Hulk (2003)

It's divisive. Only 64% of audiences liked it, by Google's archived audience score. Critics agree, scoring it 58%.

Bruce Banner, a genetics researcher with a tragic past, suffers massive radiation exposure in his laboratory that causes him to transform into a raging green monster when he gets angry. Wikipedia ↗

Hulk is a 2003 American superhero film directed by Ang Lee, an unconventional, psychologically complex take on Marvel's green goliath. Eric Bana stars as Bruce Banner, a brilliant but emotionally repressed genetics researcher whose childhood trauma — suppressed memories of his father David Banner's dangerous experiments and violent actions — is triggered when a laboratory accident with gamma radiation transforms him into the Hulk. Ang Lee approached the material as a Greek tragedy about a son inheriting his father's destructive legacy, and his direction employed split-screen panels mimicking comic book layouts, elaborate transitions that evoked turning pages, and a contemplative pace that prioritized Bruce's psychological turmoil over action spectacle.

Nick Nolte's David Banner, a brilliant scientist driven mad by his own experiments, provided a memorably unhinged performance. The film divided audiences sharply between those who appreciated Lee's artistic ambitions and those who wanted a more conventional superhero experience. Hulk earned $245 million worldwide on a $137 million budget.