Being Green Ain't Easy Mister

I vaguely remember having read Hulk comics as a kid. They were very different from the usual comics, in that they were oversized, very glossy and very beautiful, much like the Asterix and TinTin comics. The Hulk was way different from the usual action hero in that he didn't have any control over his transitions and like Mr. Hyde, you never knew if he was going to be good or evil when he transformed into a green giant. (Though, you truly believed that he was good since as you see, he was a comic book hero). Ang Lee's interpretation of this comic book character goes beyond the usual comic book movies in trying to instill an emotional element in the movie. Bruce Banner is still the victim of exposure to Gamma Rays, but he is also the victim of genetic experiments performed by his dad even before he was born, and he is the victim of emotional trauma and an empathy-less world. Lee brings out those moments beautifully, but he falters whenever the green giant appears on screen. The emotional moments are touching, but the green giant does not shock you, terrify you, or even make you believe that he is anything but a computer generated character. The fact that he is endowed with sudden cartoon-like movements (in deep contrast to the movements around him) doesn't make him any more believable. Unlike Spider-Man in Sam Raimi's version, the Hulk is never cool, nor does he appear as a hero since he makes it amply clear that it isn't easy being a Hulk. The only scene where the Hulk does something proactive is where he fights three mutated dogs to save his ex-girlfriend Ross. In every other scene, he is simply reacting to all the bullets and bombs around him. If you were a kid, you wouldn't really like to see your hero just run away from chasing helicopters and try to dodge bullets with a worried 'why me?' look, would you? Ang Lee seems to be enjoying the possibilities of all the special effects prowess in his grasp, as he literally interprets the comic book as, well as comic book with scene transitions appearing as panels (like the Eminem video for Without Me). The downside of his approach is that you never forget that you are watching a movie/comic with panel transitions appearing just when you begin to get involved in the scene. To tell the truth, I never really found out if I liked the movie or not. Watch it and decide for yourself.