Taiwanese-born filmmaker, Ang Lee produced the film Hulk in 2003, which at the time received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics and audiences. Early in his career, the Marvel director found success and made the breakthrough he required to establish himself in Hollywood.
Because of his devoted followers in his native country and viewers from other nations, Lee’s films enjoyed considerable fame in the 1990s and even into the 2000s. He only ever tried directing a superhero film once, and after its unfavorable reviews, he deserted the concept.
This was also true of his 2003 adaptation of the ‘Hulk’, a legendary figure from Marvel Comics. Although audiences and critics responded differently to the movie, the Marvel director acknowledged that he never intended for Hulk to become a cult classic.
The 68-year-old director discussed his feelings about the Hulk movie and the reasons why he did not want it to become a cult classic in an interview early this year.
How Did Hulk Leave Marvel’s Director Disappointed?
Do you remember the cult favorite Hulk from nearly two decades ago, starring Eric Bana and Jennifer Connelly? It is difficult to forget because it features some of the weirdest transitions ever.
In an interview with Discussing Film, director Ang Lee explained that he prefers to keep his work separate from the larger Marvel universe while talking about his only foray into the superhero genre. At the time, superhero films were neither the most popular in theaters nor necessary to establish a franchise. They were just a couple of hours of frantic comic book fun.
Thus, Lee was given the creative freedom to produce something outrageous when he made the Hulk.
“Back then people indulged me to do whatever I wanted, so the support was great. There wasn’t a big studio demanding he follow the Marvel formula, which means it’d be harder to make this kind of movie today. [B]ack then superhero movies were not a genre yet. Six months before mine was coming out, there was [Sam Raimi’s] Spider-Man. You take the comic books, but you do whatever you want with them. It was not a genre.”
The filmmaker further admitted that despite his excitement for the project, he did not view it as a chance to impose his creative vision on the superhero genre. He believed that the Hulk story provided a unique opportunity to explore challenging issues like identity, rage, and the internal conflicts that people experience.
“It [Hulk] was like a cult movie, but it wasn’t meant to be that way. It was a big, expensive studio movie. But I’m happy some people like you really like it. I’m happy about that, something very cool about it.”
Hulk Movie ‘Confused The Market’
Hulk received mixed reviews from both critics and average viewers upon its release in 2003.
Many people enjoyed it, while others did not, and Ang Lee was not particularly pleased with the movie’s outcome, even after it had been released. He added that even though the entire staff worked incredibly hard to make the movie under his direction, it ultimately did not have a great deal of success.
What then went wrong with the Hulk? Lee claimed that the movie’s concept failed to resonate with the audience.
“I wanted to do like a psychodrama, like a sci-fi/horror film was where my head was at. It was confusing for the market. I wasn’t happy about that.”
Hulk, whose production cost was reportedly over $137 million, had a brief but successful run at the box office, earning a total of just $245 million after its release. Despite these shortcomings, the Hulk film offered a story that was novel and different.
Since both critics and viewers had conflicting opinions, Lee’s Hulk movie could be described as both an underrated cinematic gem and a misunderstood one.
Anyway. HBO Max offers Hulk for streaming.
Source- Discussing Film
