Hulk (2003)
Where to Watch
- During the filming of Hulk, Eric Bana improvised one of the most famous lines in the movie.
- Before Eric Bana was cast, several major A-list stars turned down the lead role because they felt the script was too risky.
- The original script for Hulk was written over a decade before production finally began in 2003.
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 โ suppressed memories of his father David Banner's dangerous experiments and violent actions โ 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.
