2003 Hulk Movie Did One Thing Right About Bruce Banner (Only For MCU to Tarnish It)
Looking back, Hulk (2003) wasn’t that bad (at least for one reason).
In 2003, Ang Lee's Hulk hit the big screen. Critics were not kind, and the movie didn't exactly smash the box office.
There is an opinion that this film was ahead of its time. It dared to be different, to delve deeper into the psyche of the Hulk, a.k.a. Bruce Banner, and explore themes of trauma and repressed anger.
The 2003 Hulk movie was made before the MCU had perfected its comic book movie formula. It was less about action-packed sequences and more about the human (or should we say, superhuman) experience.
The film's marketing may have set it up to fail, but those who appreciated its approach saw it for what it was: a unique take on a beloved character.
The film's CGI, especially for its time, was not that bad. Even today, some argue that the 2003 Hulk looks more realistic than the 2008 version.
While the 2003 Hulk doesn’t look better than the MCU’s Hulk based on Mark Ruffalo ’s appearance, there is one important thing this movie depicted far more accurately than the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This unique feature made it stand out from all the other Hulk adaptations that followed.
In the 2003 movie, the Hulk was depicted more in line with his comic book origins. The angrier he got, the bigger and stronger he became. Remember that scene where he breaks free from the foam?
Or when he tears apart one of the mutant dogs after it bites him, growing in size and strength due to his anger? Those were some classic Hulk moments right there.
Unfortunately, this unique characteristic of the Hulk was something that the Marvel Cinematic Universe didn't quite capture. In the MCU, the Hulk's size and strength don't really correlate with his anger levels, which is a bit of a letdown for comic book purists.
Just remember how pissed off fans were when Thanos easily defeated Hulk at the beginning of the Avengers: Infinity War. That wasn’t Hulk we all wanted to see, right?
While the 2003 Hulk movie might not have been a cinematic masterpiece, it did give us a more authentic Hulk, and we can only praise the movie for it.