Hulk

The bad news is that the big green guy is no Gollum (i.e., from Lord of the Rings): the computer-animated, not-quite-lifelike Hulk has that herky-jerky signature look of CGI (mechanical eye-blinks, body language that lacks organic spontaneity). The good news is that there's more to this flick than special effects, and director Ang Lee (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) goes out of his way to capture both the comic book flavor (the editing style is ripped straight from Marvel's pop-art pages) and the deeper psychological themes. Star Eric Bana (Black Hawk Down) hints skillfully at stoic scientist Bruce Banner's blistering emotions--which a gamma radiation accident unleashes as a green-skinned, ripped-muscled, indestructible colossus of rampaging Id. But Hulk doesn't get to the heart of the man, and without the heart of Bruce Banner, the Hulk is, well, just a hunka hunka burnin' hulk. A climactic showdown with army tanks tossed like toys offers convincing, photo-realistic F/X, and recognizable heartbreak is conjured up on the creature's face when he catches sight of his terrified girlfriend (Jennifer Connelly), yet even in its most raucous action sequences or scenes of truest humanity, the movie fails to fully engage. Optional. [Note: DVD extras on this two-disc set include audio commentary by director Ang Lee, a “Hulk Cam: Inside the Rage” viewing option that allows branching to behind-the-scenes footage, “Superhero Revealed: The Anatomy of the Hulk” (with access to film facts, Industrial Light & Magic insights, and statistics about the Hulk character), four “Hulkification” artist interpretations with bios and multi-angle presentations from Adam Kubert (the Marvel style), Tommy Ohtsuka (Manga style), Salvador Larroca (European style) and Katsuya Tenada (dark and brooding style), a 23-minute “making-of,” the 16-minute featurette “Evolution of the Hulk,” the 14-minute “The Incredible Ang Lee,” a 10-minute featurette on “The Dog Fight Scene,” the five-minute “The Unique Style of Editing Hulk,” six minutes of deleted scenes, a two-minute storyboard segment, cast/crew bios and film highlights, brief commercials (for Sunny D and a new Universal Entertainment MasterCard), and DVD-ROM features (including playing an entire level of the Xbox Hulk game). Bottom line: a solid extras set for a somewhat disappointing summer blockbuster.] (R. Blackwelder)