Ang Lee's Hulk is ponderous—absurdly so—and mostly revolves around the gruesome father/son relationship between Bruce (Eric Bana) and David Banner (Nick Nolte). Reportedly, Lee wanted the film to evoke the weighty emotions of a Greek tragedy.
It certainly does generate a palpable response, but it's apathy. For a movie whose title character is a big, green, rage monster, the Hulk is seldom seen for the first hour. When he does show up, he's relegated to fighting mutant poodles with a penchant for crotch attacks.
Now, I'm not saying this movie wasn't ambitious because it certainly was. Unfortunately, all its aspirations are for naught; and it all amounts to little more than odd familial drama and nonsensical CGI fisticuffs. General audiences were just as confused. After winning its opening weekend with $62+ million, it dropped a stunning 69.7% in its second.
That is the steepest decline on record for a film that opened at number one. The Hulk does fight his evil father as a cloud, though, so there's that.
Now, sit back, crush a couple of Voodoo Ranger Captain Dynamite Hazy IPAs from New Belgium Brewing, and try not to fall asleep from boredom! I, the Thunderous Wizard (@WriterTLK), Capt. Cash, Chumpzilla, and Mayor McCheese are wrestling some mutant dogs!
This Week’s Segments:
Introduction/Plot Breakdown – Despite his Oscar pedigree, Ang Lee struggled to find the proper balance between art and excitement. (00:00)
Lingering Questions – After a word from our pals at The Double Turn Podcast, we determine what could have livened this film up. (42:31)
The "Hulk Smashed" Trivia Challenge – We hear from our beer bros. at Hop Nation USA, and then Chumpzilla challenges the field to a series of trivia questions about the movie. (1:24:50)
Recommendations – We offer our picks for the week; and next up: It's the second of our HBO Max specials, Godzilla vs Kong. (1:38:28)
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