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| 2003 Hulk vs. 2008 Hulk |
In case you haven’t noticed I have started to diversify and
increase the content I have on ‘The Reeltime Report.’ I have had other blogging duties the past few
months (read: 6+ months) and haven’t had as much time. Those tasks have been prioritized and I am
back in the fold here at ‘The Reeltime Report’ (and at ‘The Jeff Report’ for
all you sports fans out there).
As such, part of what I want to do is a few posts that I
will smatter here and there that consist of looking at the same
topic/character/story that was made, and then “rebooted” recently. Each one will be compared and I will look at
which one I see as better and give you my thoughts.
In 2003 the new superhero/comic book movie explosion was in
full swing. After X-Men came along and
changed the stigma of the comic book movie and showed you can create a solid
film that was actually good even with comic book source material in 2000,
Spider Man came along in 2001 and proved that it could make crazy money
too. Spider-Man broke record after
record and the full on comic book movie rush was on.
I am not exactly sure where Hulk rates on the popularity
scale over at Marvel, but he would probably rank pretty high. Hulk would rank behind Spider-Man and X-Men
most definitely. Then after that, Marvel
has a legion of their ‘second tier’ characters, so many in fact that at some
point in order to boost sales of all of them they joined them together to form
‘The Avengers’ which is a who’s who of 2nd tier characters of
Marvel: Hulk, Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor as well as some Avengers
specific characters.
But I digress. We’re
talking about the Hulk here. The reason
I even started on that tangent was in order to address the fact that the Hulk
may have been the comic book character with the biggest hurdle in popularity to
fight at this point. While Spider-Man
and X-Men are universally loved, the Hulk had his following but wasn’t for
everybody.
The box office receipts proved this to be true. Netting just over $150M, ‘The Hulk’ didn’t
exactly set the box office on fire. You
could say that it’s due to the popularity (lack thereof?) of Hulk, but many
would say that it was Ang Lee’s direction style that turned most fans off. Either way the movie didn’t do great, but got
enough “it could be great” type reviews for Marvel to think that 5 years later
it could use a reboot. So in 2008 Louis
Letterier helmed the reboot that replaced Bruce Banner and gave a less contemplative
and more action oriented (think: “Hulk Smash”) Hulk. While they thought it would please it more
fans it still couldn’t surpass the $160M mark at the box office.
There are things to like about each Hulk. The 2003 version had a very unique style to
it. While some said it turned them off
the way it was made, it was done in a way you don’t see as often and as a
result gave you a unique experience. Ang
Lee, still two years away from winning his Oscar (Brokeback Mountain, 2005)
tried to create a live action comic book of sorts. There was split screen effects, picture in
picture effects, and the shots were very reminiscent of comic books panels with
their close ups of faces, eyes, and anything else deemed important by the given
scene.
Besides it’s different visual style, Lee’s Hulk also
hearkened back to the contemplative Hulk from the comic books. Hulk spends time staring at his reflection
trying to figure out who he really is and why he is ruled by pure emotion. He spends time looking at the serene desert
landscape noting the flowers that are by themselves and so peaceful and Hulk
yearns for that peace. While true to the
comic book storylines, it’s not the most appealing to audiences. ‘Hulk Smash’ is what they paid money to see
and they didn’t get to see that much of it.
The 2008 version of the Hulk (known as ‘The Incredible Hulk’)
was a bit more conventional in its styling and storytelling. You found yourself with a much whinier Bruce
Banner and a Hulk who spends less time trying to find himself and more timing
smashing things. There really isn’t much
special brought to the table here as they don’t go into much detail about Bruce’s
backstory, save for his love affair with Betty Ross.
This version deals more with Bruce trying to understand
himself and control his ability to be the Hulk, rather than Bruce being afraid
of the Hulk and the Hulk trying to understand himself (those who follow the
comic know they are distinctly two different beings, similar to Dr. Jekyll and
Mr. Hyde). When the Hulk in this movie
it was mostly in the vein of action and seeing the Hulk smash and fight the
military and his arch enemy abomination.
The question remains, which one is better? In my estimation the winner here is the 2003
version ‘The Hulk.’ The style of Ang Lee
I unique, original, and fun. While the
story line may not be the most intriguing to fans and non-fans alike, it is
true to the Hulk cannon and provides enough action to see the Hulk do his
famous mile-long leaps and start to become comfortable with his abilities. The Bruce Banner of Erica Bana is more true
to form of what my experience has been in the comic world and Lee’s version of
the Hulk who is desperately just trying to be alone and in peace while also
trying to understand his love for Betty is what makes this movie more enjoyable
to me.
The 2008 version just didn’t have the depth and the character
the first one did. The Hulk was just an
Id that didn’t get to see much of his softer side with the exception of one
scene where he protects Betty. Edward
Norton may be a more talented actor than Bana but he doesn’t show that in his
portrayal here. Norton’s Banner is
whiney, scared, and timid. Banner is
afraid, not of himself, but afraid that he likes what happens when he becomes
the Hulk. He has spent his entire life
hiding his true emotions and when he is the Hulk his emotions get to let fly
and this is a freeing experience for Banner.
Norton’s depiction loses this ability while Bana’s captures it
perfectly.
It seems like a better idea than it has shown to be in
practice to have the Hulk on the big screen. Marvel has thought enough of it to try it
twice, but something has not connected with the public each time. I’m not sure what it will take for the public
to truly connect with this character on screen but for my money, Lee was closer
in his version than Letterier was in his.
Winner: 2003 ‘The Hulk’
Verdict of follow-up:
Re-Hash
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