DVD After Dr. Bruce Banner receives a massive dose of gamma radiation from his laboratory he becomes the Jekyll and Hyde character Hulk. Just remember, don't make him angry.
Details
Dr. David Banner is a 1960s scientist working for the US government attempting to isolate genes from various creatures in order to create a super immune system for soldiers in battle. Whilst his experiments on animals have produced mixed results, his superiors refuse permission for human trials. Frustrated by the decision, Banner takes matters into his own hands and begins experimenting on himself. Although the initial results appear disappointing, everything changes when his wife announces that she is pregnant.
Once Bruce is born, David realises that his experiments may have passed onto his son. Worse still, Bruce begins displaying disturbing behavioural changes whenever he becomes angry or upset. But when human blood samples are discovered in Banner's laboratory, the government shuts the project down. Enraged, David initiates a self-destruct sequence and destroys the base. During the chaos he accidentally kills his wife before being arrested by the military police, all whilst the young Bruce helplessly watches events unfold.
Fast forward to the present day where the now grown-up Bruce Banner, believing both his mother and father are dead, has unknowingly continued his father's experiments in the fields of genetics and nano-technology as part of a research team at the University of California. However, all his regenerative experiments have managed to produce so far is a range of exploding frogs. Nevertheless, the ideas behind the genetic experiments have attracted the attention of the military.
But when an experiment goes badly wrong Bruce is exposed to nano-machines and a deadly dose of gamma radiation. Clinically he should be dead, but rather than feeling the effects of the radiation he feels absolutely perfect. Even his bad knee has mysteriously healed. Unfortunately, whenever Bruce loses his temper something strange begins to happen. It's not the jolly green giant or the green monster of envy, but rather a huge rampaging force of rage... and naturally the military want a piece of the action.
Picture & Sound
The picture is bright and colourful with a high level of detail and an average bit-rate. However, for such a recent release the transfer is nowhere near as good as it should be, suffering from occasional dust marks and a general graininess. Is this graininess and average bit-rate a consequence of having to accommodate an audio commentary, Dolby Digital and DTS soundtracks?
Considering the length of the film it is certainly a possibility. Fortunately, these problems are only really noticeable during some of the brighter desert scenes. On the plus side, the CGI effects are superbly rendered and blend in well with the on-screen chaos. This is especially evident during the desert battle sequences where the CGI helicopters often look almost real.
Although this has nothing to do with the overall picture quality, I was more than impressed by the use of split screens and cross fades to give the film a comic book style of cinematography. It's a very effective approach and results in some genuinely stunning shots. It's just a pity that the technique isn't used more consistently throughout the film. Mind you, perhaps overusing it would have eventually become rather distracting.
One of the beauties of The Hulk is that it comes equipped with both Dolby Digital and DTS soundtracks. There is little to choose between the two formats, but unless the DTS track is an absolute stinker then I'd always opt for the superior separation and dynamics that DTS usually offers.
Thankfully, the soundtrack here is excellent. Both formats provide an extremely dynamic and involving experience with a cracking array of surround and ambient effects. The surround channels are hardly ever idle and the stereo steerage across the front soundstage is amongst the best I've heard on DVD. It's an extremely powerful soundtrack and even the often neglected LFE channel gets a healthy workout throughout the film.
Menu & Extras
The Hulk is not afraid to show off its comic book origins and the menus continue the theme with comic-style animation before morphing into live action footage. With the film containing an audio commentary and both Dolby Digital and DTS soundtracks, it is only natural that the majority of the extras have spilled onto a second disc. However, disc one hasn't been neglected. Along with the director's commentary there's also a Hulk Cam feature which offers a Matrix-style branching option to behind-the-scenes footage. Unfortunately, in order to view all of the material you need to watch the entire film and select the branch icon whenever it appears. Why there isn't a separate menu option to view everything independently is beyond me. Disc one is rounded off with a teaser trailer for Thunderbirds.
The audio commentary from director Ang Lee is certainly worth a listen and fans of the film will pick up plenty of interesting information along the way. However, Lee's commentary is rather sedate and there are far too many lengthy pauses between his comments. Another downside is that he can occasionally be difficult to understand and I still can't work out exactly what he says during his opening sentence. The track would have benefited enormously from additional input by one of the stars or perhaps a member of the CGI effects team.
Disc two contains a varied and generally interesting collection of extras. The highlight is undoubtedly Evolution of the Hulk, featuring the ever enthusiastic Marvel co-creator Stan Lee discussing how the character came about and why Hulk ended up green. If you've never seen Stan before then keep an eye out for his cameo appearance in the film. The Unique Style of Editing Hulk featurette is also particularly interesting as it explains the comic-book editing techniques used throughout the film.
The remaining documentaries, including The Incredible Ang Lee and The Making of Hulk, do a good job of demonstrating just how passionate Lee was about the project. He even donned motion-capture equipment himself in order to show the special effects team exactly how he wanted Hulk to move. There are also deleted scenes and a rather tedious interactive Anatomy of the Hulk feature which quickly outstays its welcome. Overall though, the extras are of a very good standard and certainly make this two-disc set feel like good value for money.
Overall
The Hulk is a film which genuinely grows on you. I skipped it at the cinema due to the rather negative press surrounding the CGI effects, but it just goes to show that sometimes it's worth ignoring the hype and making your own mind up. The CGI work is actually extremely impressive for the time, particularly the facial expressions and emotional detail given to Hulk himself. Director Ang Lee also deserves credit for trying something different with the material by turning what could have been a mindless comic book film into a surprisingly psychological character piece. The comic-book style split-screen cinematography is wonderfully stylish and the opening credits sequence alone is superb.
However, the film does have its negative points. For a start it is far too long and spends too much time dwelling on Bruce Banner's troubled past. Secondly, just what the hell is the ending all about?! Oh, and don't get me started on those mutant dogs. Fans of the comic books may also be disappointed by Hulk's altered appearance and his rather ridiculous jumping abilities. But does all of this really matter? The action scenes are entertaining, the soundtrack is superb and the CGI effects are far better than many critics gave them credit for. The film is also left wide open for a sequel, so let's just hope next time the scriptwriters come up with a stronger finale.
Special features
- Feature commentary with Director Ang Lee
- Hulk Cam: Inside the Rage - Inside access to behind the scenes footage throughout the film
- Thunderbirds Teaser Trailer
- Superhero Revealed: The Anatomy of the Hulk
- Deleted Scenes
- Hulkification - You're Making me Angry scene drawn by accomplished illustrators from around the world
- Evolution of the Hulk - A deep look into the production and technology that have brought Marvel's strongest superhero to life on the big screen
- The Incredible Ang Lee - A tribute to Ang Lee's hands on directing style and his dedication to the Hulk
- The Dog Fight Scene - Step by step breakdown of the scene from storyboard to finished scene
- Making of The Hulk
- Ang Lee - A unique look at the comic book editing style of the film
- DVD-ROM feature - Featuring PC wallpaper and screensaver
