The Incredible Hulk

There were many reasons why Ang Lee's Hulk movie failed. It wasn't Eric Bana's fault, it wasn't the over-the top performance by Nick Nolte and it wasn't the much maligned CG of the Hulk: It was that age old adage; the story.

Many purists sit on two sides of the fence when it comes to the Hulk. One side sits the comic book telling of the grey Hulk and all the mutations regarding the comic and original story of the Hulk.

The other side of the fence is the television series version.

This version was panned when it first came out in the 1970's. However, due to budget and technology, the producers had to change the origin of the Incredible Hulk. In retrospect, the made it work.

The tragedy of Jekyl & Hyde. The wandering and searching for a cure. The sadness of loss. In the television version, Banner experimented on himself because he couldn't save his wife from a car accident. He couldn't free her from the wreckage. He wanted to,"Tap into the strength that all humans have" Well, he did. In a big way.

So in every episode, Banner wandered from town to town searching for a cure, but really using the Hulk to help victims overcome their own loss, pain, and tragedies and yet he wanted to rid himself of the beast within. A very interesting premise. It worked for the television audience.

Now comes the re-doing of the Hulk. Edward Norton is starring and it borrows heavily from the television series. It was filmed partly in the Belleville, Trenton area and in Hamilton.

I think the problem with Ang Lee's version may have been a case of too many ideas going on and not as much focus.

Then again, it needed a hero.

Stay tuned!


http://incrediblehulk.marvel.com/

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