult film status
The film’s production was difficult and Ang Lee’s work left audiences confused, with Marvel fans particularly criticizing him for taking great liberties with the origins of the superhero created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in 1962. Hulk enjoys spectacular launch and buildup $62 million enter North America for the first three days. But then he suffered a spectacular and unprecedented fall in the second week, with a 60% drop in attendance.
Divided between those who appreciate Ang Lee’s dramatic ambition, which gives psychological depth to his story, and those who regret the too “talkative” and not spectacular enough side of the film. Hulkthe public doesn’t understand it.
Relegated far into the shadow of the MCU that started in 2008, this one Hulk could have fallen into complete oblivion. But over the years it has gained the status of a cult object, and its differences ultimately make it strong and unique. In 2023, Ang Lee reacted to this posterity Discuss movies :
I’m glad I did “Hulk,” but I wasn’t comfortable with it when the movie came out and got mixed reviews. It was confusing to the public. I was not happy with this situation. But I had worked hard and hard. I was very proud of the teams I made the film with. It wasn’t until years later that I discovered this subculture existed. It became a cult film, but that wasn’t the intention. It was a big, expensive studio film. But I’m happy that people like this movie, I think it’s very good.
Source: Cine Serie
Ray Ortiz is a journalist at Gossipify, known for his coverage of trending news and current events. He is committed to providing readers with accurate and unbiased reporting, and is respected for his ability to keep readers informed on the latest news and issues.
