You Wouldn’t Like Me When I’m Bored
A funny thing happened to the wife and I on the way to see Finding Nemo. We went to see the Hulk instead.
I couldn’t argue with the kind stranger who surprised us in the movie theatre parking lot. “You want to see a movie? Here.”
What are these? Free tickets to see the sneak preview. Wow. Let’s go see some green.
It’s not every day I go see a sneak preview; Tuesday night isn’t exactly when you expect to the latest new release. A large section of seats were reserved for the press. The theater was packed. The wife and I found the last pair of open seats that were actually placed next to each other. I wonder if all those people were as disappointed as I.
The Hulk is a movie with an identity crisis. It can’t decide if it is an action flick or a dramatized play. Is this the story of a child’s green monster or the dark tale of a disturbed man. The first hour of the film goes by without one sighting the big green guy. Hulk. Smash. Get on with it.
You can see Ang Lee‘s touch on the film. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was a love story with some over the top action sequences. The Hulk comes off in a similar fashion. It’s a dark, foreboding story with a not so jolly green giant.
The problem is that the story didn’t really need to be there. We didn’t need to hear the ravings of Bruce’s father. We didn’t need to know about his father at all. It should start with the smashing. It should end with the smashing. Everything in between should just be a reason to get to the smashing.
Speaking of smashing, a lot of people had issues with the special effects. I was not one of them. Aside from the believability of a tall green monster parading around San Francisco, I thought they looked great. The movement of the Hulk, especially when tossing a tank, crushing walls, and, well, smashing was right on. The sight of him leaping from place to place brought back memories of the comic.
Unfortunately, the rest of the movie did not. I wouldn’t take my kid to see it; the story is just too dark and disjointed. I’d take him to see Finding Nemo. Next time that’s where I’ll take myself as well.
