Hulk

Bruce Banner is a talented geneticist haunted by a difficult childhood and an overbearing father, and his life gets upended when a lab accident exposes him to extreme radiation. After the incident, Banner discovers that intense anger transforms him into a massive, green, and uncontrollable alter ego, and he spends much of the movie trying to hold that side of himself in check. As military figures, scientists, and former colleagues close in, Banner's relationship with Betty Ross grows tense, and long-buried family secrets start coming to light. The film focuses on mood, psychological scars, and the moral fallout of scientific excess, while keeping the ultimate outcome and major surprises hidden.

Released in 2003 and directed by Ang Lee, this adaptation draws on scripts by Michael France and on the long history of Jack Kirby and Stan Lee's comic work. The cast includes Eric Bana as Bruce Banner, Jennifer Connelly as Betty Ross, Sam Elliott as General Ross, Josh Lucas and Nick Nolte, and the movie aimed to blend arthouse sensibilities with blockbuster action.

It didn't become an awards season favorite, and it received little recognition from major bodies like the Academy or the Golden Globes. A handful of genre festivals and smaller organizations acknowledged technical elements, but the film's awards profile stayed modest compared with mainstream contenders.

People still reference the movie for its daring visual experiments, including comic-panel framing, bold color choices, and stylized slow motion. Those choices set it apart from more straightforward superhero films of the era, sparking ongoing debate among fans and filmmakers about how far comic adaptations should push formal techniques.

Critics were divided at release and audiences remain mixed, reflected in a middling user score of 5.577/10 from more than 6,000 votes. Reviewers often praised the film's ambition and performances, especially Bana and Connelly, while criticizing uneven pacing and some CGI work. Major thematic strands include repressed anger, the burden of family trauma, identity under public scrutiny, and the ethical responsibilities of scientific research.